A Court of Water and Shadow

14

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TW: Thoughts of suicide, rape.
Do not read the bold words if you wish to skip.
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It was not someone more deserving.

They were children who annoyed her too much. Males that had tried and failed to escape. Females that she envied.

They were Fae who sung their songs of freedom in the night. Fae who painted on the walls with their own blood to find any sort of peace down here. Fae that didn't complete their tasks in a timely fashion.

Fae that I recognized from Summer.

As months passed, my sanity felt more and more like a whisper on a dying wind. My morals were long gone. I was killing because I needed to survive.

Rhys would visit me as often as he could. Sometimes he was able to bring me better food and clear water. Those days made me sick, but he held my hair back as I vomited in my cage. Sometimes he would distract me with conversation. We would talk about simple things, but we were never to mention our friends in Velaris. He taught me how to build my own mental shields, and I practiced every day.

My hopes and dreams seemed silly now. If I had a mate, there's a very large chance that Amarantha's cronies have killed him. Would I even know if he was dead? Would I feel it? Probably not, since we weren't yet mated.

There were constant whispers of gossip amongst the captives. I learned of the 49 year bargain with Tamlin and heard every doubtful comment that followed. I heard what they said about Rhys. They called him Amarantha's whore. I chose not to listen to their crude comments. Rhys was surviving is his own way, just like me.

As I scrubbed the floors with a bucket of dirty water, I longed for the days sitting on the cliffs. Oh how happy and free I was. Even if I felt the urge to bend the water to my will, there was always a guard with a spear to my back. One wrong move and I'd be dead.

I've thought about it many times—death. My father could forgive me for giving in to my despair, but the families that I've destroyed Under the Mountain would never—will never. Because of them, I force myself to open my eyes and eat. Because of them I move my arms and legs. Because of them I do not entertain the idea of death for more than a second. If I died, it would just make my actions even worse when I could've just killed myself before things turned ugly.

So, I live for them and my father.

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It must have been years. At least two. Yes, maybe two or even three years since I've seen the sun.

But today felt different. When the Attor collected me for my punishment and threw my weak body to the ground in front of Amarantha, she didn't wear her usual cruel smile.

I did something to anger her. What did I do? How could I fix this?

For some reason, I wasn't scared of the punishment I would receive. Whatever pain she would deliver could never be worse than the pain I felt inside.

Still, my breath caught in my throat as she spoke. "Evelyn Hart, you know you're one of my favorite pets." She picked at her nails nonchalantly, then stood from her throne. "Unfortunately I have to set you free." A small glimmer of hope peaked through the endless dark cloud inside of me. "Well, I suppose it's not entirely freedom." Then the hope was chewed up and spit out. "You see, the King of Hybern has grown very interested in you, my pet. So it is my duty to send you off so he can play with you. Have fun." She gave me a dark smile as the Attor gripped my arm, his talons piercing the flesh.

My eyes grew wide as a different kind of fear barreled through me. Fear of losing the sanctuary that Rhys had given me. Fear of leaving my friend behind in this underground hell. Before I could protest, something hard hit my head. And everything went dark.