Behind the Trigger

~Chapter Seven: A Pawn to the Other Side~

~Ash's POV~

I couldn't sleep for the next two days after Morta was captured. I didn't know what Helios and the others would do to her. She was at the mercy of our worst enemy. Instead of sleeping, I came up with countless plans to get her back. I was heading out tonight and I was going to save her. My cloak was fastened around my neck and my sword at my waist. I snuck through the forest and got through the back wall of Alfhiem, right next to the castle. A few guards were out, but I avoided them.

I snuck through the back of the castle, one of the staff doors that is right next to the dungeons. No one is awake at this hour, so getting to the dungeon staircase is easy. The staircase is narrow and winding, making the trek down difficult. Most of the inmates are also asleep, but I don't see Morta. I go through many hallways, twists, and turns before reaching the end of the dungeons. In the last cell, a huddled figure sits, rocking themselves back and forth, weeping softly. They have a hood over their face, blocking me from view. Around the cell, blood coats the walls.

"Enchantress?" I whisper.

"Who's there?" she says in a meek voice.

"Tenebris," I respond.

Her head shoots up at the sound of my name.

"Oh, my Gods! You're here! How?" she says rapidly.

"I snuck in to get you out," I answer.

"Be careful, this cage is magick-proof," she warns before attempting to move her body.

"Can you move?" I ask once I hear her grunt in pain as she moves her legs.

"I-I don't know. They've hurt me so many times," she trails off.

"Okay, I'm going to break the bars," I say, burying the rage boiling inside from wanting to kill Helios.

I take a dagger out of my boot and break the crystal lock. I walk inside and look at Morta.

"I'm going to kill Helios," I mutter under my breath.

Morta has scratches and shallow cuts along her sides, back, arms, and legs. All of them look like they were made with a thin blade of a knife. After looking Morta over, I carefully approach her, aware of all the cuts along her wrists, and gingerly unlock the shackles. She tries to stand but fails.

"Do you want me to carry you?" I ask her.

"I think that's the only way I'm getting out of here. I can't stand without support," she admits.

"It's going to hurt," I warn.

"Yeah, I assumed that much. We have to hurry before they come back, though," she says frantically.

"Three, two, one," I count down before lifting her up.

We get out of the cell and into the hallway where I shadow travel back to the castle. We're greeted by the familiar black walls off the castle in the infirmary. Morta is passed out, either from the pain or the blood loss. Inside, I'm definitely panicking, but I keep myself together on the outside. I start to patch up the deeper and more fatal cuts and save the smaller ones for last. She could heal with magick later, but this is the most I could do.

After patching her up as much as I could, I pulled up a chair and sat down, very drained and exhausted from the past 36 hours. I looked over at her sleeping form, her face peaceful for the time being. Helios had hurt her and they were going to pay.

~Three Hours Earlier~

~Helios's POV~

The group and I were in my room chatting about our experience with Enchantress. She wasn't giving up any information, no matter how many times we had hurt her. We didn't take pride or joy in cutting her, but we did what had to be done. We needed more information on the Darklands if we were going to win this war.