Hollow Souls

•7•

Lilah

It was cold, damp in the dungeon of the Dawn palace. I wanted to scream, wanted to cry but, I knew it'd do me no good. There was no point. I had fallen asleep, for how long I didn't know. There was no light, I could barely see my hand four inches from my face. The meal schedule seemed to differ every day. I couldn't work it out because it varied. I didn't see another living soul save for the creatures that beat me bloody. I had chewed my nails to nubs and my hands shook. My shirt was ripped and dirty unsurprisingly. My head fell back against the cold stone wall. Why me? Of all the Fae here, why me? I put my face in my hands, letting tears fall. Had I failed? What if I failed when I hadn't even began yet? My questions remained unanswered as the door to my cell was pushed open, the hinges screaming. I wiped my eyes on my sleeves quickly as I stood, my head grazing the ceiling. My wrists were grabbed and I was pulled from the cell, squinting at the light. My arms were pinned behind my back tightly. Not like I'd try anything. I was tired, any wounds I earned still hurt. And besides, if I tried anything it could mean death to those closest to me. My heart pounded in my chest. What if I failed immediately? I didn't even know what I had to do for this, this task. A thousand different scenarios filled my head as we walked, loose bits of hair falling in front of my eyes. My boots clicked every step in the otherwise silent halls. I bit down on the inside of my lip. I couldn't break down, not now. Not here. Not when I had the tasks ahead of me. Rather than being led to the throne room like I'd expected, we were led outside. The fresh air hit my face and I immediately breathed it in. It was warm, as I was used to. I hadn't even processed everything around me when I was thrown to my knees. Sharp stones dug into my flesh, drawing a small amount of blood. My bones hissed at every movement, having been curled in a corner made my entire body sore. I bit down on my lip to keep from wincing.

"Well dear, it seems it is time for your first task." Deiamia's voice sent a chill down my spine as I lifted my head enough to meet those red eyes. Red like the blood that was sure to spill today. I let a soft growl escape my lips. I had no intention of giving her the idea that I was going to be easy for her. I cast a quick glance behind her, seeing what barely surprised me at all. My family. If I was to die, I'm sure Deiamia wanted to make sure they were there to see my blood spill. I wanted to scream, wanted to fight against her. I should've never made that deal. Any tasks she had were sure to break me in some way. I doubted it would be quick. She'd break me slowly, painfully. Yet, if I glanced around, I'd see one key thing in the eyes of those forced to watch. Hope. I was their hope, their one chance at freedom. I looked back at the woman in front of me and in less than a heartbeat her long, slender fingers gripped my jaw. "Oh I do hope you live. I so want to have fun with you." Her voice was a purr in my ear as I whipped my head away from her.

"Just get it over with." I growled, biting my lip.

With a smirk and a snap of her fingers, my wrists were unbound. Hands dragged me to my feet roughly. I swallowed my yelp as I caught my balance. I was lead, well, more like dragged, to the edge of a pit and shoved in, landing on my shoulder. Pain hissed through my body as I pulled myself up. Tall hedges surrounded me. A maze, I realized, glancing around at my surroundings. A sharp growl sent my head whipping to the left. A pure white wolf with milky eyes. Blind and deaf, I realized, seeing it didn't react to any sounds. It would rely soley on smell. I swallowed my yelp as I stepped carefully over a branch and broke into a sprint. My muscles screamed at the movement but I kept running, looking for any possible way out. Nothing. I dared a glance at my family, first meeting the grey eyes of my father that were identical to my own, then the green eyes the rest of our family shared. I read the fear etched on their faces. Not one bone in my body blamed them. I was their sister, their daughter. I dove to the right, thorns scratching and pulling at my skin. Slick mud was beneath my feet, my boots offering little traction. I wanted to stop, wanted to rest but every part of me told me to keep going. There was nothing but the tall hedges and mud aside from myself and the wolf. Nothing to use as a weapon. My breathing quickened, panic set in quickly. No weapon, no way out. I couldn't find the sides of the large pit, couldn't see if I could manage to climb out or not. Gods I was going to die. My blood would spill here today. My mind shot back to any survival books I'd read. Check your surroundings, see what's around you and what the threat was. I'd already done that. The wolf hunted on smell alone. Smell. Mask your scent. That could at least get me more time to think. I looked around wildly. The mud. I threw myself to the ground and started smearing it over my body. My face, my hair. I didn't stop until I was entirely covered in the mud. A growl rippled through the air and I fell dead still. As slowly and as quietly as I could, I turned my head. About a hundred yards away stood the wolf. I tried to slow my pounding heart, to calm myself.