Black Blood

-B2- Chapter 42

In the fastest pace that Elien can move his mouth, he rattles off the events of the past two years in succession.

'After your departure, the king killed everyone who had even exchanged a friendly word with you,' he begins in a whisper.

'They were desperate when you were the last one left and they couldn't find any trace of you. Christiaan had all the villages and towns searched. The werewolves of the Half Moon Pack refused to cooperate. Alpha Asa provided no information and forbade the troops from searching the houses. The vampires in the Black Forest Clan also did not cooperate. Mayor Myles said no more than a greeting.'

I can only smile at that news. Asa has clearly found his groove as the Alpha, and Myles has taken his father's place.

'Of course, Christiaan didn't agree with that. He ordered the army to march for an attack, which turned out to be in vain. The towns were empty before the men could set foot in them. No dead bodies, but a lot of damage.'

Werewolves and vampires working together, never expected to witness that.

'Furthermore, Christiaan became the king's right-hand man and the diamond. That was a day before they took me away.' His tone becomes lower, softer, and his eyes inexplicably darker.

'When I woke up that morning, Minos was nowhere to be found. The king had sent another man to accompany me. It started off strangely. I was quickly dressed, the man barely said anything, and he told me we had to be somewhere else before breakfast,' he whispers, his eyes focused on the ground.

'At that time, I didn't know where I was being taken, but it turned out to be the basement. Before I knew what was happening, I was tied to a chair. They hit me, injected fluid into my arm, burned my skin, and cursed at me.'

My breath catches, even though I had known this information for a long time.

'Day by day, it got worse. What started with a slap on my cheek with a hand turned into sticks, iron pipes, and eventually hammers. I'm still unclear about what they injected into me. They started with fluids on my wrists that I didn't feel anything from, slowly the fluid became increasingly painful. What initially only pricked started burning like I was on a pyre after the umpteenth injection. In between, they kept saying it was your fault. They kept repeating that until my head started to believe it.'

Slowly, he rolls up his sleeve. The dozens of scars from the injections are surrounded by a black ring. The veins running alongside them are even darker.

'One day, I have no idea when, they didn't insert the needle in my arm but in my eyes. I don't remember anything thanks to the few times I passed out from the pain.'

'What can you see?' I ask without seeking reassurance that he's no longer blind.

'Everything, without color. The images I see are in black, white, or shades of gray. It's much harder in bright light. The darker it is in the room, the better I can see.' I nod.

'Once I could see, they continued with the abuse and experiments. They made me drink blood, smeared ashes on my lifelines, and cast spells on me in a language I didn't even understand. Half the time I was absent or unconscious. The pain was unbearable, and all the bizarre substances made me hallucinate even more intensely. The hatred towards you grew as they kept fueling it. Every time I was in pain, they mentioned your name. I vaguely remember the first time I woke up as a raven. At the time, I thought it was another hallucination.'

Slowly, my fists clench around the chains on my wrists. I knew this, but hearing it from his mouth, seeing the pain in his eyes, is many times worse.

'I hadn't left the basement all that time until Christiaan came downstairs. I remember the man telling him that I would be ready for something tomorrow. The morning that followed, they finally released me from the chair. I couldn't even walk, I was so weak. They dragged me into the actual infirmary where I spent a week before I had the strength to stand. On my last day there, the man from the basement injected something into my IV that made my lifelines burn like hell. Those flames have never extinguished.'

Elien sighs deeply and rubs his right forearm before continuing his story.

'The next day, Christiaan and the king dragged me into the woods. Up until then, I had no idea what they had done to me. I hallucinated half the time and was in excruciating pain. Christiaan approached me, pushed yet another needle into my arm, and the pain disappeared.'

'It takes two hours for it to wear off. Change and find her if you want more, I recall the king saying.'

My hands begin to ache from holding onto the chains. The steel burns under my grip.

'At first, I didn't understand what was meant until the substance Christiaan injected in me transformed me into a raven. I couldn't change back, nor could I fly or control it. They gave me no explanation, and it took me the full two hours to rise one meter off the ground. The pain and hallucinations that returned were even more intense than before.'

Knowing that he now masters flying like no other, a small proud smile appears on my lips. My grip on the steel relaxes slightly.

'In the following days, they indeed didn't give me anything until I transformed and ventured into the forest. The only thing I thought about was finding you and killing you, purely to be free from the pain. After a week without success, they finally gave me the antidote because they were giving me combat training. After a month, I mastered everything and flew day and night in a haze of pain, searching for you until I found you.'

His story progresses steadily, covering all the points he can think of. From Christiaan to the most intricate details. All whispered in rapid succession.

If there's one thing I realize from his stories, it's the danger Christiaan has become. The man always had power, but it has grown even more over the years than I thought. He sets the rules, and my father is merely a pawn on the board.

'How did you get down here?' I ask after a moment of silence.

'The king gave it to me so that when I caught you, I could bring you in right away.' As his words leave his mouth, his face tightens. The black eyes grow darker and vacant as he clenches his hands into fists.

I don't have to think long to know that there's urgency.

'Okay. I need your help. I have a dagger with a red stone that they took away from me. Find the dagger and the keys to the cell and come back tomorrow night.' With clenched jaws, he stands up and nods. No further words are exchanged.