Ch.37

It began with a small throbbing in my skull that gradually began to knock on the door of my consciousness. And as much as I wanted to ignore the knock, I knew I needed to open the door. However, I knew that when I opened it, I wouldn't like what I saw.

I creaked open my eyes and luckily wherever I was was dark enough that I wasn't blinded from any amount of light. However, at the same time, if I was in a place this dark, it could only be one place. I tried to reach my mind out, just a bit, and found nothing. Just cold stone and rock. My suspicions were confirmed. I was back to the Castle of Rain and Night. I rolled my head to try and regain some semblance of control over my body, however, whatever I had in my system was muting them and I couldn't quite decipher what was happening. I went to rub my face, only to found out the fact that my hands were chained above my head. I moved my hands a bit to try and loosen them, but it seemed that, again, whatever was coursing through my veins was not allowing my mind to connect to my body. So I simply let my head roll back and lean against the wall. I tried to look around, but everything had an odd, almost blue tint.

I blinked a few times to try and clear my vision, but I could feel my eyelids begin to fall. I could feel my head becoming heavy, and then I fell into the clutches of the darkness.

It seemed like forever later that my senses came back to me. They came slowly at first. Just faint bits of sound and small smells. Then, they crashed into me like a wave. My head snapped up and I was instantly aware of everything. I realized that my arms were still chained in the same way, and I was still in the same dark room. How long had I been out? It felt like forever. Based on the soreness of my arms it had been some time. In my mind, I tried to remember what had happened. I only remembered that the Kalkara was trying to kill Gilan, then we fought...then...what happened after that? There was red, then I ended up here.

My train of thought was cut short when I heard heavy footfalls and the slight jangle of keys. I had just enough time to steel my composure and adjust my eyes before the door swung open. Light spilled into the room and standing in the light I saw a few figures. Two on either side of the opening of the door, with what I thought were spears. Then three more came in. Two of them strode over to me and held my arms while the third unlocked the shackles on my wrists. I wanted nothing more than to kick him or lash out, but I realized I couldn't. Whatever that smoke had been still had some lasting effects on me I guess.

"Aw...All this trouble for lil' ol' me" I got a reply of a punch to the gut for my troubles.

Again, they dragged me out and through a winding maze of hallways and doors. Until we came across one that I distinctly remember. An irrational sense of fear flashed in the pit of my stomach, but I quickly quelled it. They opened the door and shoved me into a chair before shackling my wrists and ankles to the arms and legs of the chair. The two with the spears walked behind me and made no other sounds. The third left and closed the door behind him. Just to see, I tried to move my wrists slightly. A slight jangle of the chains was the only response to the movement I received. I inwardly sighed. As much as I was dreading what was probably to come, I would rather him go ahead and do it instead of making me wait. Unless of course that was his strategy. Make me think and ponder on whatever devious and malicious plans he had. Build my fear and anxiety. Maybe even…

My thoughts were cut short as the door banged open.

Striding in came Morgorath. He was still wearing his dark ensemble, but now only had on the greaves, chest plate and forearm guards of his armor.

"Well, well, well…look what the cat dragged in…Ally Mayta…What a pleasure that we meet again. It is a shame that it's under the same circumstances." I scoffed at that. He narrowed his eyes but made no other move. "You know, you can avoid all of these…unpleasantries... It's simple. All I ask is you join me. Help me, help yourself. Together, we would be invincible. Anything and everything you wanted would be in grasp."

I chuckled, then began all out laughing. I took a minute to take a breath before I spoke.

"Me? Join you? A soulless, heartless bastard who not only destroyed my life but that of my people! Tell me…Why would I join a psychopath such as yourself when I could just as simply kill you and never have to worry about you again?!"

I turned towards him, challenging. I didn't care. He would torture me, maybe kill me, anyway. Why not go out defiantly? We stared into each others eyes, his pouring out nothing but venom and hate. His nostrils flared, his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. He leaned down in front of me, his hands clenching the arms of the chair, his face only inches from mine. I could practically feel the anger radiating from him.

"Fine. You want to play it that way, Ally Mayta?... Very well. Let us see how long you last before you break."

Then, before I could comprehend it, he sunk his teeth into my neck. I felt the pain and knew it.

This was only the beginning.