Atherian Tales: The Blood Slave

Chapter Twenty Two

I was back in the forest. I wasn't scared because I wasn't running. I was walking, in the distance was my destination, Elias. He stood in all his glory, surrounded by that beautiful red aura, holding his arms out and welcoming me in.

As I inched closer, a sudden jolt of air pushed me back on my tracks. Once I moved the stray hairs from my face, I was looking into the emerald green eyes of the golden aura man. He too was reaching out for me, urging me to change my path and go with him. To my surprise, I was conflicted. Part of me wanted to go with the mysterious golden man now standing directly in front of me, while another part of me wanted to continue on my way to Elias.

Elias must have noticed my hesitation because within a blink of an eye he was standing in front of me as well, glaring at the golden man.

"Amily, get behind me." The golden man spoke. His voice seemed familiar and warm. I swore I had heard it before. I was struck by awe at the melody his voice traced through my mind that I stood there just staring at the man before me.

Every feature he had looked similar to my own. The way his cheeks were full and rounded, the way his nose had a slight bump in the bridge, even the curve of his brows. It was uncanny how similar we looked. I bet anyone would think we were related. Stuck in my trance of thought and wonder, Elias' voice boomed through my ears and echoed throughout my body when he shot back at the man.

"She will not." Elias answered for me. His voice sent shivers down my spine like it always had. It was cold ,and harsh, and to the point.

"Amily, no good things can come from this bonding. You don't belong with him." The golden man continued. He tried to persuade me to follow him but my feet carried me to Elias. Before I reached him, I felt a tug on my arm that pulled me backwards away from Elias. I came to a sudden halt when I made contact with what felt like stone. When I looked up to see, it was the mysterious man's chest that I had slammed into.

"You belong with your family." He whispered, thinking Elias wouldn't hear his words.

My family? My family is dead. From my parents to my beloved Ester and John, they were all dead. I was the only one left. What did he mean?

I looked around searching for Elias, I struggled to find him until I heard his bellowing voice from behind us.

"Let her go and we will leave peacefully." He said, with a hint of a threat behind his words. "Refuse to let her go and I will break every limb and joint and bone in your body until there is nothing left of you to hold onto her with." He promised this time.

"She belongs with her family!" The man said again. "The King of Light will not be happy with this Elias! Even you know that!" I was confused. To talk about "my family" and who is the King of Light? Elias didn't give the man a second chance to release me. He was pouncing on him within seconds.

The match didn't last too long before the golden man grab Elias by the throat and began lifting him from the ground. The image made me remember when Elias caught me the night of the sanctum march. I was quickly shook from my memories when my oxygen supply was suddenly cut off. I was scratching at my neck thinking I could find the source of my suffocation, and rip it away. There was nothing there. Not a thing that could possibly be doing the torture. I began to panic, looking around to see if someone could help me but the only two, who could possibly be of any assistance, where still caught in their own situation.

The moment I locked eyes with Elias, he froze in his struggle to break free from the golden man's grip. I was still frantically trying to break the invisible hold around my neck when I slowly walked towards the two men, gasping for air. I fell to my knees at the loss of oxygen, making the two men stop and scurry over to me. Once their struggle was over, so was mine. I could breathe again.