Red as Ruby

Chapter 39

The cold, damp air of the bandit's prison stung my lungs as I stirred from an uneasy sleep. My limbs felt stiff and heavy, like a forgotten marionette tangled in its own strings. The others were waking up around me, their groans and muttered curses echoing off the rough stone walls. I tried to sit up, but found myself trapped in a tangle of limbs.

"Damien?" I whispered, my breath warm on his neck. Our bodies pressed together, molding into each other's contours like two puzzle pieces that shouldn't fit but somehow did. His scent, a mix of sweat and pine needles, was both comforting and intoxicating.

"Sorry," he murmured, stirring beside me. He shifted, attempting to disentangle himself without waking the rest of our group. It was a futile effort; the cramped space offered nowhere for him to move. For a moment, we remained locked in each other's embrace, our hearts beating in time like prisoners rattling their bars.

"Is everyone alright?" Damien asked softly, his voice barely audible above the sound of our shallow breathing. Anwen and Kalara nodded silently, their faces pale and drawn.Caelie and Liora exchanged worried glances, their hands instinctively reaching out to hold one another's.

"I don't know what they want with us," I said, frustration and fear bubbling up inside me like hot, molten lava. "I've never even seen these people before.And it doesn't seem to help that this Clemens guy knows Kalara."

"Neither have I," Damien admitted, his deep blue eyes searching mine for answers neither of us had. "But whatever it is, we'll figure it out. Together."

As he spoke, something inside me ignited—a spark of hope, a flicker of defiance, a burning determination to see this through. We would not let these bandits break us, no matter the cost. We were a family, bound not just by blood and duty, but by love and loyalty. Together, we would find a way out. And as I looked into Damien's eyes, it was clear he felt the same.

"Let's get to work," I whispered, my voice shaking with resolve. "We're getting out of here. All of us."

The damp chill of the prison cell clung to my skin like an unwanted lover as Damien and I huddled together, seeking warmth in each other's embrace. The close proximity forced our eyes to meet, and a thousand unspoken words danced in the air between us.

"Damien," I whispered, my voice cracking under the weight of the situation, "what if we don't make it out of here?"

He hesitated for a moment before responding, his deep blue eyes flickering with uncertainty. "We'll find a way, Heloise. We have to."

Our gazes locked, and I saw the same fear that clawed at my insides mirrored in his eyes. Yet, beneath the terror, there was a fire that refused to die, a determination to fight and survive that seemed to say, 'Bring it on, you bastards.'

"Remember when we were kids?" I asked, my mind drifting back to summers spent playing in the fields near Diamond's Deep. "We used to pretend we were warriors, saving villages from evil bandits."

A ghost of a smile touched Damien's lips, and for a moment, the prison walls seemed to fade away. "Your childhood sounds so much different from mine. All I had was actual fighting lessons and hours and hours of etiquette lessons."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to have changed places with you," I admitted, feeling a faint tickle of amusement despite the dire circumstances. "But I'd give anything right now not to be here."

"Me too," he agreed, his voice barely audible above the sound of our ragged breaths. "But we're not kids anymore, Heloise. We're stronger, smarter, and far more capable than we ever were back then. And if anyone can get us out of this mess, it's us."

His words were like a balm to my frayed nerves, and I felt a flicker of hope begin to rekindle in my chest. Perhaps we truly could find a way out of this nightmare.