When the darkness lifts and the terrifying sensation of plummeting through empty air stops, I'm afraid to open my eyes. I can still feel the cold chill of the fatoris filling me with dread and terror.
Everything is completely silent.
I don't dare to move for several moments. I can feel the wind on my skin and dead grass underneath me. I should feel safe—there's nothing to be afraid of, except for that feeling that won't go away. The feeling that I'm about to die.
"Get up," an inhuman voice orders. A frozen hand yanks me to my feet, injecting me with every terrible fear imaginable and then some. For a second I can't breathe. My heart feels as frozen as the hand on my arm.
I open my eyes.
The two dark fairies who stole me out of the cave are still standing in the same position, wispy arms outstretched around me like spiders. Their closeness envelops me in so much gut-wrenching fear that I'm frozen to the spot, unable to move or to even meet their black, soulless eyes.
We're standing in an empty field surrounded by miles of yellowed grass. To the west I can see the silhouette of mountains against the night sky, and any hope I had that Alec would find me dissipates. The mountains are at least a day's walk from here, maybe more.
An overwhelming wave of sadness crashes over me, stealing my breath and filling my eyes with tears. "Alec!" I scream at the top of my lungs. My voice cracks. The thoughts of never seeing Alec again and Peter's betrayal are too much.
A solid black arm extends from one of the dark fairies and strikes me across the face. I fall onto the ground, a hand held to my throbbing cheek.
"Shut up." The fairy that hit me kneels beside me. I cringe away from it, but one if its arms holds me still. Its eyes close and for a moment nothing moves. When it removes its hand and moves away from me again, I gasp at the feeling of emptiness I'm left with. A bottomless cavern has opened up in my heart.
"What did you do to me?" I cry, my hands clutching at my chest. Uncontrollable tears stream down my face. I've never felt pain like this before.
Neither of the fairies answer me. Instead, I'm forced to my feet once again and pushed to the west, farther away from the mountains and from Alec. Each of them draws a wicked curved blade and jabs it at me as we walk if I don't move fast enough.
"Where are you taking me?"
Again, I'm ignored, and left at the mercy of the terrors that my mind conjures up.
The only thing that keeps me sane is the thought that Alec is safe. I didn't see any other fatoris in the caves aside from the two with me now. Maybe they'll leave Alec alone since they have me.
Part of me hopes that Alec doesn't try to come after us.
And Peter... I'm only glad that he's alive. I can't bring myself to be angry at him for what he's done. Only completely, uncontrollably heartbroken. It's pathetic, but I just wish I could see him again. He must've had a reason for betraying me.
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Legend of the White Witch {#Wattys2016}
FantasyHighest rating: #19 in fantasy! Edlyn has never fit in. With her unusual white hair and silver eyes, she sticks out from her village of brown. To make matters worse, unexplainable things tend to happen around her-things that she can't control. In a...