Dream and Nightmare

Chapter 30 - Suffocation

The voice was achingly familiar yet horribly distant. "You're right where you need to be."

Anah wanted to run, her legs urged to sprint up the stairs into Jack's arms, but the barrier wasn't the only thing holding her back. How could she run when she'd been looking for him for weeks?

Rendel looked broken. Before, she had been shocked at Rendel's betrayal. This time, it was expected. This time, she was truly afraid. "Rendel please-"

"Don't talk." He sat down in a chair that hadn't been there a moment before, setting his worn-down cap on his hair. "You shouldn't have looked for me. It's your own fault." He spoke without remorse.

"Stop this, Rendel. Let me go-"

"I said don't talk."

"Please-"

"Stop!" He pulled a gun from his pocket, aiming it at her head. From behind her, Anah heard Jack shout, but she couldn't look away from Rendel's hands. They were unwavering as he pointed the barrel at his friend. His eyes were about as apologetic as his voice. "I will do it, Anah," he warned. "And maybe you'd be better off. Shritaum won't let you leave here. You're fourteen; you have a couple useful years left before he kills you."

Anah's hands felt cold, and she longed for Jack to warm them. She wanted to plead or cry, but with a bullet set to cut through her brain, she knew to keep her mouth shut. Nothing she could come up with could make the situation better. She was just going to have to hope that Rendel wasn't as far gone as he pretended. She prayed that there was some part of him left that really cared for her.  

Rendel took his cap off, gripping it in one hand. "What did you want now?" he asked.

What? Anah stared at him, trying to discern his meaning. Did he want her to speak?

Then she heard footsteps. "Nothing, my boy, you did well." Shritaum appeared out of nowhere, following the sound of his footsteps. He put his hand on Rendel's shoulder, and she had to remind herself that his beauty was just an illusion. Even so, the dark magic swept over her, quelling any urge to run. 

"Hello, my Love." Shritaum smiled at her, warming her. "I always did have a soft spot for you. Your mother was such a brave soul. So smart, you see, that's why she had to go."

Her mother? Some of the warmth she had felt at his appearance disappeared. He had been trying to destroy her life since before she was born. He marked her at birth, took her family from her, and left her to live with a broken family. He took away her friends, and now he wanted to take everything else from her and imprison her until she was the right age to sacrifice.

Anah took a step back, hitting the barrier again. Shritaum didn't take his slow eyes from her. "I'm afraid yours will be a premature death, too. I should've known; your family's more trouble than it's worth."

Rendel let a small frown break through his mask. He looked to his father, the gun still steadily aimed at Anah.

Shritaum noticed, and a small, sad smile graced his perfect features. "My son here is a fool to think that I'd believe his false repentance a second time."

"I've done everything you asked," Rendel argued quietly, his voice tired and emotionless.

"Yes," Shritaum agreed. "But you're not broken yet. You got too attached to these people my boy. They're distractions."

He gritted his teeth. "I have nothing more."

"You have her," Shritaum argued, gesturing lazily to Anah. "But not for much longer." He set a hand on his son's shoulder, walking slowly to his other side. "Shoot her," he ordered quietly.