Darkest Desires → Caliban [CAOS]

xi. the great escape

THE GREAT ESCAPE
CHAPTER ELEVEN

The silence was uncomfortable, making the air thick with a tightness that left everyone uneasy. The only audible noise was the whistling of the wind and the clatter of the chains that the three centurions held as they approached the cage. Dahlia shifted in her spot at the sight of the chains. They posed as another reminder that freedom never came to her easily. The metallic chains that the centurions held felt like a symbol of the way she was constantly trapped, bound to something against her will, just like in her bottle. She pursed her lips and shuddered, her eyes never tearing away from the metal in their hands.

The gates creaked as the centurions each pulled them open. The three prisoners rose to their feet in silence. With her heart pounding against her chest, Dahlia gritted her teeth when the centurion gripped her arm and pulled her out. He held the chain up against her wrist, but before he could lock it, Dahlia closed her eyes and began to channel all her growing terror and pulsating adrenaline to her core. Her heart began beating faster as she waved her hands against the chain rhythmically. Her eyes flew open and she stepped back, watching as the chains flew and latched onto the centurion's wrist. He growled in anger, staring at the metal that was now tied around his arms. Her eyes widened and she gasped when she noticed the two other centurions approaching her with swords at hand. Their dark, gloomy eyes send tremors throughout her body. Her brain was too fazed by fear and panic to tell her to fight.

"Dahlia, do something!" Sabrina yelled from the inside of her cage, shaking the gate violently.

Dahlia closed her eyes and took in a sharp breath. The sound of Sabrina's anxious yelling, the centurions' rough stomps toward her, and her own thoughts clouded her mind. She struggled to focus her energy and think of what to do with her powers. Without even thinking, she threw both her hands forward, both of which were active with magic at the very tips of her fingers. She gasped when she opened her eyes to find the two creatures slamming to the floor with a loud thump, their necks cracking as their heads hit the ground.

"Oh my God..." Dahlia gasped, her voice shaky as she stared at her hands and the violet mist that settled back into her fingers. She had just murdered two centurions. Her hands trembled as she looked between the dead creatures on the floor, and the one she left alive that stood by the gate, his hands bound together by the chain.

"Dahlia, open the gates," Sabrina called, snapping Dahlia out of her trance. The girl slowly turned around and pointed her hand to the gates. They flew open, releasing the two remaining prisoners. Still in shock, Dahlia hadn't processed Sabrina casting the glamour spell on all of them, her eyes too glued to the two centurions she had just killed. She was only brought to reality when Sabrina, now in Barabbas' skin grasped onto her shoulders, shaking her out of her shocked daze. "Come on, Dahlia, we don't have much time. Put these on our wrists and walk us to the temple."

"Yeah, okay..." Dahlia whispered, still in awe at what she had done. She glanced at her arms and legs to see that she was in fact in the centurion's body, while in front of her, stood the centurion who now looked like her with brown hair and fair skin. She shivered and looked away, uncomfortable at the thought that a centurion took the form of her body.