Deep in the Void

Chapter 27

Warning: Contains graphic description of torture.

Arabella

Arabella awoke in a cold, dark void, feeling as though she was floating.
'What...'
She could feel a presence, all around her. Dark and ominous, but familiar. It was the same presence she felt everyday at the back of her mind. Lilith.
'Lilith!' she yelled. 'Let me out!'
If Lilith heard her, she didn't bother to respond.

Bubbles started to appear, floating out of the gloom.
Curious, in spite of her predicament, she caught one as it floated past. It was empty for a moment, then an image became visible in its depths. It was Ceris, lying  semi-conscious on sand, water lapping around her boots. She remembered that. That was when Ceris had first arrived.

So these were memories, and she was trapped in her own mind.
Something floated towards her. Bigger than the other memories. Darker, too. It's contents were hard to see, but she saw blood, and she heard screams.
She realised. Or rather, she remembered.
'No! Please!' She started to scream.
Lilith's amusement pressed around her like an iron shroud, as she was lost in her own memories.

Ceris

Ceris groaned, sitting up in her bed and readjusting the covers for what felt like the hundredth time. She was trying to get some sleep, but her bandaged arm was itching, and the night's cold was creeping under the sheets. She sighed, giving up her battle against the covers, and turned round and sat on the side.

Staring into the darkness, she realised that whatever else, too many thoughts crowded her mind for sleep.
The End, Arabella, Pearl... everything was moving too fast for her, and she didn't know what to do about it.

Deciding to go for a walk, she got up, and promptly banged her knee on the cabinet. Muttering to herself, she groped blindly for the door, her glowing eyes providing almost no illumination. Feeling its smooth wood surface, she opened it, and walked up the stairs to the deck, grateful for the dim lanterns someone had placed on the wall.

The top of the deck was lit up with brighter lamps shaped like tear drops, that appeared to be lit with soul fire. The chilly blue light made Ceris feel colder than she was.
Leaning her back against the side rail, Ceris closed her eyes and took a deep breath, listening to the soft swish of water. The sound made her tempted to mix another cauldron of potion and go for a flight. Her scales tingled at the thought, and she absently reached down to rub her side, feeling the fresh scale in the middle, now fully grown and identical to it's neighbours.

Unexpectedly, a hand grasped her own from behind.
'Well, if it isn't Ceris.' murmured a familiar voice.
Ceris's breath hitched in her throat, and she almost summoned her armblade out of surprise, but she managed to compose herself, and pulled her hand away.
'Arabella.' She acknowledged the pirate flatly. She was too tired for Arabella's games right now.

She turned to face the vampire. When she did, she nearly stumbled back in shock. In most ways, Arabella looked as she usually did. The same blue cloak and grey top, pink hair and cutlass hanging at her side. It was her eyes that had changed. They were bright with madly dancing light, jagged shards of insanity clashing with each other. The last time Ceris had seen that look was in the eyes of a certain Void Lord as his armies laid waste to the End.
The pirate stared at her for a moment, slowly tilting her head to one side.
'Arabella? I'm afraid she's not here right now. I've decided to take a turn in the real world for a while...'
Ceris stepped back, feeling her back press against the rail.
'What are you talking about? I don't want to be part of another of your games, Arabe-'
Her sentence was abruptly cut off when Arabella, or whoever it was, grabbed her by the throat and slammed her head against the edge of the wooden railing.
Ceris choked, blood pouring into her eyes from a gash on her forehead.
'Didn't you hear me?'
The vampire released her grip, letting Ceris stumble away.
'Arabella isn't here. I am Lilith. Or as far as you're concerned, mistress.'
Ceris blinked blood out of her eyes and clenched her fist, letting arcane energy coalesce until the veins in her wrist glowed white. She didn't know what was happening, but she hated people trying to control her.
'Maybe you're not Arabella, I don't know, I've seen stranger. But you're not my mistress. No-one is.'
Lilith tilted her head, regarding Ceris.
'Really? That's what you think now. I'll teach you otherwise.'
Ceris lunged forwards and smashed her energised fist into Lilith's chest. At least, she would have, had the vampire not caught it as easily as though she were playing catch.
Ceris's eyes widened as she felt the energy flow out to of her fist into the pirate.
'Nice try,' whispered Lilith, 'but I'm not as pathetic as Arabella.'
Her cape flared out behind her as a powerful blast of wind exploded out of her like an invisible wall, picking Ceris up and smashing her into the wall of the back deck. She crumpled to the ground, her ribs feeling inches from breaking.
Lilith knelt down beside her, rolling Ceris over and taking her face in her hands.
'Now then. Who is your mistress?'
Ceris tried to teleport away, but something was blocking her, the fluid air an Enderkin moved through to do so suddenly solid.
'No-one. Is. My. Mistress.'
Lilith smiled. Ceris had seen sadism, in the eyes of those such as Naeus or Lance. She saw it now, in the eyes of the pirate she had begun to think of as a friend.
Lilith grasped Ceris's wrist and lifted it up between them.
'You're sure?'
She didn't wait for an answer.
'I'm going to ask the question again. And if you don't answer right, I will cut off your hand, and let you bleed out. You'll be unconscious in an hour, and dead not long after, assuming I'm nice enough to put some pressure on.'
Ceris glared at her.
'Do what you like. I won't give in.'
Lilith grinned.
'Your decision.'
She reach down and grasped Ceris's calf.
'And one more thing.'
She twisted her hand sharply, and a crack split the air. Ceris bit her tongue, tasting blood as she tried to keep silent, swallowing screams.
'Can't have you trying to crawl away.'
The vampire unhooked her cutlass. It's blade glinted in the lamplight as she held it to Ceris's wrist.
'Let's begin.'

Lilith was true to her promise. The cutlass had slid through Ceris's wrist like a hot knife through butter, without the slightest resistance, even when she reach the bone. Blood pooled on the deck, vivid lilac against the Endstone.
Lilith stood above Ceris. At first she had squeezed the stump, preventing blood from gushing out too violently, but at some point in the past hour, Ceris had felt her let go, leaving her to bleed freely. 
Her bloody, limp hand hung pathetically from Lilith's, a gruesome trophy for the vampire.

Lilith touched Ceris's face. Somehow, the Ender Queen could still hear what she asked.
'Who is your mistress?'
This couldn't be the end. She still had so many regrets. So many mistakes to fix. She couldn't die like this. Black spots danced at the edge of her vision as she parted dry lips.
'You...you're my mistress.'
Even through a haze of pain and encroaching darkness, she saw Lilith smile.
'Good girl.'

Later

Ceris gasped and snapped sharply into the waking world. Something cracked on her body as she sat up. Looking down at herself, she saw that she was covered in dry blood. Her own. Automatically, she lifted her right hand to push her hair aside, and was more than a little surprised to find she still had one. It was completely scarlet, but still there. A scar was faintly visible where it had been cut off, and apparently reattached.
She groaned, forcing herself to get to her feet, and she immediately stumbled as her head swam. That was when she noticed a certain vampire pirate lying face up and unconscious a few feet away.
She almost ran, the night's experience fresh in her mind, but managed to take a step closer. She noticed several marks branded into the vampire's left forearm. They flickered purple for a moment, then faded to black.
There was a pause, in which Ceris felt like she was trying to breathe treacle, then the pirate's eyes snapped open. They were wide and terrified.
No longer feeling threatened, Ceris marched over. Arabella's eyes flicked onto her, and she tried to get up, but the Ender Queen pinned her down by the throat.
'Explain.' she spat hoarsely.
Arabella stared up at her.
'What?' she looked genuinely surprised, but Ceris wasn't convinced.
'You're going to pretend you don't know? Fine. I have just had my hand cut off, by you, except you were claiming not to be you, and were calling yourself Lilith.'
Arabella froze, Ceris noticing her eyes were rather wet. Then, to her surprise, and considerable shock, they filled with tears.
'She did that to you?'
Ceris released the pressure slightly, not sure what to do.
'She? Who's she? Are you saying that really wasn't you?'
Arabella didn't seem that hear her.
'Please, I swear, I didn't mean for her to get out, but she tricked me, and I was trapped, and I couldn't do anything, I didn't do any of that, I promise!'
Ceris stared down at her, then released her grip.
'You had no part in any of that?'
Arabella shook her head. The tears were running down her face. She looked beyond desperate.
'I promise.'
Ceris stared down at her. Then she turned away.
'Your promises are worth nothing.'
She walked towards the stairwell. That was when she heard a whistling sound, and a spear impaled her through the leg.
'I think that's enough.'
Pontus's voice spoke calmly from behind her.
'Tie them up. Both of them.'