Chapter 18 - Dying
Ismena felt weightless; she fell into the abyss of darkness. She struggled to wake up, knowing that it was only Stavan that had been in the room with her. Knowing how dangerous that was.
But she couldn't. She could do nothing.
Her heart squeezed with grief, and she left the darkness wrapped around her.
Then, she felt a tug of something around her waist. Something tight. The glow of the light seeped beneath her eyelids. Just when she pushed them open to get a clearer sight of what this thing was, it yanked up recklessly and slammed her against the ground.
Cold. Hard.
Dull pain.
She grunted, prying her eyes open with force, only to freeze at the sight before her.
Again.
Her breath slowed, cold spilling down her spine.
Again.
Not again.
She refused to believe what she was seeing.
Where even was this place?
The dungeon?
She had not gone to the dungeon, she had been in her room! Haron wasn't there and Stavan would certainly not have brought her here.
There was no punishment.
Nothing.
She wasn't here.
This made no sense!
This was just a dream, but why did she keep dreaming of him?
He wasn't dead. He was no ghost!
She shut her eyes, because that was how one could get out of a dream.
Shut their eyes and wake up!
But when she opened her eyes again, the beast was still above her, now enraged. His canines out to draw, his silver eyes darkened with fury. A growl rumbled from him and the fear that flooded her veins felt real.
Too real.
Frantically, she tried to push herself away from him, moving her elbows against the floor quickly, feeling the rough texture scraping away her skin.
But he did not permit her escape.
His paw pressed down against her neck and she went still.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly with horror.
"Please," a plea slipped past her lips.
Monster!
He was the monster that had almost killed her husband.
She shouldn't beg him. He deserved to be here. She had to remember that. She had to remember that his kind had done many terrible things to her kind. She had to remember that this punishment was mercy.
And by the Sun, she had to remember that this was a dream!
She just needed to wake up.
Wake up, Ismena!
A dream.
Just a dream.
But his claws sank into her flesh and the shriek of pain that tore through her did not feel like a dream. The smell of her blood in the air, mixing with the stink of dread and torture, did not feel like a dream.
Her hands grabbed his paw, sinking into the fur as she struggled to set herself free while the claws sank deeper.
He pulled away sharply, as if he had attacked.
Whatever it was that was fighting him and had made him let her go, Ismena did not care!
A dragged in a desperate breath, scrambling away from him and quickly to her feet.
Escape! Escape!
The thought rang over and over again in her head.
She ran, not even knowing where she was headed. But his weight landed on her back and brought her to the ground.
"No!"
Just as it had happened the first time, he turned her around to face him - to face the absolute hatred in his eyes, then he raised his claws and brought them down in one swipe—
"Ismena!" She heard a voice cut through the haze. Sharp with authority. Hasty with fear. Everything began to fade. Replaced. "Get him here. Now!"
There was shuffling. Hurried feet. Rusting of garments.
The voice said something again. Closer to her this time, but she couldn't hear.
She still felt stuck in that dungeon, beneath him with that hatred in his eyes, with the intent of death at his claws.
The horror.
The dread.
The fear.
She could feel it all around her.
She had to stop!
It was only a dream. Just a dream.
But her breath was ragged and it was difficult than it should to open her eyes. She was no longer in that wretched dream with the prisoner, but she could still feel a force around her neck, pressing down on it, trying to strangle her light right out of her. Her ears were ringing too, like someone had screamed right into her ears.
"Ismena— stop!" The voice snapped at her and she could feel the force pulling away from her neck.
Someone was helping.
"Stop trying to strangle yourself! What is this madness!"
Then the force around her neck was gone.
Still breathing was not easy. She could feel herself jerking up and a pair of hands holding her down.
"Where is he?!" The voice roared.
"On his way, your Majesty!" A woman replied, her voice trembling, like she was crying.
Those words made no sense to Ismena. Nothing made sense to Ismena.
All she knew was what she was feeling.
Right now, she was feeling terrible.
Like she was dying.
Like the air was too hot. Like her body has been set ablaze. Like she had to escape from it but didn't know how to.
Something was horribly wrong.
Shuffling. Hurried. There were more people.
"Your—"
"Begin already!"
She could feel hands on her. Quick hands. Then liquid on her tongue, down her throat.
Till whatever was making her feel like escaping suddenly stilled within her.
"There is blood on her neck," someone said.
The hands were still on her. Moving from her neck to her head and everywhere else that seemed to have a problem.
"Probably from her nails! She tried to strangle herself. What is wrong with her?! What have you done to my Queen, Head Physician! You said she would survive! You said she had a good chance!"
"I don't — I don't know! This has never happened before. Please— please don't kill me!"
"Do everything to make sure she lives or just tell your family to prepare your coffins. All of you!"
The hands around her were more frantic.
She was falling asleep again but she didn't want to. But now that she could remember.
She didn't want to see that prisoner again.
Even if it was just a dream.
It was too real.
Instead she wanted to be here. With her Haron who was worried for her. With her Haron who loved. With her Haron who was her Haron again.
He sounded so sad. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted to be here with him.
But unconscious was pulling her under, and somewhere in her mind, she could hear those growls.