The Decay of Auria

Chapter 20 - All that's left

The feeling of raw power surging through her veins flooded her body with pure pleasure. It felt like a first kiss of true love that sent shivers down her spine, the one that she remembered for all years to come... It felt like a sip of water after three days of thirst, like a first bite of food after weeks of starvation... She was on the edge, feeling on the verge of an almost sexual climax, tingling within all of her nerves, she was ready to release all the built up pressure out of her body...

Then, the release came, and the pleasure turned to torment. The orgasmic excitement turned into pure, raw pain, the power coursing through her body turned into caustic bile and she felt sick in her stomach, balancing on the verge of vomiting and losing consciousness. It hurt everywhere, her limbs felt like they bent and broke, her bones shattered into a million small pieces that dug deep into her flesh, her organs trying to claw their way out of her body, and her heart sent another fresh dose of acid to her veins... But the worst of all was the pain she felt in the projector.

It burned. There was no other way to describe it, just a feeling of wild, unquenchable flames engulfing the projector, and she felt it more than she felt anything else. It screamed, a tormenting scream of agony, that of a misused and abused soul, forced to do things it was never meant to do...

Although the blood-crazed refugees could not see it, the witch indeed burned. She stood, her limbs spread as if she was nailed to a cross, her mouth open wide and soul-shattering and ear-piercing screams of unbound agony filled the ears of every person around her in a wide radius.

Everything and everyone stopped, stunned by Auria's scream. All the eyes turned towards her, thousands of hands covered the ears...

The witch opened her eyes and looked at the crowd. Where her eyes fell, the projector's gaze followed and with it, burning death came.

The refugees were obliterated by scores as they fell where they stood. Auria's gaze burned through them like a torch flame through thin paper, leaving nothing but piled limbs and corpses cut into pieces by the intense scorch of the projector. She made but one sweep of her eyes through the crowd and hundreds died, soundlessly.

She collapsed, face down into bloody mud under her feet.

***

Crackling of fire woke her up. She looked around confused, until Suranihr's worried gaze caught her attention. "What happened..." she whispered through dry mouth.

"Drink." Suranihr said softly, pressing a leather flask against her lips. She drank, each swallow a handful of needles piercing and scratching her throat.

She thanked him and tried to pull herself up. Never in her life she felt so tired, her movements slowed down as if her limbs were lead. With Captain's help, she managed to sit and take a proper look around. They were in a camp, and six Citadel-made white tents of heavy cloth were erected around them. "Where are we? Where is Naira?"

Feed.

"After you..." Words caught in his throat for a moment, as his eyes flickered over her face. He coughed, and continued. "Soon after you collapsed, another carriage of our convoy caught up with us. Refugees left us alone - they were too afraid of you - and so we were able to take you and Naira away..."

"Where is she?" Through pain and protests of her body, Auria stood up. "I need to see her."

"She's... resting." Suranihr nodded towards the nearest tent. "Harian is with her."

***

"I took the arrows out, cleaned her wounds, but the infection is spreading. First of all, the arrowheads were coated by some filth that inflamed her wounds. Second, her intestines were pierced. I did what I could, but..."