The Source (Chronicles of the Elements #1)

Chapter 22

Aiden woke to her head pounding and looked around quickly to take in her surroundings so she could put together a plan of action now that she recalled what had happened. She was in a cell with thick stone walls and bars on the door still fully clothed but missing all weapons and could feel her magic but as if it was buried in tar and sluggish to come to the surface.

"Good. You are awake," Olc smiled coming in the door.

Aiden startled at the sound of that voice and stood trying to pull as much magic up as possible but finding only mere drops.

"Do not bother. Your power is negated and will not be any match for mine any time soon, but I do not want us to fight. You are not my enemy, Aiden. You will soon be transferred to more comfortable accommodations once the alterations I made to your condition take hold," he sneered.

She refused to respond to him in any way and just stared blank faced knowing it would annoy him and in hopes that it would also gain her some needed time to undo his unnatural spells.

"Fine. Say nothing. Sleep will find you soon as my magic takes full effect, and then, we will speak in your new living quarters."

He disappeared in a cloud of mist, but Aiden waited long minutes before she sat back down on the cold, hard floor internally searching through the thick fog over her magic looking for her son and finding him seemingly calm and safe as she released a breath in relief.

She closed her eyes and began desperately trying to access her power to bring it back to full strength and get out of there. Aiden finally got a good hold of her air magic after long minutes and began slowly making progress clearing the weight but felt sleep increasing steadily with every second that ticked by as if every moment she used her sluggish magic brought on deep rooted exhaustion. She knew that sleep was going to bring what she feared to fruition and began fighting it as it menacingly crept into her bones rendering her body lethargic.

She took a few seconds to check on her womb once again as she felt herself losing the battle with fatigue and could now sense a darkness surrounding it. She tried to pull from the stone of the cell, the water dripping from the walls, and the frigid, dry air blowing through so that she could send air, fire, and healing water at the evil spell surrounding her baby, but she was too tired and panicked for anything to be helpful. Just as she felt she had made a small hole with her fire that was drawing on nothing but anger and desperation, her eyelids closed putting her into a deep slumber.

Aiden came to feeling sore all over. She sat straight up and had to blink her eyes several times to rid them of sleep and take in her new surroundings. She was in what looked like chambers fit for royalty but sparsely decorated, and she was clothed in a white nightgown that covered her now swollen stomach.

She began to cry knowing that Olc succeeded in speeding up her pregnancy so that he could get rid of her child. A female servant walked into the room hearing her distress, and Aiden tried and failed to find something to use for a weapon. The female stopped wide eyed with fear as Aiden scrambled out of the bed away from her.

"Please, Your Majesty. I will not harm you. You must get back in bed and rest. I am only here to help you."

"Get out!" Aiden yelled.

"I cannot. He'll kill me if I leave these chambers," the female stammered in terror.

"I would rather die than do what that piece of filth asks! Where is your honor?"

"I am no warrior, Your Majesty," she replied head bowed in shame. "I never got to complete my battle. I was only days away when Olc kidnapped me and my twin sister. We were both working for the healers, but I probably would have died in my battle anyway."