Ariana:
It’s raining today, grey clouds looming over us as we walk out towards the stables. The water is cold, cooling the blood that burns in my veins as nerves and adrenaline prickle my mind.
It had been two weeks since Nate had informed me about the witch. The spies that were supposed to bring her here ran into some trouble, which delayed them by a week.
They are currently a mile south of where the manor is. The witch is in what Nate had described as a makeshift prison.
Nate and the Prince had decided to go to the prison in their wolf form, leaving Sisily and I to travel on horseback as I still can’t shift into my wolf form.
The way things have gone in my life, the trauma caused by my father, makes me believe that I will never be able to. I have tried reaching out to my wolf, but the traumatizing strings of a past that I wish to forget make sure I can’t reach it. My wolf hides in my mind away from me as though I am the reason for her pain. Her anguish. Her anger. Her fear.
“You can take that one,” Sisily says, pointing at a beautiful honey-colored mare. My heart thunders in my ears as I get on it, I half expect it to throw me off, but it doesn’t. It’s patient and calm letting Sisily take a moment to teach me how to control the reins before taking off on her horse, leading me to follow behind.
The rain begins to pour down again, soaking my cloak to the point that I can feel the cold water against my skin. I struggled to see through the onward spray of the rain as we trod through the forest. The smell of the rain and soil makes its way to me, the scent of Earth throttling my heart as I feel a strange pang ignite in my chest.
We ride through the forest in silence until we reach a small shanty hut in the middle of it. It looks more like someone’s home than a prison, even if it’s just a makeshift prison.
I give Sisily a questioning look, to which she shrugs before saying, “It was this or the manor.”
I nod as we get off our horses and make our way to the little hut. It’s dark and dainty inside, the smell of vomit and blood reaching my nose making me gag.
Inside Nate and the Prince are standing hunched around something. I walk closer to realize that it’s the witch. She seems to be unconscious with her eyes half-mast. Her long chestnut locks are smeared in blood. I take a few moments to wonder if it’s her blood or someone else’s blood.
Taking a glance at her face sequenced with scars that look both old and new, my gut clenches at seeing her. Her breathing is ragged, her chest barely heaving properly. I wonder if she’s going to die. My healer instincts want me to do something about her slow breathing and the scars littering her face, but I don’t. Instead, I clench my fists at my side and take a step back.
“She’s unconscious.” The Prince bites out his arms folded against his chest, his eyes cold.
“We were about to drag her out into the rain to wake her up, but her heart beats too slow. She’ll be dead if we try anything too harsh.” Nate says, his eyes hidden behind the hood of his cloak.
I open my mouth to speak when a sudden wind rushes by as Sisily lands a punch on the witch’s face, making her sputter out blood and her eyes push open.
“That always works,” Sisily whispers, a chilling smile on his face as he cracks his knuckles.
The witch’s big brown eyes scan the room, her eyes land on mine. Her heated stare penetrates my mind, and the beads of my thoughts merge into one, confusion setting into my eyes as I continue staring at her.
It’s only when the Prince pulls her hair back, forcing her to look up does she look away, helping calm my mind.
“Don’t look into her eyes. She can sneak into your mind,” Nate says as he ties a blindfold around her eyes. She gasps out loud at the sensation of the blindfold taking away her sight.
The Prince saunters towards her and slowly and harshly pulls her hair back before gritting out through clenched teeth, “You’re going to answer some questions for us.”
The witch stays silent before spitting a mix of saliva and blood onto the Prince’s face. My stomach rolls with disgust when she seethes out,” No fucking way... Not till you answer mine...”
The Prince wipes off her spit, his face showing his revulsion at her action before his hands clam around her neck, and he spits out, “You better shut up and answer my questions, or you will be meeting a fate worse than death itself.”
A harsh silence follows his words, making me glance at Nate. His brows are furrowed as if concentrating on something, he takes a step towards the witch, “What’s your name?”
It’s a simple question, but it has Witches shoulders hunching up with anxiety. She almost seems vulnerable as she tries shrinking into herself. I force myself to stand rooted in my spot when she begins to shake, and a loud sob escapes her throat. Her reaction unsettles me, I had strangely expected her to shout some profanities our way, but not this. I did not think we would see her cry like a small child. Cry as if we are the monsters, and she is the innocent here.
When she doesn’t answer, the Prince’s hand which was still around her neck, tightens to the point where she’s wheezing and coughing. He leans in closer to her and says in a voice that has the small hair on my arms standing on end,” He asked you something... if I were you I would answer.”
His words are followed up with silence, she doesn’t say a thing. Her struggle to breathe was the only audible sound in the room.
The Prince’s hold on her tightens further, till she’s trashing around in her seat, trying to get away from the pain she is experiencing. I almost don’t want to watch this as she begins to cough out blood,” I’ll tell... I’ll tell you... just let go of me....”
Edward loses his hold on her enough to let her breath properly. Her voice quivers as she pants and begins to speak, “My name... is Amelia...”
Prince Edward lets out his claws and scrapes them across her forehead, making her shiver in fear as she begins to sob. I feel dazed by their brutality as my gut clenches with unease as I count every second of her slow breathing. I worry she’s about to go into shock and once she does, it will be impossible to question her further. Edwards’s hands have already left a deep purple mark around her throat.
“Please...please... don’t hurt me. I’ll answer all your questions.” She sobs out, her voice rough.
“What...where…you....doing...at...the palace...?” Edward grunts out, as he trails his claws across her arms, slightly grazing her skin to the point where they begin to bleed.
“I was told...” she’s not able to finish when the room is filled with a blinding light that has us all holding our breath. My body fills with pain as I am thrown towards a wall. A silent scream leaves me as something digs into the skin of my back and I feel the wetness of my blood begin to soak through my clothes before everything goes black.
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