Chapter 53

The pain in her back did a very good job of keeping Avalina conscious as she walked Mitternacht up to the steps of the castle. The door came open immediately and she breathed a sigh of relief as the Invisibles surrounded her, taking the Horned King's weight from her arms and her horse's back.

Then they pulled her off too.

"No!" She firmly, albeit softly, told them. "I need to take care of my horse."

A piece of parchment was thrown in her face.

Almost irritably she yanked it off and read the following.

"You need care immediately. You can care for your horse afterward."

Despite her protests, they all but dragged her inside and told her to sit by the fireplace in the first room.

She was unable to fight them much. Her back felt like it was on fire and her shoulder felt ready to fall off.

Sitting weakly down in a chair, she watched one lay some things down on the table near her, before going to quickly help their partners with the Horned King.

He lay motionless on the couch across from her, the Invisibles clustered about him.

For some reason, they seemed to be in a great state of confusion, hissing to each other. Something was wrong.

A piece of parchment floated out of midair to land in Avalina's lap.

"We don't know what to do."

"What?" Avalina asked in shock. "But. . .you can do everything else!"

A moment, before a reply came.

"It seems that we cannot touch his um. . .blood, for lack of a better word. It's rather. . .painful for us. This is an unexpected complication our superiors did not tell us about. We would appreciate your help. We will care for you after we care for him."

Avalina groaned softly. "You mean, that not only do I bring him back, but I'm going to have to stitch him up, too?"

A pause.

"It seems that way."

"Great."

Avalina would have rubbed her temples in frustration, but she had blood all over her hands.

"Show me what to do. I've never stitched someone up before."

'And see, THIS is why you should have left him in the woods!' Her rational voice shouted.

'Shut up,' she told it irritably.

Nearly two hours later, the Horned King had been stitched, bandaged and the Invisibles had changed him into another robe and stole identical to the ruined ones, which had promptly disappeared into thin air.

They had been remarkably patient with her, showing her how to weave the thread in and out of the skin properly and pull the wounds together, allowing her to stop for a moment when her own injuries became too painful for her to hold the needle steady. (Which they assured her they would care for when she was done waving a sharp object around) It was a grisly business, but she didn't know if he looked better or worse, with all those bandages on him.

How he managed to stay unconscious during all of it was a miracle in itself.

Avalina had carefully, following the Invisibles' directions, wiped an ointment of some sort on the Horned King's face to ease the pain for the burns. Avalina couldn't begin to think how he had acquired them.

Avalina was kneeling on the floor, bandaging his right arm, (The last part she had to do) when the muscles in his fingers twitched.

Avalina's heart stopped as she caught the movement, right as his eyes came open.

His left hand was around her throat before she even realized what had happened.

"Do you remember your promise?"

His voice was as cold and heartless as Death.

Avalina tried to break his grip in terror, but it was completely fruitless.

As he pulled her to him, he laboriously sat up and saw all the medical treatment he'd been given.

He stared at himself, then back at Avalina, and then at his arm, which was still in progress, and then all around to see where he was.

For the tiniest fraction of a second he looked like he'd been slapped in the face.

His fangs bared, he returned his icy gaze back to the girl.

"What did you do?"

"I. . brought you. . .back."

Avalina whispered as he loosened his grip, just enough for her to speak.

"Why?" He snarled softly.

"I don't know!" Avalina gasped, feeling the tears prick at the corners of her eyes, "I just couldn't leave you there!"

After what felt like an age, he slowly released her, allowing her to breathe again. His face was completely unreadable.

Summoning her courage, she reached forward to continue bandaging his arm.

"Don't touch me." He snarled, his eyes freezing her to the spot.

Avalina stared at him for a moment, thinking that if he wasn't so cruel he would sound like a cranky child, before picking up the bandage.

"Believe me, I'm trying NOT to."

The Horned King noticed she actually was taking the utmost caution to keep her own hands from touching his skin, relying on the bandages instead. This faintly amused him.

"Do you know what happens to people who break their promises to me?"

Avalina shivered, something he noted with approval.

"You swore you would not leave."

A tear slipped down her cheek.

"And you promised nothing here would harm me," she almost whispered out, before turning her attention back to his arm rather than his face.

The Horned King stiffened slightly. He had temporarily forgotten that. He had indeed promised her so, three weeks ago. But what did that matter? His entire history was comprised of lies, promises he had no intention of keeping, playing on his prisoners emotions to get what he wanted.

So why did he feel strangely about it now?

He tried to think of how to answer, but at the moment he could find nothing.

She had broken her promise, but he had broken his first.

Or had he?

"I didn't harm you," he answered, a bit smugly.

"You were going to."

This brought up something else.

"And your arrogance to try and fight me is pathetic."

"Well, when something comes at you, the first thought is to defend yourself!"

"Perhaps you would like a pan of coals thrown in your face as well?"

Avalina tried not to shake, but it was obvious that he meant every word he said.

'Hot coals. . .'

And then the burns on his face made sense, causing her to look up at him, despite her better judgement.

"You mean. . .I did that?"

"Don't play the innocent card with me."

"I didn't know water did that to you!"

A soft growl was her answer.

"I'm. . .I'm. . .sorry."

The Horned King stared at her in surprise as she finished his arm, before softly snarling.

"You don't mean that."

A pause.

"Yes, I do."

Finished, she went to rise, but he grabbed her and pulled her back to him, their faces only a couple of feet apart.

"I should kill you now, after all the trouble you've caused me."

Avalina finally broke, not able to take it anymore.

"Well, if you're going to kill me, then do it!" She sobbed, not bothering to try and loosen his grip on her neck as her tears finally slipped down her face.

"There's nothing stopping you!"

The Horned King's grip tightened immediately, causing her to close her eyes as breathing immediately became nigh impossible.

'I'd rather die than live like this!'

He had tightened his grip so that she was fighting for air, but not enough to completely cut her supply off.

After a moment, she heard a very soft, dark chuckle right by her face, something that made her chest constrict and a chill to run up her spine. The malice in that single noise was horrifying.

"After all the trouble I've gone through to keep you?" He whispered, the sound caressing her right eardrum, making her jump at its proximity.

Her eyes snapped open in shock at having his voice so close, and she realized his face was a foot from hers, him having just pulled back from the side of her head to watch her reaction at his words.

Avalina could only stare at him in horror, her body turned to stone, as he glared down at her, a malicious type of smirk on his face, as he finished.

"Then *I* would be the fool, child."

Slowly, he released his grip on her throat, allowing her to breathe again, his eyes never leaving hers as he leaned back on the couch. She was completely frozen to the spot, unable to move a muscle.

Until an Invisible slapped something on her back.

Avalina screamed, the force of her pain hitting her nerves throwing her forward, her elbows hitting the cushion mere inches from the Horned King.

She screamed again as she buried her face in her arms, feeling the fire travel up those slashes, feeling like she was being eaten alive.

If this was what the Horned King had felt when she threw the water in his face he had every right to be furious.

The pain only got worse instead of dying. Avalina balled her hands into fabric of some sort as she screamed into the couch cushions for all she was worth, not wanting the Horned King to see her in this way. Why hadn't the Invisibles waited until she was back in her chambers?

'Make it stop! Make it stop!'

She couldn't think. Couldn't remember her own name. Nothing was of any importance now except making the pain end.

It wasn't pain. It was agony. Pure, unbridled agony that lit her body up like lightning and forced another scream from her as it yanked mercilessly on every nerve she owned.

"Make it stop!" She screamed into the darkness, feeling her throat ache with the pressure.

"PLEASE!"

It might have been only a few moments. It might have been minutes, hours or days. . .she didn't know. When your world is only comprised of one thing, it runs in a loop, making time unintelligible.

And then it was over.

Vaguely, she felt something touch her shoulder lightly, for a fraction of a moment, before removing itself.

Then she heard the Horned King's voice rumble over her.

"Your wounds have been purged."

Barely awake, she felt the Invisibles bandage her, the cool substance on the fabric creating instant relief from the fiery torture that had wracked her system only a few moments before.

A blanket was tossed lightly over her back, and the Invisibles gently helped her to her feet, helping her stay upright as they began to walk her across the room toward her chambers.

Leaning on a chair she passed for support, she turned to look back at the Horned King, who had not taken his eyes off her.

"And thank you," she whispered, barely able to stay upright, "For saving my life."

And then everything went black.