Magic and Mortality (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 17 - Tortured

KEY = Subtitle/POV change | Author's note |"Speech" | 'Quote/Thoughts' | Text | Emphasis

A/n - There will be a mentions and a few descriptions of pain and gore in this chapter, if you would like to skip it then here is your warning :)

AELFRIC'S POV

I woke up the next... morning? I couldn't tell. The only problem was the reason I woke up.

Someone was screaming.

I knew that scream.

Belinda had disappeared.

The screaming sounded familiar.

The screaming sounded familiar and Belinda was missing.

I gasped, struggling against the chains that held me to the damp dungeon walls. Another scream tore through the corridors.

"Belinda!" I yelled, my voice hoarse and dry. I could've sworn that I heard part of my name before more screams echoed in the dungeon, in the cell, in my mind. One last pull against the old rusted chains had me falling forward. I crawled towards the front of the cell, squinting in the light.

Screams continued for ages before stopping, casting an eerie silence within the dungeons. My thoughts betrayed me with thoughts of Belinda lying on a rough stone floor — dead. The thoughts made tears grow in my eyes as I waited. It was excruciating.

I had almost nodded off when I heard the sound of the cell door open, and a body tumble to the ground near me. The cell was closed again. I pushed myself up to see Belinda — bruised, battered and covered in red blood. I crawled over to her, placing her head in my lap gently as I checked to see if any of her wounds were fatal. By the looks of it, she had been whipped to the point of exhaustion. For what reason, I didn't know.

BELINDA'S POV

The pain was blinding. A cold stone floor on my back helped to soothe the wounds somewhat. Pain shivered down my neck as my head was lifted into someone's lap. I was too tired to flinch when tears seeped into the gashes on my face. I knew I was safe. 

flashback

I was pulled from sleep by two rough hands. They dragged me out of the cell, pulling me to my feet before pushing me towards another room. I stumbled onto the platform in the middle and was pushed down to my hands and knees. A loud clap broke and jolted me out of whatever sleep had remained. 

"Who are you?" A thick accent spoke loudly, sending echoes through the air. I cringed when a hot breath tainted with garlic spoke next to my ear.

"I sai', who are you?" The voice snarled into my soul. I stayed silent.

"Well, if da preda lass'll hold 'er tongue, then we'll have to spill 'er blood!"  A loud cackle erupted from the speaker before a blinding pain flashed against my back. I screamed in pain. 

(a/n read this out loud if it is hard to figure out in your head. It says 'if the pretty lass will hold her tongue, then we'll have to spill her blood')

The slashes of pain continued on my back. I rolled to the slide, streaming when the pain of my back against the rough wood combined with the pain of more slashes on the front of my torso. 

"Belinda!" A whisper that sounded more like a far-away shout reached my ears. 

"Aelfri-aaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" I screamed again. The pain dotted my vision in black until I saw nothing.

A/n Hello again!

I hope you liked this chapter, it is a bit full-on. I just wanted to ask a few questions.

1) Does anyone know of any good Frank Zhang x oc or reader fan fictions based on Heroes of Olympus? I can't find any and it is frankly annoying (see what I did there 🤣) 

2) Does anyone want a Heroes of Olympus au where Hazel falls for Sammy's grandson instead of the Chinese shapeshifter?

Thanks so much guys!

- CadyKuch09