Fallen (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 59 - Crumbling

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"Get him to the centre," my father called out, preoccupied as he busied himself with a candle at the edge of the circle.

The kid didn't reply and just stepped into the magic circle to grab my arms from behind me and drag me into position, which was just a couple of centimetres away.

"Hey. Thank you..." I mumbled.

He shrugged.

"I never got your name."

It shouldn't have mattered, because I was about to forget everything anyway. But it just seemed weird that he had helped me, and I had no idea who he was.

"Elouan. You're Ashen?" he asked, softly.

"I... I prefer Talian... Only my father calls me Ashen."

The name Talian gave me a feeling of reassurance and comfort. Like there was a part of me that wasn't as bad or dangerous as I had proven myself to be. It was the part my mother had known, my siblings and Kendrick...

I hoped that, unlike my siblings and mother, Kendrick never got to see the worst of me. He had seen hints of it, I was sure... but at least he had not witnessed it to the worst extent. That was probably why he had come looking for me despite the note I had left him.

"Talian it is."

I smiled when he grinned at me. It was the first time I saw him smile. It created unusual, but cute little dimples beneath his eyes at the top of his cheeks.

"Get the hell out of the circle."

He hesitated at my father's order before letting me go and walking out of the circle while my father straightened so he was standing upright. I realised that there were now lit-up candles surrounding me. Each one stood atop a small pile of herbs.

It was just the three of us in the hall.

I held my breath as my father stared at me before his eyes closed and then felt my shoulders sink as he began the spell. The movement made me realise the paralysis spell had faded. My hands were still cuffed, but I could move.

I immediately tried to shift from the centre of the circle, but hit an invisible barrier that kept me confined to the small ring drawn around me. I settled back into place and looked at the man ahead again.

There was a mixture of relief and anxiety in my chest. The clashing feelings were because I was eased, and just a little bit grateful, by the fact that I may forget everything I did. That this time, the pain would be gone with it. The anxiety came from the reality that this was only the beginning. That even though I wouldn't remember what I did next, even though I wouldn't exist as I was anymore and couldn't control it, it was still me that would be hurting whoever my father decided 'deserved' it.

My heart began to pick up along with the fear as his muttering became intense speaking before his voice raised into shouting while the candles around me burned brighter causing shadows to flicker around us. My body felt like it was tingling, or maybe that was just my terror.

Would I be able to feel the spell?

Would it hurt?

A quick movement from behind my father made my eyes shift just as his yelling was instantly cut of, replaced by a loud clank bouncing off the walls as a metal bat smashed into his head. I watched stunned as his body flung to the ground leaving the hall silent apart from Elouan's quick footsteps.

"Can you move?" Elouan asked me as he grabbed my arm.

"No, there's a..." my voice drifted when I lifted my hands. They passed through where I expected the invisible barrier to be.