Broken Wings [Completed!]

Chapter 21

Axel's heavy breathing calmed when the crowd around them dispersed and the candle fires flickered on. As if he were some sort of zoo animal to look at, the humans' stares watched his every movement, spears at the ready on their sides.

It was almost sickening to think that if Euodias did not recognise a human, they'd be dead.

"And who are you?" 1098 said. Axel realised there was a deep gash on her collarbone where her skin had not closed up yet, framing the number.

"I'm Euodias," she said shortly, but there was a quiver in her tone. When the humans didn't answer immediately, she elaborated, "I'm a Hellion. We bring people into the Underworld." She looks around in a circle, taking in the closed up, damp walls and water trickling under her feet. As soon as her eyes set on the white bones of creatures under her feet, she forced herself to look up. "Obviously, it doesn't seem like it went to plan."

A male nearby stepped forwards, his torch covering half his face. His hair was greasy and stuck together in clumps. "A friend is lookin' for ya," he said with a slight accent. "A-Adeline?"

Euodias perked up. "Can we meet her?"

He furrowed his brow. "Ya sure you don't work for the person in charge of all of dis?"

"She captured our friend too," Axel said sternly. "Why would we work under a beast like that?"

The man nodded his head. "Tal, wanna give the intro?"

A woman nearing her forties gave a curt nod. "We all work together, here," Tal said, stressing every word. "Those who do not comply to rules will not be looked after by the rest of us." She pointed at Euodias. "Your partner will see to Adeline first. Come with me. We're cooking dinner."

Euodias glanced worriedly at Axel before departing with Tal. She was a raven of a woman; her dark eyes and dark hair looked like poisonous venom in the dimly lit room. The man with the accent, which he later found out was called Gabe, led Axel to an opposite room.

As the door creaked partly open, Gabe nodded his head for Axel to head inside. The door clicked shut as soon as he entered.

Adeline was a shadow of herself. She hadn't even noticed Axel advance near her, nor any of her surroundings. Her knuckles were white as she hugged her knees tightly to her chest, rocking back and forth and back and forth.

"Hey," Axel said. The stranger did not seem to hear, so Axel repeated himself loudly.

The brown haired glanced up with wet eyes. Her candle next to her was nearly dead. He wondered how long she had been sitting here, alone.

"Jas?" she whispered. Axel furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"No, it's me, Axel."

"Jas," Adeline whimpered, voice breaking. "Jas, why would you leave me? I'm lonely," she rumbled on, some words slipping. "I'm lonely," she repeated.

"It's okay," Axel said, slowly putting his arms around her. She didn't pull back at his embrace, but just seemed to fall into it, as if she had been devoid of warmth for a long time. "It's okay," Axel said again, mostly to fill the empty silence that filled both of them.

"Was I born to be used all the time?" Adeline murmured sadly into Axel's chest. He let her speak. "Born as a slave girl," she laughed pitifully. "Shoulda died, shoulda died, shoulda died...."

She paused for a breath. "Too many of them to fight," she whimpered, her fingers clenching and unclenching. Blood oozed from the wound in her palm as she pressed her nails even deeper into her skin. "Where do the soulless go?" she whispered.