Evalynn drifted in and out of consciousness enough she completely lost track of time, the dark and stifling confines of the dungeon warping her sense of reality. It took all her strength to keep herself breathing, each breath a refusal to give into the growing despair. Her face and ribs throbbed with each heartbeat, despite the beatings feeling more numb. Her wrists bled from where the chains bound her to the wall, her shoulders aching from bearing her weight long after her legs refused to function.
Another blow to the stomach. She gagged, tasting blood in her mouth.
"Your boldness must know no bounds for you to think you could simply walk into the Citadel and leave unscathed." Her torturer's voice was deep, matching his hardened, middle-aged appearance— made all the more menacing by his black leather armor and the network of scars etched across his face.
"Joke's on you." Eva spoke between gasps. "I just walked right in. Turns out the great spire has lax security."
Eva's vision blurred as another punch found its mark, her head recoiling at the force, her body yanking against the chains that bound her hands. The floor, previously covered with dried blood, received a new layer of crimson.
Just breath
She summoned all of her stubborn strength, willing herself to endure– refusing to yield. She focused her mind away from her cell, away from the cold stone room, out of the darkness of the prison.
A hand grabbed her jaw, wrenching her head upwards, her torturer now inches from her face.
"Tell me why you're here." he drawled, a promise of pain in his voice. Eva breathed in and spit in his face.
The man closed his eyes, wiping the blood and saliva away with his other hand. He shifted and gripped her left arm, bringing his elbow down upon it. A sickening crack sent anguish rushing up and into her chest. Her vision filled with stars, as her body weight pulled against the fracture.
A gut wrenching scream echoed in the stone room, pain radiating in her ears.
"HELP!"
She squeezed her eyes shut again, clenching her jaw as tears formed at the sound of his voice.
"He's going to die because of you." her torturer drawled, his breath hot in her ear. "It's your fault."
"EVALYNN! HELP ME!"
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Sword and Veil (Everstone Series book 1 preview)
FantasyThe Hundred Year War rages on. At the heart of the conflict lie the Aniyans and the Zentari, two peoples bound by fate yet torn by centuries of enmity. Evalynn is a skilled warrior of the Aniyan army, the Legion. Haunted by ghosts of her past, she...
