Audra
Acheron had ripped me away, plucking me from the bed and dragging me through another portal. Cold wind roared in my ears as we emerged, the shift in reality sending a shudder through my bones. I struggled against him, twisting, kicking—anything to slow him down. It was a day too early. I wasn't ready. I doubt I ever would be.My feet scraped against the rough stone beneath me, desperate for something, anything, to anchor me. "Stop resisting." His grip tightened painfully on my wrist. "This was always going to happen. It's what you were born for." He snapped, His gaze held a wavering fire. "I don't want to die." I whispered, my voice barely there as I choked on my tears. He turned back around sharply looking at me his expression was unreadable. He clenched his jaw. "To bad." He sneered. The words lashed through me, stealing what little hope I had left. He dragged me along, the ancient stone bridges twisting into an open rooftop. At its center, illuminated by the cold, silver moon, stood the altar. It was worse than I imagined. A massive slab of obsidian, polished to a mirror shine, lay at the heart of a carefully arranged ritual site. Magic circles, old and pulsing with eerie blue light, wove through the ground in jagged spirals, converging around the altar like a spider's web. Hooded figures moved in the shadows, arranging ceremonial objects—candles, bowls of crushed herbs, and glistening blades laid out like instruments of torment. The scent of burning sage mixed with something more pungent, acrid. Looking at it, I could only think of Luna's final words to me. "Please, Audra, go live your life." Her words echoed, bouncing around in my head. I look out at the scene before me. I'm sorry Luna, I won't be able to. Acheron stopped walking, pausing infront of a small iron cage. He took a set of keys from his pocket his hand still firmly grasping mine. They rattled as they clashed against the cold metal of the cage. The door swung open and threw me in. I crashed onto the floor, my back hitting the cold stone behind me. He slammed the door closed letting out a twisted laugh. I scrambled to my feet clutching the iron bars. "Please. Is there any other way?" I pleaded, trying desperately to hold onto my life. My voice cracked, but my pleas were dismissed as he turned to walk away. I took in my surroundings, my cell faced the alter table. The one where I would die on. I watched as people bustled around placing things around the obsidian table. No one came. I wasn't given food or water. Nothing to do, just sit, waiting at death's door. Eventually the day bled into the night and people slowly vanishished as they returned to their homes or the castle. As the last person left I was overcome by determination. I wasn't just going to sit here and wait to die. I forced the water around me shaping it into a sharp long blade. I hurled it at the iron bars. It clanged against the metal. A slight scratch was left behind. I smiled as I relentlessly beat on the bars, hurling blade after blade. Loud metalic rings curled into the night sky as I continued my attacks. My forehead glistening with sweat. They would break. They had to. The sun slowly rose and my progress was not enough. In my desperation I grasped the bars and rattled them hoping they would snap. They didn't. Exaughstion swept over me and I collapsed onto the floor my knees hitting hard on the stone flooring. Sobs tore though me as my body convulsed with greif. I was actually going to die. The sun became hot as morning shifted into the afternoon. Sylvin appeared. His deep brown eyes held a sadness so deep it nearly drowned me. I barely had the strength to lift my head. "I can't offer you anything except company," he murmured, kneeling outside my cage. "That's okay," I whispered, my voice hollow. I know. Silence settled between us, thick and suffocating, heavy with the weight of what was to come. He didn't try to comfort me. He didn't make empty promises. He just sat there, watching. And somehow, that hurt more than anything else. We sat in silence and soon Sylvin left, I was alone again. Hunger gnawed at my stomach a constant reminder of my cruel captivity. Soon the sun dipped down and night fell over the alter as last minute preparations were put into place. Once the bright red moon was looming overhead, it had reached its zenith. Sylvin came and unlocked my cage, the keys once again clinking against the iron. I followed him as he led me to a secluded hall, where he had me change into a long white cotton dress. The fabric was lose yet it clung to my skin sending waves of itchy discomfort. He blocked the view from onlookers with his broad shoulders as he reached for a chalice hidden in a missing stone from the wall. He handed me the cup. A strange purple liquid swirled deep into its depths. I swallowed, looking at it. "Do I have to?" I asked quietly. He looked at me sadly and nodded. "You'll thank me for that later." He murmured. A stone sat heavy in my stomach as dread filled my entire being. I was really going to die. I guess I had always known, but the weight of it felt the heaviest right now. I swallowed, gulping down the lump in my throat before tipping the edge of the chalice to my lips. The liquid was hot, and thick. It left a bitter taste in my mouth as it slid down my throat. Everything burned. Whatever it was, made my body feel like it was fighting against itself. And then quiet. My mind left in a haze, my limbs fell heavy. "If you're going to die. You might as well not be able to feel it." Sylvin muttered, but I could barely hear. My mothers lullaby playing on a loop in my mind.
"Sleep, my love, the night is deep,
Moonlight dances, stars will keep.
Winds may call, and waves may sigh,
But I will hold you when you cry.
Close your eyes, my darling light,
Dream of rivers, blue and bright.
When you wake, you'll know the way,
The dawn will chase the dark away."
The dark would come soon. I would close my eyes, and they would not reopen. Dawn would never come for me again. The song once a comfort my mother sang, now twisted knots in my stomach. Sylvin led back through the hall and towards the alter. He guided me to the table helping me up and laying me down gently. He gently placed his hand behind my head so I wouldn't hit on the hard surface. He looked down at me his eyes held an unspeakable sorrow. His movements were gentle as he tighted chains around me. My ankles, my arms, my neck. The chains rattled around, the cool metal pressing against my skin. Through the numbness my tears fell hot and steady down my face and dripped onto my neck and slowly falling behind my ears. This was really it. Acheron stepped from the darkness in black, his hood concealed most of his face, save for those piercing, glacial blue eyes. They gleamed with something akin to hunger as he approached, his steps slow, deliberate.. "No food or water for 24 hours?" He asked. Sylvin nods. Acheron's hand disappeared into his cloak. When it emerged, he held a dagger. A wicked, gleaming thing, its edge honed to a deadly perfection. "Gag her." He instructs. Sylvin obeyed hesitatntly wadding a rag and forcing it in my mouth. Tears rolled down my cheeks as the rough fabric touched my tounge. Acheron looked at me satisfied, bringing the kife up slowly and plunging the blade deep. He carved a path down my chest, slow and deliberate. Agony erupted as fire spread through my veins. My vision blurred, pain white-hot, unbearable. And then I saw it. My magic. A glowing mass, swirling with shades of blue and gold, pulsing like a second heart inside me. Exposed. Vulnerable. Acheron's breath hitched, his fingers hovering over it, reverent. "So beautiful," he murmured, eyes gleaming with twisted awe. I howl as pain shoots from the orb pulsing in my body. I let another scream rip out into the night air as 6 runes are placed floating around me. Cloaked people lay offerings on top of me. Things like dried flowers, herbs, and incense. Crystals were placed on opposite ends of me. A bowl of turquoise was placed at my head, and red jasper by my feet. They poured moon water in with the turquoise and Acheron lit the jasper on fire. It burned steadily, the faint glow from the flame flickered in his cold icy stare. He grinned. "Are you ready?" He asked, his words not leaving room for an answer, as he began the ritual.