Do You Know Indigo?

Chapter Thirty Seven

I had lost blood; lots of blood. I could not comprehend if my clothing was damp from soiling myself or blood or if where I had been lain was wet. I wasn't alert enough to discern anything.

Except Beth. Beth was with me. She was cocooned in blanket but still her body convulsed. I tried to reach her, stretching out my hand but sleep pulled me under. Conciousness and sleep blurred in and out of one another but for how long, I did not know.

Finally there came a point where I remained awake for some time. The room, if that was what you would call it, was made of stone. The ceiling arched above my head and gave way to two enterances; two escapes. Bathed in a warm candle lit glow you could easily mistake it wasn't a prison but you'd be wrong.

It was freezing but that was the least of my worries. I lifted my hand to my head checking for anymore bleeding. Someone, in my last moments of slumber, had bandaged me; could you call that hospitable from a kidnapper?

Beth had sweat speckled across her forehead and her breathing was shallow. She was running a fever and we were in a predicament where experienced medical assistance wasn't available. Maybe the lack of heat was something worth worrying about while Beth was fighting a fever.

My eyes felt droopy again and I was given no choice but to fall asleep and forget about hazy fevers, bandaged skulls and imprisonment.

I didn't dream, my mind was too busy trying to heal my body to even think about creating dream worlds.

Again I coaxed myself out of unconsciousness and into the land of the living. There was someone else with me, someone that wasn't Beth. I strained my vision in attempt to make out the figure.

Smudges and shadows settled and focus came.

However, when it did I had to contain the sickness that overwhelmed me. He held a single red apple in his clawed hand. The light from a candle illuminated his face and the skin of the apple with Hell's fire.

With a sharpened knife he peeled the skin from the surface of the fruit to reveal the flesh. He scored the surface so the skin curled into one long strand. He admired his handy work and then raised the curl to his lips. My stomach gave a harrowing grumble. My eyes widened as I watched the strand of apple peel pause on the way to his mouth. He looked up with red, hungry eyes.

I had been right and Kieran had lied.

I forced myself back into the wall. His mouth twisted into an evil smirk. I swallowed the fear.

"One kiss will get you the peel," he began. "Two will get you a slice and three will get you all of it." He threw the apple in the air and caught it. I stared at him, loathing his very existence.

"I'd rather die hungry than with the taste of your charity on my lips," I muttered.

"Always so harsh Princess." He sighed taking a bite from the tip of the peel. I couldn't silence the hopeful grumble from my stomach, it only made him smile more.

"I always try to displease," I retorted. It was stupid to play games with the person holding you captive but if I was going to die I was going to do it with dignity. From his corner of the cave he watched me. I didn't like the intent in his eyes. He had plans for me.

"I love what you've done with the place but I thought Mummy and Daddy could afford something a lot nicer than this," I teased, wiping the floor with my finger and inspecting it with disgust. Devon continued to smirk.

"Mummy and Daddy have been dead a very long time. They're probably living it up in Hell about now."

Though a momentary bewilderment crossed me, I was not surprised. I had speculated Devon's true identity, once witnessed the flash of red in his eyes. All this was was unmistakable proof.