Rebellion

Chapter 22 ~ Libertas

Chapter 22: Libertas
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My dreams were haunted by images of rotting corpses, blood splattered walls and the screams of the dying. Memories of being pinned down by Airell as he took me while his followers laughed and waited for their turn played like a grotesque movie reel. Even as awareness crept back, I swore I could feel his hands like vices around my wrists. A shuddering breath left me and when I inhaled, I knew I wasn't in the incense heavy rooms that belonged to my maker.

"Shylah, please say something. Please," a voice sobbed in the darkness.

Groaning in answer, even trying to open my eyes had pain shooting through me. Sucking in a breath, my chest burned as it heaved and a whimper slipped past my lips. Slowly, feeling came back to me with tingling fingers and toes, and cramping muscles. My eyes peeled open only to see more darkness, another breath helping me get through my body's agony.

"Thank the Gods," Anna sighed in relief.

I chuckled, pushing myself painfully up against the wall. No chains kept me locked in place but in all honesty, they weren't needed. I had no energy. Once again my skin was sticky with blood. It fell like saw dust from me as I rubbed at the crusted red on my hands.

"The Gods can't see us here. We're in the seventh ring of fucking hell," I muttered, glad to have the wall to support my exhausted body, "What happened?"

"You don't know?" Anna gasped, aghast.

Another chuckle left me. The last thing I remembered was worrying if Airell was going to have his way with me but I didn't know if he bothered to after I passed out. There was no fun forcing yourself on someone who couldn't fight back, not for my maker. Small mercies. Shifting and sliding my hand between my thighs, there wasn't the usual tell tale ache that let me know Airell had taken what he wanted to pleasure himself in my body. The fact my clothes were still mostly in tact as well had me relaxing.

I didn't want Anna to know what had happened anyway, I didn't need her worrying. Not when there was little she could do to help, she was suffering enough as it was.

"How long ago was I tossed back in here?" I asked, rubbing my face to try and get the circulation going.

"Shylah..."

"It must have been a while ago if I'm awake now. I lost a lot of blood," I mumbled, sliding my fingers to the crusted up wound at my throat, hissing as it stung.

He'd done a good job. It was a surprise he hadn't torn my whole jugular out, not that it would have killed me. He'd done far worse before throwing me in a cell to heal in the dark. If it weren't for the fact I'd fed from him before he'd attacked, I may have been suffering a lot more, forced to feel the needle prick stings as my skin knitted back together.

"A few hours ago maybe. You were covered in blood, please tell me it wasn't yours," she pleaded, her voice wavering.

Another humourless laugh, "It was. I washed off all the blood that wasn't mine before I made the mistake of pissing off Airell."

"Shylah," Anna sighed again and the clinking of chains let me know she was moving.

"Have you been fed, have they given you water?" I asked, closing my eyes.

"Yes, I have water left. Do you want some?" She replied, the sound of her shifting again followed by the crunching of a plastic bottle.

I did want some, badly. My mouth was dry to the point my tongue was sticking to the roof of my mouth, but I didn't know how long we'd be here and I didn't know when I'd manage to win favour back with Airell. It could be a while before he'd allow me to do another task in return for Anna being cared for.