Broken Thread

Chapter 9: One Chance For Freedom

My eyes burn and my brain feels foggy. Two things that are far from what I need to execute this plan that Eltuh trusts us to fulfill. I didn't expect to be fully rested, but I was hoping for at least something more than two hours of sleep. My nerves were on edge all night listening for every little sound behind the door of this room. Even though I know she told me she wouldn't come for me earlier than she planned, a little part of me hoped that she would swoop us out of here in the middle of the night, never to look back. And to add to it all, I'm thirsty. Not a dangerous level of dehydration but still a notable thirst that scratches the back of my throat.

My body aches as I toss and turn knowing that eventually Zenith will come in and the plan will be put into motion. The only thing I can't control are my nerves. Eltuh was right when she said my heart would be racing. I feel like my whole body is on vibrate. No matter how comfortable this bed once was to me, it feels like jagged rocks every which way I turn.

I pull the covers over my head, wondering if Seren is okay. If Scorpius is safe. If Ogmellos has forgiven himself for allowing Demien to take me away even if at the time that was the only logical thing we both could do. If Caelum and Barlow and Estella are taking care of each other, but mostly taking care of themselves. I wonder how close they are to this place. Could they be hiding in the trees waiting for the right moment to spring into action? Or were they lower to the ground because Ogmellos and Scorpius had felt the shift in the soil underneath them and knew exactly where this place was?

I let my thoughts roam until I hear the undeniable sound of the door opening. As many times as I've flinched listening to the guards pacing up and down the hall throughout the night, it surprises me when I freeze completely. Slow but heavy footsteps invade the quiet I was once in. Now every step echoes off the corners of the room, surrounding me even underneath the sheets.

"Get up. I know you're not sleeping." Zenith demands. I don't move. Taking a couple more steps, she scoffs. "Either you get up or I'll come over there and get you up myself."

I hesitate, ready to call her bluff, but we both know she isn't bluffing. Given the opportunity she would yank my legs and drag me to the floor, probably beating me in the process. With a sigh, I slowly move the covers from over my head, our eyes locking immediately. If I'd somehow forgotten how much Zenith despised me, the hate burning in her eyes now would definitely make it clear. She looked like she wanted to tear my limbs apart.

"Always a pleasure to see you, Zenith."

Her eyes turn to slits as she watches me sit up and eventually stand next to the bed. I notice the tray of food in her hand. When she sees me my eyes look down, she smirks, releasing the tray from her grasp and letting it fall with a deafening clang. Whatever was on the metal tray before is now splattered all over the floor, even some pieces touching Zenith's bare feet. The image makes me want to throw up.

"Make sure you lick this all up. Don't forget you're not a guest here."

I grin. "Really? How could I forget when you've all given me such welcoming hospitality? Aren't you the one who escorts me from place to place as if I was royalty myself? Oh, and don't you remember the tea party you set up for me? Or are you more arms than you are brain?"

"You're nothing close to royal blood, you infected blobfish."

"And you'd be nothing if Thoon hadn't died, you second rate reptilian bitch."

She steps forward, the fire in her eyes turning deadly. Though, once her foot touches the tray, it's like the rage in her goes from a boil to a simmer. Her neck cranes down inch by inch, her gaze barely leaving me. When her focus finally shifts to the mess of food underneath her, I watch her sneer turn into a menacing smile, every one of her teeth exposed to me. Her face almost looks distorted. So much so that my skin starts to crawl when her eyes widen as big as that smile.