Immortals (ON HOLD)

Chapter 39

Ariel

        I wasn’t conscious very long after the Dark Elves injected me. I remembered being carried from my house, and not much else until we arrived at their cave. There were torches on either side of the entryway, with two large treehouse watchtowers about twenty yards away on both sides. Inside of the cave, there was an array of wide hallways that seemed to go off in every direction possible. I cursed myself silently for fading in and out of reality as they brought me back to the dungeon-now if I escaped, I’d have no idea of knowing which way led to freedom. But I doubt I’d be escaping on my own-not only was I getting hot flashes and cold sweats, but I felt extremely sluggish and weak. And I was now beginning to have hallucinations.

I’d kill whoever sent the orders to have me kidnapped and infected with whatever the hell that blue stuff was. I wasn’t surprised when they had dropped me roughly on the cold stone floor, but I was still pissed. “Burn in hell, assholes,” I growled, barely able to open my eyes as I bared my teeth at them. The leader of the three chuckled, unimpressed. They closed the heavy iron-looking bar door, and I could hardly make out their figures through my blurry vision. I tried blinking a few times to get a sense of my surroundings. My only source of light was a small hole in the stone wall behind me, and the torches lighting the hallway throughout the rest of the dungeon. None of them were in my cell- just the hole in the far wall.

Moonlight gently streamed through, spilling onto the floor and over my crumpled body. I couldn’t keep my teeth from chattering, and I wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt to keep warm…even though I was sweating, and my skin felt like it was boiling. I groaned in agony as a wave of nausea swept over me, struggling to sit up so I could vomit in the farthest corner. I wiped my mouth once I was finished, crawling over to a pile of fresh hay to lie on my back. I didn’t even know why I was here, and if I wasn’t so weak, I’d be livid. I’d give anything to be back on my front lawn kissing Dimitri right now, no matter how much the thought of it elated and infuriated me. I wondered if the Guardians even knew I was missing, which sent a large wave of despair through me. What if they didn’t know until it was too late?! There was absolutely no way I could signal them to let them know where I was. Not only because I didn’t have any ability like that or my phone, but I honestly had no idea where I was. I could’ve been ten feet or ten thousand miles away from them, for all I knew.

The more I thought about them, the more I missed them terribly. And then I thought about my parents. Oh God, they were probably worried sick about me! Which would make my friends worried, since I know my mom called them in an effort to find me. They probably called the police by now, although I don’t know if a search would be issued since I’m not sure how long I’ve been away. I couldn’t focus on one thought for too long before the muscle spasms would vibrate through my body. I wanted to just start sobbing, and I couldn’t stop the tears that made their way to the corner of my eyes. I gritted my teeth to ease the tension, when I swore I felt Dimitri’s presence. I knew it wasn’t true, because I had had a few small hallucinations before this, but I was oddly comforted by the delusion. “Dimitri…” I croaked, even though I knew he wasn’t there. “Hey, it’ll be alright Spitfire.” His transparent form became more solid as it crouched down beside me, and I closed my eyes as his hand reached out to move the hair that was stuck to my face.

In retrospect, it was probably a strong breeze, but I didn’t care. It felt real, and made me happy, although if I made it out of here alive, I’d never tell Dimitri that an illness-induced apparition of him solaced me- I wouldn’t be able to endure the eternal ridicule. “Where’s that determination I’m so used to? You can’t give up now!” “But I’m so weak. I-I can’t even stand up,” I whispered, realizing I was struggling to breathe and swallow my own spit. “Ariel Avery Sinclair does not give up just because something’s tough! She fights tooth and nail to make it out alive-and that’s exactly what I expect you to do.” “Since when do I care what you expect of me?” I hissed with a small smile. His chuckle was the most beautiful music, and my heart swelled a little just imagining it. “See? That’s the fire I hate to love. C’mon Ariel, you can get through this. Do it for your parents, and everyone else that loves you. You haven’t even started living your immortal life yet!” “What if this-whatever it is- kills me? I feel like I’m a thousand degrees…”