A Court of Horizon and Shadows

8.

Auriella did not move from the spot.

She laid against the wall, frozen, her mind blank, and her eyes glued to the concrete floor. She didn't know how long it had been since the silence of Clare's screams. She felt like she had laid in that position for days or weeks.

For however long she had been there, she waited. She wanted to hear the heavy footsteps of the guard come marching down with a limp Clare in their arms. She wanted to be next to Clare, holding her hand and soothing her pain. She wanted her to be alive.

But there was nothing.

Auriella looked at the empty cell, seeing the pool of dried blood that stained the concrete floor. She didn't know how many days she stayed with Clare, or if it was mere hours. Time was not relevant Under the Mountain. She didn't know if it was day or night.

But what Auriella did know was that she had been with Clare for a while. She spoke with her, mentioned everything about herself, and sang her father's song, which felt endless.

Even though she barely knew a thing about her, Auriella was thankful, grateful to have comforted her and given her some light in the darkness.

Auriella was too focused on her thoughts to even notice guards at her cell door. They opened it, gesturing to her that it was time to go.

She took a deep breath, slowly standing up from the ground. She straightened out her dirty attire and wiped her face of the stray tears that had fallen.

When she had exited her cell, she could feel a change in her surroundings. There were more guards than usual, their posts protecting each of the prisoner halls. She could see many of them crowding at their cell doors, getting a glimpse of her.

As she got closer to the throne room, Auriella looked down the dim corridor leading to the servants' hall, where they all crowded against the cell door, same as the prisoners. She saw Ruth staring at her with wide eyes, her expression filled with worry. Auriella quickly tore her gaze away from her, feeling her nerves start to accelerate.

When they turned down the hall to the throne room, the doors wide open.

Amarantha sat on her black glistening throne, staring down Auriella with a sinister grin. But she wasn't the only one there anymore.

Tamlin, the High Lord of the Spring Court, sat on the stone steps. His face was ridden of its warm color, his expression filled with despair. He looked like someone who had his heart ripped from him. He seemed hopeless.

But once Auriella entered the room, felt a droplet of water hit her face. She wiped it away only to realize that it wasn't water, it was blood.

She looked at the floor and saw a small pool of it there, then she slowly lifted her head.

There, she saw the extent of Amarantha's rage. She saw the true monster that she was. She saw that pure evil only lied in that woman's black heart.

Clare's body was nailed high on the wall, her corpse battered, bruised, and burned worse than before. She was completely broken. Her eyes were closed, her mouth hung open, dripping blood onto the stone floor.

Auriella couldn't tear her face away from her. She felt her body freeze, void of all hearing and feeling that she once felt moments before.

She knew that someone was speaking to her, but she heard none of what was said. All she could think about was Clare, Clare, Clare. There was nothing else that mattered except for her.

Auriella let those fragile moments between them pass through her mind once more, letting go of the gruesome reality that she was facing. She begged her mind to stop the nightmare, to wake up. She wanted to see Clare on the floor, her hand touching her fragile skin.