Shadow Witch

Chapter 16

He walked at a fast pace, causing me to practically jog behind him. Everyone that we passed would either bow their head or try and speak to him. He only kept moving forward. We were about to head downstairs when she showed up.

"Cassius, what are you doing? We have guests to entertain unless you are planning on throwing her in the dungeons for lying about who or what she is, whatever that may be." Eleanor said.

"What I have planned is none of your concern. Go handle the guests on your own for now I will be back shortly." Cassius then continued past her and I followed. She had crossed her arms and stared at me like I was an annoying fly.

We continued down the stairs, then through another hallway until we reached a door. Cassius pulled out some keys and unlocked it, then continued. It was a darker place, cold, wet, and we truly were heading to the dungeon, personally, I didn't think this place had one.

We go to a row of cells, ones a lot like where I was at the stadium. Luckily most were empty, and no witches were down here but there was one vampire. We stopped in front of his cell and he looked ragged. Crouched on the stone floor in the corner he had his face in his arms. He never looked up even when Cassius opened the door.

"Aviana meet Liam, he had been following Lucas the other day. Nova had pointed it out while they were in town."

"Nova has been training a lot to focus on who is around her."

"Yes, and it is good training to have. She started to teach Gale how to do this as well." He turned fully towards me, "I need you to get him to tell us why. Pain has been deemed useless and Gale couldn't make him snap. Now it's your turn." He was studying me waiting for me to reject.

"As you wish."

Walking towards this guy made a lot of memories come back, the things I have done to get out of trouble are far from innocent, but I would need to do this. Kneeling on the stone floor I touched his knee. His head shot up staring at me with one eye, he still had the blood on his face from the other one they pulled out. If he can handle that then it will take a lot more than a few scorch marks to get him to talk.

"And what is this one going to do, burn me? Drown me? Maybe suffocation." These were all true technically. Cassius just stood there with his arms crossed and he gestured me to continue.

"You seem to have a pleasure for torture."

"Don't speak to me you filthy witch, I am a vampire you bow to me!" I slapped him across the face.

"It really pisses me off when you all think that, maybe your King there has power over me, but you do not. You are nothing and unless you tell me why you were following Master Lucas, I will unleash a lot of my hate onto you."

He leaned back and spat at me. It hit my barrier around me and fell to the floor, and with a snap of my fingers, his mouth was sealed shut. Watching his eyes bulge from his head, desperately scratching at his face was amusing, Gale must have gone easy on him. Releasing his hold, I let him speak.

"What the hell! Witches can't do that!"

"If that is what you think then you know very little of what we can really do." The man's head leaned back raising his arms to push me away but I placed my hand on his head first. He stopped moving instantly and was frozen. I dragged him down into his own mind causing a type of dream state for him, but unfortunately for him, he will feel everything.

"Where am I?"

"We're inside your head, of course, I can't see any of your memories otherwise that be too easy. What I can do though is create eternal suffering."

I used an airstrike to create a laceration across his belly. He immediately fell to the floor screaming in pain.

"The thing about this place is you lose all your vampire abilities, no more fast healing, no more numbing the pain. You will feel everything and heal just as I want you to."

Watching him roll around on the pitch-black floor wasn't going to be enough, and I knew what I needed to do but I could hear my mother asking me not to. She always warned me not to go too far into the Shadows, otherwise, He would find me. I looked back at Cassius, he never moved, he couldn't see what was happening, but he wasn't going to tell me to stop.

"Tell me why you were following them."

"Fuck you witch!"

"Listen this is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better, just tell me."

He just stared at me, daring me to burn him or drown him, but unfortunately for him, I had worse nightmares.

"Suit yourself."

I started to create a few rats, too many would be to quick but with a few, it be very slow. They started to run towards him, the black fur made them blend into the ground. He didn't have a chance to get away from them. He screamed as they borrowed themselves into his open abdomen. Eating the warmth of his intestines. He would never die since this wasn't his real body, but he would lose a bit of his mind the longer he let this continue.

I knelt close to his face, "If you don't tell me now, I will never make it stop and this will repeat over and over again." I got back up and stepped away.

He continued to holler and scream but it didn't take long before he screamed out.

"Eleanor! Ok, it was Eleanor!" I immediately pulled away and we were back in his cell. He leaned over to the side and vomited what little was in his guts. 

I got up and turned back to Cassius, "You hear that?"

"I did." He then proceeded down to the man grabbing his hair and slamming him against the wall. Now it was my turn to watch him work. "Tell me what she wanted you to do?"

He was silent but he looked at me then immediately answered him, "She wanted me to tell her everything that he was doing. Where he was going, what people he talked to. What shops he went to."

"Why?" Cassius' voice was very deep, he was threatening him, and it even sent chills down my spine.

"She never said why, she just paid me and told me to never speak of it to anyone not even if it caused my death, but she never mentioned an eternity of that!" He pointed towards me.

"Because she doesn't know, and no one ever will." Cassius placed both his hands on him and snapped his neck.

He did a long sigh before turning back to me, "You will not do that ever again unless I ask you to. I have seen what witches can do for torture but never that."

"It is a unique skill." I was tired though, my eyes felt heavy.

He reached his hand out and brushed some of my hair back. "Go home, you will need to rest before the party, and I do expect you to be there."

"Really, can't I just skip this one? Parties aren't really something I am good at."

"Whatever I say, remember." 

I just rolled my eyes. "Yes."

"Good, now go."

I walked out without him. He probably needed to take care of the body then return to his guests. Though I wonder if he will confront Eleanor first.