A Court of Horizon and Shadows

5.

Thirty-Nine years later...

Auriella is thrown back into her cell, her back bleeding and throbbing from the whipping she received mere moments prior.

She laid on the concrete floor, too tired to even lift herself up. She knew she needed to tend to her wounds quickly before they became infected. She opened her eyes, seeing the bucket of water and a rag waiting for her.

Auriella used her arms to shift herself across the floor, her back aching with each movement she made. Her arms were sore from being hanged from the rope, but that was the least of her problems.

Once she got to the bucket in the corner of her room, she dipped the rag into the water, soaking it. She hovered the full rag over her back, crunching it, the water dripping onto her bloody back. She whimpered, the pain was almost unbearable. Her back stung with every drop.

Amarantha did not lie when she said that Auriella was hers. Twice a week, the Daughter of Dawn would have to suffer punishment from Amarantha in the throne room, while everyone watched her scream in pain, including her fathers' who still tried to reason with the Deceiver.

Auriella never looked at her fathers' whenever she was receiving her lashing. She did not want them to see her that way. Weakened, battered, and utterly useless. There was no choice but to let it happen. The violence and abuse she received were enough to launch someone over the edge, but she had to keep strong.

She put her palms on the rusty concrete floor, lifting herself up. She cried out, her back frail. It felt like she was being stabbed over and over again.

The guards had thrown her blood-stained shirt on the ground. Auriella dipped it into the water, the pail quickly becoming red.

Amarantha had not only wanted to punish Auriella, but she wanted to embarrass her.

The Daughter of Dawn was not allowed to wear anything that covered her upper body whenever she received her punishments. Her chest was exposed to the entire room, but Auriella wasn't able to think about anything else but the pain.

She saw that many of the men turned away, while there were others who stared, their eyes filled with dread of what was being done to her. Thesan would call out to Auriella, but she ignored him, knowing that if she laid her eyes on him, she would rather die right then and there than ever have to look at his fear-stricken face.

Auriella remembered the very first punishment she received.

Amarantha had her tied up, her arms over her head. She circled around Auriella, her devilish smile plastered on her face, "Ah, tonight's entertainment." She said.

One of the guards handed her a whip and she examined it well. "Daughter of Dawn, you have brought this upon yourself. I gave you a chance, to be honest with me, but instead," she flicked the whip once, making Auriella jolt, "you mocked me."

Amarantha looked to Thesan, who was in chains, "Now, your father has to watch you scream in agony because of the choices you made. He has to watch his daughter bleed all over my floor in order for me to prove a point."

She walked behind Auriella, "What a shame, isn't it?" She had said before unleashing the first strike onto her body. Auriella screams echoed throughout the room. No one spoke or intervened as Amarantha was letting out her anger.

At most, Auriella would receive at least one-hundred lashes, depending on the Deceiver's mood on the day.

There were times when Auriella thought she was going to die from the pain. She didn't know how long she would last before it all became too much.