I was abruptly released from my hold on the wall; Brielle used her Air to lift all three guards, sending them up to crash into the ceiling before slamming them back down into the concrete floor. Her eyes shone silver, her face a mask of rage, as she repeated this several times before leaving them on the floor, all unconscious. She turned her steel gaze to the Elders, who all looked baffled at the guards strewn about the jail cell. Her hand began to glow as she summoned her Akasha, the orb of light steadily increasing in size with each passing second. She outstretched her hand towards the Elders, daring them to attack.
“I wouldn't do that it I were you. We still have guards tracking your father. One word from us and they will bring him back here,” Gwenyth said.
Brielle's eyes narrowed in frustration as she held her ground. “Leave him out of this. All we are asking for is to stay in a cell together. You can do as you wish to us as long as we are together.”
“You are in no place to make requests. Your arrangements will stay the same, and you will accept the punishment we have chosen. Unless you want us to exact the punishment on your father instead,” Demetrius threatened.
Brielle let her hand drop in defeat before issuing a threat of her own, “You will pay for everything you have done to me and my family. I promise you that.”
The Elders laughed before Marcus responded, “Time for your first punishment. Kneel down on the floor and expose that mark on your neck.”
“What for?!” I countered. I did not want them touching Brielle, but I knew she would do anything to save her father.
“To remove that imposter Ultimate Unity tattoo, of course,” he replied, brandishing a scalpel.
Fear and fury pulsed through me as Brielle's emotions and mine mixed inside of me. “You will not touch her!” I screamed as I moved towards them, adamant about protecting my flame. I was thrown back by Anastacia, her eyes white as I was once again pinned to the wall. Fucking Air Elementals! I struggled to get down as Gwenyth and Demetruis grabbed Brielle and forced her to her knees. Everyone in the room knew she could destroy us all with a flick of her wrist, but she let them manhandle her anyway to save her family. She may be selfless, but I'm not. I continued to thrash and scream profanities as Marcus neared her with the scalpel in hand. He grabbed Brielle's hair and yanked it up, exposing her neck and eliciting a yelp of pain from Brielle.
“I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!” I bellowed, but none of them looked in my direction, each focused on their task. Marcus angled the blade, inching it carefully towards the delicate skin on the back of Brielle's neck. He sunk the blade deep in her flesh, causing Brielle to cry out as he dragged it across her skin, making a square incision. I screamed with her, from the combination of her pain and my rage creating a new level of emotion in me that was indescribable. I had never been so infuriated, helpless, and broken at any point in my life. All I could do is watch as they hurt my Brielle, my flame. They removed the square of skin with our mark, leaving a bloody patch of exposed muscle that I could feel throbbing with searing pain through our bond. The Elders released her, letting her fall to the floor like a rag doll. Blood continued to stream from the wound as she pressed on it with her hand, attempting to stop the blood flow. I continued to thrash wildly, desperate to get to her and heal her.
“Don't worry, you're next. I'm so glad that you're eager to do this,” Marcus sarcastically said.
I was dropped to the floor, but still held in place. Marcus approached me and forced my head down to gain access to my neck. I didn't fight, wanting to expedite the process so that I could get to Brielle as soon as possible. He repeated the process on me, digging the blade in my skin and stripping my flesh. I gritted my teeth, not wanting to please them further with my screams of pain. Brielle cried out in agony as she experienced the pain again coupled with the pain still reverberating in her wound. I could see the tears streaming down the sides of her face as she writhed in her blood on the floor, and I begged for them to let me go to her as I yelled, “Please just let me go to her!!”
“You will be taken back to your cell at once,” Anastacia ordered as three more guards entered the cell. The blood dripping steadily down my neck reminded me of my weakening state, but I refused to be taken from Brielle without a fight. I threw up a wall of flame, blocking them from getting to Brielle as I made my way to her. I kept it up as I held the back of her neck, and I began to feel lightheaded, the efforts of everything wearing me down. Brielle sat up as my wall began to falter, but she quickly fueled my fire with hers, keeping it erect. She braced her hand on my neck, and the pain started to subside after a few seconds. The amount of blood on both our necks would hopefully conceal that we healed each other. I didn't want the Elders to find out that piece of information, at least not right away. I directed my attention to Brielle, and I clasped her face in my hands before I pressed my lips to hers, trying to get as much of her as I could before they separated us. I felt her hands grab the back of my head as she slid her tongue in between my parted lips, mirroring my passion by deepening our kiss. Our bliss lasted only momentarily before hands grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me backwards, dragging me away from Brielle. I began to struggle, but Brielle's voice caused me to stop as she pleaded, Don't fight, baby, please. I'll get to you later. I can't stand to see you fight them again.
I can't leave you again! I don't want you to be in any more pain, I argued. I locked eyes with her and my determination crumbled; those warm honey eyes could make me do anything. They glistened with unshed tears, begging me to stop. Reluctantly, I stopped struggling, holding Brielle's gaze as they dragged me away. I love you, I told her right before she was out of my sight.
Until my last heartbeat, she replied.
I was thrown back in my jail cell again, and I wondered how long it would be until morning. I would make them all suffer before we escaped tomorrow.
I stared at the ceiling, jarred awake from my nightmare. I couldn't believe that I still had tears left to cry, but they dripped down my temples onto the dirty cot beneath me. Without Jace there to comfort me, the fear creeping into my bones caused a shudder to tremble through my body. Now I was covered in sweat and my dried blood since those asshats wouldn't let me shower. I didn't know what time it was, but now that I was awake, the pain from my separation from Jace was returning, causing me to clench my eyes shut in an attempt to temper some of the hurt. I imagine this is what a drug addict goes through when they suffer withdrawals because he is the only remedy to this pain. I leaned over the side of the cot just as I began to vomit, which was the worst side effect in my opinion. I hated to throw up, absolutely hated it. My throat burned and the taste left in my mouth was disgusting. I needed to get out of here now.
I opened one eye to survey my guard detail. Six guards for little ol' me, and it still wouldn't be enough. I began to suck the air from the room again in preparation to find Jace. I was pleasantly surprised when this trick worked earlier, and now I would use my silent and invisible attack to my advantage whenever more direct attacks failed.
“She's fucking doing it again!” one of the guards yelled, coughing and gasping for air. They clumsily rushed for the door at once, panic thwarting their escape as they shoved and pushed each other as they all tried to get out of the jail. I smiled as they slumped to the floor, succumbing to unconsciousness as I stood on my wobbly legs. I froze the lock on my cell door before kicking it against the opposite wall and shattering it. I leaned against the wall as more pain enveloped me, seeping in through every pore. I took a deep breath in and let it out several times, willing the pain to subside. God, it was like someone was raking a knife all along my insides and pouring bleach in the fresh wounds. I slowly walked to the door, stepping around the pile of guards in my path. I cracked the door, peering outside to check for more guards. There were none that I could see so I stepped out from behind the door before shutting it behind me.
I crept down the hallway, straining to hear any noise coming from in front of me. Dim light coming through the windows i
nformed me that it must be close to dawn. Most of the guards would be sleeping still. I quickened my pace when the foyer came into view, empty of the guards who were posted there earlier. I ran once I entered the foyer, knowing Jace would be on the other end of the hallway I was now in. I reached the door to his jail, and I gathered my Air since it was the quickest attack method. I shoved the door open with wind, throwing the two guards inside against the back wall, knocking them out. I went to retrieve the keys from one of the guard's pockets, and then I threw both into the cell next to us and slammed the door, trapping them inside.
I rushed to Jace's cell, fumbling with the keys as I hastily tried to unlock his door. I finally opened it, and we both collided as I threw myself into his arms. He pulled me down with him onto his cot, putting my back to the wall. He leaned his forehead against mine before tenderly pressing a kiss to my lips. I closed my eyes and sighed in relief as the pain evaporated from my body, and within seconds, exhaustion set in and sleep consumed me.
I was once again jolted awake, but from a different source. The Elders had thrown me from the cot onto the floor. I didn't see Jace, and I assumed he had been taken out to the courtyard already. I was so tired of their shit, so I flung the four of them back against the cell bars, watching with amusement as they scrambled to get off the floor.
“How dare you?!” Anastacia spat. I chuckled in response, infuriating her more and provoking her to use her Air against me in the same manner, throwing me against the wall. I landed on the cot as pieces of dust and fragments of cinderblock crumbled on me from my impact.
“I'm going to enjoy punishing you in front of the community today. Maybe it will teach you some humility and respect,” Marcus said as he walked over to me. “How's your neck?” he asked as he grabbed the back of my neck. His smug smile disappeared as his expression changed to surprise when I didn't flinch in pain. He grabbed the back of my hair and pushed my head between my legs. I heard him intake a deep breath as the others shuffled over to see my unharmed neck, complete with my tattoo.
“How…” Gwenyth trailed off as she exhaled a shaky breath.
“It does not matter, we will cut it off again in the courtyard to display the lengths of their blasphemy in front of everyone,” Demetrius offered.
Marcus pulled my head back, still clutching my hair as he forced me to stand and walk out of the cell.
“Where's Jace?” I growled.
“He's already prepared in the courtyard. We will begin once we arrive,” Gwenyth answered as she and the two remaining Elders followed Marcus and I. I was led through the hallway into the foyer and out into the day. The sunlight was a welcome sight, reminding me that the time for our escape was near. I was taken down the stairs and into the packed courtyard, my eyes searching for Jace. It didn't take me long to find him—he was shirtless, strung up by his arms on a stage between two large, wooden posts. Four guards were stationed on both sides of him, and two had those strange guns that I had seen in my cell. Once he saw me, he began to yell and flail against his restraints, his desperation to get to me apparent. One of the guards roughly punched Jace in the stomach, causing him to flinch in pain as I clutched at my middle. Panic gripped me as I struggled to free myself from Marcus' grasp, but he pulled my hair tighter as he forced me up the steps of the wooden stage. He shoved me down once we reached the top of the platform and I braced my fall with my forearms. Marcus and the other Elders walked to the middle of the stage, where Marcus addressed the crowd, “Today, we have two Elementals in need of punishment for their blasphemous lies. They mark themselves with the Ultimate Unity symbol, and the female claims to be the One.”
A collective gasp sounded from the audience before they all began to talk at once, causing Marcus to bellow, “SILENCE!!!”
A hush fell over the crowd as Marcus once again began speaking, “The punishment for them both will be to strip them of their self-inflicted markings and twenty lashings each.”
Lashings, really? I guess we were back to the Roman Empire days. Marcus motioned to a guard behind me who grabbed me by the upper arm and hauled me to where the Elders stood, his fingernails digging in my skin as he roughly guided me. Marcus pulled out a sleek knife with a slim, jeweled handle, causing dread to fill me. The pain from last night returned as I remembered every second of their cruel torture. It was one thing to cut me, but to remove the symbol of the bond Jace and I shared—that brought the pain to a deeper level. I was so afraid that it might not reappear, but when it did, I was relieved that it healed back in its rightful place.
Gwenyth held my head down, just as she did last night, with Demetrius bracing my arms in case I tried to flail them around or escape. I could hear Jace fighting against his bonds again as he screamed for the Elders to get away from me. I felt Marcus push the hair away from my neck right before he ripped the blade into my skin, the familiar agony reverberating down my spine. I bit my lip, not wanting to please them by crying out. The coppery tang of my blood assaulted my mouth, which was a welcome distraction since I was desperately trying not to focus on the pain. Tears formed in my eyes as the knife cut through my skin, leaving a searing sting that throbbed and burned intensely. Once he was finished, the lingering pain intensified when he grabbed me by the neck. I inhaled sharply before crying out in agony, causing Jace to buck and thrash more wildly against the chains that held him. The posts holding him began to shake, but the guards braced them, holding them steady.
Marcus turned me to face Jace, who was red with anger. Sweat beaded down his sculpted body as he continued to fight against his restraints. Marcus whispered harshly in my ear, “You are going to watch as we break your beloved. Then, we will rip the mark from his body when he is too weak to even fight us.”
He dug his fingers into my neck, bringing me to my knees as I shrieked in pain. Jace roared in fury before screaming my name and thrashing harder against his chains. Demetrius then positioned himself about ten feet from Jace's back, a whip held in his right hand. Fear strangled the air from my lungs as I anticipated what was going to happen next. I moved to stand, to prevent this torture from happening to Jace, but Marcus clenched his hand tighter, causing my eyes to blur from the intense pain. I blinked the haze from eyes, focusing on the whip that Demetrius now held above his head. He brought it down forcefully, and the resounding clap against Jace's skin echoed through the courtyard. An excruciating pain spread across my back diagonally, and the breath left me as the next one came, almost directly on top of the first. The tears I'd been holding back spilled onto my cheeks as the pain compounded tremendously. I looked up through blurred eyes at Jace's back, the open, bloody slashes shattering my heart. I sobbed his name as another crack of the whip impacted his raw, bleeding back, sending another shockwave of pain across my own. A piercing scream left Jace after several more impacts, the sound so heart-wrenching that it released a raging fury within me. I ignored the pain as I shoved Marcus off with my Air, sending him soaring off the stage and into the crowd. Demetrius continued to whip Jace, unaware of his impending death by my hands. The sky darkened as I began to pull my Elements to me, the intense emotion in me fueling my powers to a higher level. The air whipped and pulsed around me, causing the people in the crowd to run in a panicked frenzy from the courtyard. The guards with the weapons both fired at me, sending a luminescent yellow stream of light. The first shot connected with my leg, sending me down to one knee as the other bullet flew past my right ear. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, numbing me to the impact of the bullet as I lifted the guards up into the air. I twirled them around higher and higher before slamming them down from at least three stories high, each of their bodies landing in a sickening thud on the ground. Blood pooled under their broken forms as I directed my attention to the Elders. Demetrius was frozen in place, whip still in hand, as he stared upon me with fear. I flung the whip from his grasp, and he stumbled as he attempted to rejoin Gwenyth and Anastacia, who held the same stunned, fearful expression as him.
The ground quaked beneath me a
s I stood back up, causing the stage to tremble. Rain poured down ferociously, pelting them with force. I shielded Jace with my Air, forming a protective barrier around him. He was slumped over, his chin resting on his chest with his eyes closed. I hoped he was passed out and unable to feel the radiating pain I felt through our bond. I narrowed my gaze to the three Elders before flinging them into the center of the courtyard with a flick of my hand. They tried to get up and run away, but I cracked a bolt of lightning directly in front of their path, halting their movement. I pooled my Akasha in my hand as I stalked towards them. I stepped over an unconscious Marcus, who seemed to have been trampled by the fleeing crowd judging by the awkward position of his limbs. I cast another lightning bolt by the Elders' feet, and they fell backward in shock, looking up at me with pleading eyes.
Gwenyth held up her hands and released a ball of flame in my direction, which I quickly froze with my ice. It fell to the floor and shattered, tiny shards of ice spraying from the point of impact. Anastacia lifted me with her Air, then threw me back about ten feet, where I landed on the crumbled earth. Roots burst forth from the ground, wrapping around my limbs and pinning me to the dirt.
I heard Demetrius' laughter as he continued to tighten the roots around me, holding me to the ground. The Elders advanced towards me, no doubt thinking that they had bested me based on the smile that they shared. Fire whizzed past me, catching Demetrius in the chest and knocking him back on the ground. The roots loosened due to his lack of attention, and I forced them to release me with my own Earth.
As I stood, I turned and saw Jace haphazardly throwing fire from his position on the stage, arms still tied to the posts. I turned back and directed my attention to Gwenyth and Anastacia, who were trying to extinguish the flames on Demetrius, which had already begun to char his skin. He screamed in agony as the fire spread to his face, Jace's flames leaving him unidentifiable. The two women looked up at me as they both raised their hands, preparing to attack. I sent my ice to capture their hands and legs, leaving them incapacitated as I prepared my own assault.
Envisioned (The Elemental Prophecy) Page 21
