CORRUPTED FILE [Lumina Chronicles Past Drafts]

Level Twenty-Eight: The Fire Starts

I was on fire.

All I could feel was excruciating pain. All I wanted was to curl up on the ground as my body burned away to nothing more than a pile of ash and bone. I finally understood what ants felt like under magnifying glasses.

"Darling, will you escort Magdalyn to her room? I'm sure she's tired after such a long night." Seraphim said. His voice sounded deeper, slower. Like someone had taken a recording and cut the speed in half.

"Yes, Love." Lydia chirped, her smile bright. She grabbed my arm, and her fingers felt as frigid as ice against my scorched flesh. While one would expect ice to soothe a burn, this did the opposite. The pain only grew worse with her contact.

Lydia led me out into the hall, or so I assumed. I could hardly tell where I was with the way my vision blurred and swayed. I felt as though I was going to be sick, yet at the same time I knew that wouldn't be possible. I could barely get air through my throat, let alone anything else.

Tears left blazing trails down my cheeks.

"Oh, stop being so over dramatic." Lydia sighed as she led me oh so slowly toward Kindle's room, "I only gave you a moderate dose. Not nearly enough to kill you, just enough to remind you who you're dealing with." She shrugged casually, "The only side effects you may suffer are severe pain-- from your annoying whimpering I'd say that's already hit-- and maybe some hallucinations. No big deal really."

"I... Hate... You." I bit out, my voice barely more than a choked sob. I'm sure if I wasn't busy burning beyond recognition, that admission would have made me feel a million times better. At the moment, I could think of little more than screams of agony.

"Maggie, Maggie listen to me!" Carlyle called. I wasn't sure where he was, but I heard his voice from nearby. "The effects of her venom are mental. Whatever you think is happening to you, it's not. It's not real. Just think about something else and the pain will diminish."

Easier said than done.

"Oh, trust me Sweetie, if you liked me it would mean I'm doing something wrong." Lydia laughed. "I'm not particularly fond of you either. Or how you seem so bent on getting in between Kindle and I." 

I laughed, but it turned into a whimper. "From what I've seen... there is no 'Kindle and... you.'" 

"There is!" She screeched, digging her nails into the already sore flesh of my arm. Lydia took a deep breath, then continued in a calmer tone. "There is. You have just become a momentary distraction, that's all." 

Lydia's already slow steps slowed further as she thought. Plotted, more accurately. 

"You know, I should just kill you now. After all, my dear husband couldn't be angry at me if I told him your system was just too weak to handle the meager amount of venom I'd given you. You'd be out of my way then, and Kindle would come back to me." Lydia mused, "All it would take is one more dose..." she trailed off thoughtfully, pulling us to a halt.

I was dizzy, so dizzy, and still burning. I doubted I would ever stop burning, not until I was dead at least.

"I'm going to get Kindle. Maggie, don't let her near you!" Carlyle shouted. I still wasn't sure where is voice was coming from. Or maybe it was just in my mind; hallucinations like Lydia had said. Maybe I was really going to die here in the hall, burned away to nothing, with Lydia dancing on the pyre.

"You poor, sweet thing." Lydia cooed, a mocking pout on her lips as she circled slowly around me. "You're crying an awful lot. Maybe you want me to kill you? Put an end to your suffering? As a matter of fact, this would be a win-win situation for the both of us."