Through Tears and Bloodshed

Four||Strength Over Weakness

I was thrown into my cell, falling against the rough stone that scraped into my tender skin. I wanted to scream, but I dared not make a sound as I still felt Alydar's presence behind me.

"Your strength is admirable, but your stubbornness will get you killed. I will re-introduce you to a world of pain, but one where you will never feel the relief of your suffering ending. There will not be a moment where you aren't being tortured. Only when you submit to me or are too weak to know your name. Whichever comes first."

My hands shook with the effort of pushing myself off of the hard stone. I turned to Alydar, barely able to see through my swollen eyes and managed to crack a smile through the pain burning on my face. "You will never," I started through a raspy throat. "Never get what you want."

Silence followed my statement, and I believed he had disappeared for a second. Wishful thinking would be the death of me. "I've concluded I may be approaching this at an angle that does not affect you," Alydar slowly stated, as if the wheels were turning in his head as he spoke. "Now, if I gave you a choice you could never refuse, that would be a game-changer." 

My ears perked up, afraid of what he might be thinking. But I remained silent, not wanting to hear his twisted thoughts. Unfortunately for me, he didn't know how to shut up.

"Your dragon would be a great bargaining chip. His life, or yours."

I scoffed unintentionally but decided to keep going. "You? Kill a dragon?" There was humour laced within my weak voice. "You wouldn't dare kill the very dragon you need. I'm calling your bluff, Alydar."

There was a long pause before I heard my cell door close with a slam. The ringing in my ears drowned out Alydar's retreating footsteps, but I was glad to be alone finally. 

Alydar's threat whispered hauntingly through my ears, clawing at the open wounds on my body and picking open the scars left on my mind. It truly bothered me, but there was no way he would kill the dragon he so desperately wanted to control. He needed Naxan for whatever plan he had brewing; however, he also needed me. My soul was the one bonded to Naxan's. If Alydar wanted to control Naxan, he needed me to do it, but that would never happen. Naxan would not be enslaved to this monster. I will find him and free him, wherever he may be. 

I slumped against the chilled stone, curling into a ball as the stiff rock pierced my wounds with taunting annoyance. No matter what I did to try and distract myself from the pain radiating through my body, it demanded to be felt. Alydar was right; I would not rest easily. I would get no break from the pain. I would have to get used to it because I would not give up to him. I would not surrender.

Hopefully, I wouldn't.

I've held out for this long; I could go a little longer. Was there a point to it, though? I had lost track of how long I'd been here, and it didn't seem like anyone was searching for me, so was there really a point to fight? Was I prolonging the inevitable to be? I had kept fighting because I was stubborn and could not allow myself to be Alydar's puppet. But now, it seemed pointless. How much pain could a person go through before they finally broke?

I wasn't sure I wanted to find out.

As I tried to distract myself from the pounding in my head, I heard the wheezing breaths of someone across from my cell. The male's voice uttered "blood" every so often, but that was all—another vampire. Knowing his discomfort came from smelling my wounds, I tried making myself smaller. But I knew better. No matter what I did, he would still smell the metallic stench of blood in the air, and I would remain bleeding in this cold and dark cell. Never more did I wish to have my healing abilities than in this moment.

I couldn't stand to listen to the vampire anymore, so I opted to place images of Naxan in my head. He and I were flying across a green field that stretched on for mines. The grass was lush and moved gracefully with the breeze. I could feel the sun's warmth soak into my skin, kneading the aches and pains from my muscles. I imagined the fleeting memory of what it felt like to be bonded to another being. Warmth. Happiness. Bliss.