Shadows Reborn (2nd Book)

Chapter 19: Black Healing, Blue Humiliation

Pre-Note:

Read the author's note. news you must read.

Her scream reached for miles as she writhed on the ground, shaking wildly as Fendrel and Katelyn held her at bay.

"Restrain her!" Althalos harshly commanded, the black appendages forcibly healing the young Death Maiden's wounds. "This cannot not go awry!"

Ayleth Hadriansdotter's eyes themselves were shut, and yet, shrieks of unimaginable agony emanated out of her throat as tears slipped out and she continud twisting and turning, trying to fight Fendrel and Katelyn's grips. The tentacle-like appendages dissolved into smaller blobs, coating the Death Maiden's back with black matter, healing her wounds at the cost of more pain.

With the limbs gone, Althalos now helped in restraining a still frantic Ayleth. It tore him apart to see her like this, but he knew that with the poison that Fendrel said was flowing in her body, there could be no other way but darkness itself to heal her and purge the poison from her system.

"Make it stop!" Ayleth's lips formed the words, her tone echoing out the pure despair she felt. "Please!"

Althalos tried to say meaningless forms of encouragement to her, as did Fendrel himself, but it did naught but elicit more screams from the tortured Ayleth.

Althalos knew that this was going to drag on, what with the numerous wounds and lashes on her back, it wouldn't take just a single minute to heall all of those.

Still, it made him regret his decision when he drank in Ayleth's pain-stricken expression and her howls.

"Help me!"

Those two words almost made him stop the spell completely, just so Ayleth can have a moment of reprieve. He shook his head, trying to stifle the temptations.

Don't be such a weak fool.

Weakling.

Coward.

Althalos, in spite of everything else, smiled. For once, the demon lord's words actually motivated him. But it turned upside down when he heard Ayleth's screams once more, and he held her tighter, fighting the movements she had done as she struggled against all of their holds.

Irony at it's best.

The Lord of Shadowy Death himself did not stoop as low as to acknowledge such comments, content with himself and his extremely large bubble of arrogance and power.

After excruciatingly slow minutes, the screams finally halted, as did the boiling tension cool down a notch. Althalos released Ayleth, who slumped, motionless, and he figured she was or is still unconscious.

Darkness is never to be denied. I've told you this before.

He remembered, and he concluded that only through the whims of darkness itself was Ayleth temporarily awakened from her slumber, pulled out of it to experience mind-numbing torture.

Althalos sighed after the silence became prominent.

Finally.

A dog could've handled it better than you.

He ignored Merec'ss words for the time being.

"Is it done?" Fendrel and Katelyn asked in unison. Justin looked terribly shaken from the horrible scene he just witnessed, and Alianor was under Miasmador's wings, weeping silently. The dragons' eyes darted around their small refuge, watching for any disturbance, and then there were the two Nightwalkers themselves, who looked absolutely calm under the crushing pressure that made their hairs stand on end.