Aftermath_The Armorian Chronicles

by Courtney Beals

  “I keep telling myself that I’m going to save them, but I’m not sure that I can,” said Lyla. “I don’t know if I can be brave enough.”

  “Bravery comes to those who are most terrified. There is no way you will fail with the love that you have for Lilly and your grandfather. You will save them, and I will be here for you every step of the way.”

  Lyla closed her eyes listening to Thomas’s comforting voice, and in just a matter of minutes, she fell asleep.

  Chapter 19

  Lilly woke in a dark room. She lay there for a moment, trying to remember what had happened. She remembered the argument with Lyla, and the irresistible light that had led her to the ambush of Demorites. After they put the bag over her head, she’d blacked out.

  A single torch was lit and was hanging outside the door. The door had bars on top of it, allowing very little light to come in. She could not see much of the room, so she felt around, and realized the entire room was made of stone. She was in a dungeon. She had nowhere to lie except the floor, which was very hard and cold.

  She pulled her legs close and rested her head on her knees. She had no idea what to do. She was trying to think of an escape, but she would not be able to pry the doors open, and even if she could, she had no idea where to go. She would be stopped for sure before she made it to the entrance. If Lyla were here she would think of something.

  Her head shot up. That’s it. She would communicate with her sister through their telepathic powers. Her hand reached for her neck and gave out a sigh of relief. Her necklace was still there. Without it, her plan would not work. She closed her eyes and tried to reach into her sister’s mind as they had done many times before.

  An hour had passed and she heard nothing. Was she too far away? Did her sister not have her necklace on? Was she sleeping? Lyla never wore her necklace when she went to bed. What time was it? Lilly had no window to the outside world to see what time of day it was. She had to keep trying. After all, she had nothing better to do.

  It had been two days since she woke up in the dark dungeon, and she had not seen anyone since. No one had brought her food or water, and despite the extra strength from her crystal, she felt herself growing weak. She had not seen her grandfather and was beginning to wonder if he was alive or not. She pushed the negative thoughts out of her head. He was alive, and Lyla would save them both. They would make it through this. In the end, Damien would be sorry for everything.

  She spent her time trying to levitate tiny pebbles and the ring her sister had given her, but she had not progressed in her ability. They would barely rise off the ground before she acquired a massive headache. She continued trying to communicate with her sister, but she had no luck.

  She felt like she had been in her prison for years. The silence was driving her mad. Every now and then she thought she heard voices, but it was all in her head.

  Lilly. She thought she heard someone say her name, but she had to be imagining it. Lilly. She heard it again. Lilly. The voice grew louder.

  “Is someone there?” she asked.

  “It’s me, Lyla.” Lilly got up and looked out the bars of the door, but she saw no one. “I’ve been trying to communicate with you for days.”

  “You mean it’s working? Our telepathy?”

  “Yes, where are you? Is Papa with you?”

  “I have not seen him. I have not seen anyone since I woke up in this miserable place. I’m in some sort of dungeon most likely in Damien’s castle.”

  “I’m going to do everything I can to get you out of there.”

  Lilly heard footsteps coming from down the hall.

  “Lil?”

  “Someone is coming. Stay with me.”

  Lilly pressed herself into a corner as a Demorite unlocked the door and walked in. He did not say a word as he tightly grabbed her arms and tied her hands behind her back. Before they left, he put a blindfold over her eyes.

  “Lil, what is happening?” Lyla asked.

  “I’m not sure, I can’t see. He is taking me somewhere.”

  Lilly tried to memorize which directions they turned so she could remember how to get out when she escaped, if she escaped. She pulled tightly at the rope that bound her hands, but it was only digging into her skin.

  They finally came to a door and she was pushed in by the Demorite, who closed the door behind them.

  “Lyla, I’m scared.”

  “Don’t be. I’m here, just stay with me. Don’t forget what Papa said.”

  Be strong. Be confident. Be fearless

  The Demorite pulled the blindfold away from her eyes and she stood in a large room. It had a long roll of carpet leading up to a large black chair that had the shape of skulls lining the outer edge. A raven was perched on the arm and was staring right at her. The room was all concrete like the dungeon they kept her in, but this place at least had windows and more torches mounted on the walls.

  A man had come up in front of her. With his youthful appearance he didn’t seem to be much older than her, but Lilly knew better. He had shoulder-length coal-black hair and pale white skin. For some reason, he gave her a chill that went right into her bones. He wore the most unpleasant smile on his face.

  “Welcome to my palace. I am Damien. I’m sure your sister has told you all about me.”

  “If you mean how evil you are then, yes, I have heard everything there is to know about you.” The Demorite that was standing next to her hit her in the stomach and she fell to the floor. She could not catch herself because her hands were still bound. This didn’t seem to bother Damien at all. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

  She managed to stand back on her feet.

  “You are my prisoner and will do as I say. You will not back talk or make smart comments or I will have my guards punish you as I see fit. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Crystal,” Lilly said.

  “Now you can start by handing me your necklace.”

  The Demorite cut her binds. Lilly paused. She knew if she gave it to him she would not be able to communicate with her sister. This was their lifeline.

  “Lilly, what’s happening?”

  “Damien wants to take my necklace.”

  “You can’t let him do that!”

  “I don’t have a choice. He will take it even if I don’t give it to him. I’m sorry, Lyla.”

  “Lil, I will come for you.”

  At that moment, Lilly pulled it from her neck and handed it to Damien.

  “Good girl,” he said. “Take her back to her cell. I am done with her for now.”

  The guard retied her hands and blindfolded her once more. He cut the tie on her hands when they reached her cell door and pushed her in, laughing as she fell to the ground. She rubbed her hands along her wrists, which were red and partially bleeding.

  The next day they finally brought her a piece of bread and a small cup of water. The bread was stale, but at this point she would eat anything. The water tasted great, but it wasn’t nearly enough. She hoped they would bring her more food soon, but she did not count on it. Her stomach was constantly growling, and her mouth was so dry it would no longer produce saliva.

  Hours had passed, and she heard footsteps once more. She perked up thinking they were actually bringing her food again, but no. They were escorting someone into the cell beside her. Had they captured another person?

  As the guard left, she walked over to her door.

  “Hello?” No response. “Hello? My name is Lilly. What’s yours?”

  She heard scuffling sounds before she heard the man respond.

  “Lilly? My little Lilly Pad, is that you?”

  “Papa?”

  “I’m so sorry I got you into this mess,” he said.

  “Papa, you didn’t. It’s not your fault.”

  “Yes, it is. They made me create that ‘Bird of Light.’ They knew you would follow it and get captured. I’m so sorry.”

  Lilly’s heart was broken. He had created that thing, that beautiful thing that aided in her cap
ture. It wasn’t his fault. They had forced him to do it and he had no other choice. If he hadn’t done what they told him he would be dead, and she didn’t want that.

  “They made you do it. You had no other choice.”

  She could hear him sobbing, and all she wanted to do was hold him like he did for her when she came home hurt or scared. She wanted to comfort him.

  “Your grandmother…is she...”

  Lilly waited a long moment before responding. “I’m sorry, Papa. She…she didn’t make it.”

  His sobbing grew louder. He had no idea what had become of her. He had hoped that she had somehow miraculously made it. She had just told him the worst news of his life, apart from the death of his daughter many years ago. She let him grieve without bothering him in any way.

  Days had passed before he finally spoke again. She was sitting with her back against the wall, massaging her toes, trying to warm them.

  “We were on our way to the next town over to find more supplies like we had talked about. Before we made it, they ambushed our carriage. They pulled me to the ground and bound my hands. The last thing I saw before they put a bag over my head was one of them entering the carriage where your grandmother was. She had not been feeling well, so she’d gone in the carriage to lie down. I didn’t know what had become of her, but I hoped she had survived.”

  “Lyla and I went after you when you did not make it back. We found her in the carriage, and buried her by our mother.”

  She didn’t want to tell him of the gruesome details, so she tried to avoid it if at all possible. She didn’t want to remember that night when they found her lying dead in the carriage, or the way they had to bury her. They had never had to bury anyone they loved before, and it was one of the most difficult things she had ever done.

  “The next morning our father showed up at the door.”

  “That is impossible. He is dead. He was in a car accident.”

  “We thought the same thing, but he told us everything.”

  Lilly explained everything they had done since they last saw him. She told him of Armoria and the reason her mother made her father leave. She told him that they were witches and how she could communicate with Lyla through their minds.

  He didn’t respond for several minutes. Lilly knew this all sounded crazy to him.

  “I knew something wasn’t right about that evil man always ordering me about. There’s something about his presence that doesn’t feel quite right. Like an evil lurking in the shadows. I hope your sister comes prepared. She has no idea how powerful Damien really is. I have seen what he is capable of.”

  “She is wise,” said Lilly. “I know she can defeat him.”

  The night had passed much quicker than any other night, since she had her grandfather to talk to. She woke up to the sound of her door being opened. A Demorite pulled her through the castle with the same procedure. Hands bound, blindfold on. She figured this would happen every time they came for her.

  She was not led back to the same place as before, but of course Damien was waiting for her when they arrived. She was outside of the castle, and buildings were all around them. They were covered in vines and leaves just like any other place. What once were streets and sidewalks now had weeds pushing their way up through the cracks. Was he going to let her go? She hated herself for thinking that. Of course he wouldn’t let her go.

  “How delightful to see you again,” Damien said.

  I wish I could say the same.

  She didn’t say it aloud, but she wanted to. Instead, she remained silent.

  “I have decided to make you more useful to me. Every day you will work. Some days doing the same tasks, other days doing different tasks. Whatever I would like you to do for the day.” He began walking around the side of the castle. The Demorite pushed her to follow. She wished he wouldn’t push her so much. She was getting very irritated.

  “Today, you will work over here where you will move stones from one place to another. I hate this terrain with weeds and grass,” he said in disgust. “The primary goal is to make this a region full of rock and stone. Just like my palace in Dresden. You will stack the stone until you can no longer see the dirt underneath.”

  There was a building made of concrete stone that had fallen to the ground surrounded by people that were doing various tasks. She had not seen so many in one place before, not on earth anyway. They must have been captured during the invasion and forced to work for Damien. Where was he keeping them all?

  “You will get one break. Bread and water will be provided during this time, and you will work until sundown.” He began to walk away, and turned back to her. “Oh, and Lilly. Should you try to escape, my guards have permission to do as they please. I trust you’ll keep that in mind.” He smiled, turned away, and walked back into the castle.

  She shot him an ungrateful look and turned away before the guard noticed.

  As Lilly walked over to the pile of rubble, she noticed an abundant amount of guards. They were around every corner and at any place that someone would think to escape. Most of the people that were working were using various tools to break down the larger pieces of stone from the building. This would be the most time-consuming job. Other people, such as herself, were carrying the stones to the designated areas. She noticed other people pulling weeds and cutting down vines.

  Her break could not have come soon enough. The air was dry and hot. She could feel the sun burning her shoulders. She slowly drank her water, hoping it would last longer, but her bread was gone in minutes. She was slowly starving.

  A young girl approached her. She had long black hair and tan skin.

  “Hi, I’m Akina.

  “I’m Lilly. Nice to meet you.”

  “The first day is the hardest,” she said.

  “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” Lilly didn’t mean to sound aggravated, but she did.

  “I’ll leave you alone if you want. It gets pretty lonely though.”

  “No, I’m sorry,” said Lily. “I’m just exhausted. How long have you been here?”

  “Fifteen years.”

  Lilly couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Fifteen years this girl had been here working for Damien.

  “So, you must have been really young when they brought you here.”

  “Yes, I was five years old when they captured me and my family.”

  Lyla didn’t ask about her family. Were they around working somewhere? Had they died? She did not want to risk bringing up sad memories for the girl if they really had died.

  “They escaped,” Akina said as if she could read Lilly’s thoughts. “They will come back for me, for all of us I hope.”

  “Really?” That was the best news Lilly heard in days. “How long ago was that?”

  “Fifteen years,” she said as if it were only a day. “But I still have hope. One does not give up on family.”

  This made Lilly think of Lyla. They had always been there for each other through thick and thin. She had no doubt that Lyla would come for her. They were best friends, and without one another they felt empty, like a piece of them was missing. She missed her laugh and her smile. She even missed her stubbornness. She felt so alone and longed for her presence.

  Break was over and Akina had gone back to her designated area.

  The rest of the day went by slowly. With her malnutrition and the hot sun hovering over her, she felt like she would pass out at any minute, but she would not give Damien the satisfaction. She pushed through and felt relieved when she was back in her cell. The cool floors and walls helped her red skin cool off. She knew the next day would not be easy, because every muscle in her body would ache.

  Two weeks had passed, and she was once again shoved into her cell at the end of the day. She had been in the weapons room sharpening blades. She didn’t think it was wise for them to leave her in the armory because she quickly learned they were Armorian blades and they could be killed by these weapons. At least she was not outside in the blistering sun, although
it had cooled off the past few days. It was the middle of August and the air was getting colder. She was beginning to know her way around the castle even though she had always had a blindfold over her eyes. She was fairly confident she could make it from her cell to the weapons room on her own.

  She couldn’t wait for Lyla to rescue them. She wished she would hurry, but she had no idea what they were doing. Had they found the items Damien wanted so badly? What were they? Were they close? Were they in the castle making their way to them at that very moment? She hated not knowing, and she wished Damien had not taken her necklace. Why did he want it anyway?

  She heard footsteps coming down the hall. Hopefully, they were not coming for her again. As they got closer, she realized there were multiple footsteps. She stood up and ran for the door. Was it Lyla and the rest of them? Were they finally there to rescue her? Was it her grandfather being escorted back to his cell?

  They still had him inventing new things for them. In his opinion, it was nothing to worry about, but Lilly was still concerned. Maybe his inventions were more dangerous than he thought.

  Her excitement withered away when she realized it was a Demorite escorting a man and a woman to the cell across from hers. She waited until the Demorite was long gone until she spoke.

  “Hello?”

  The man and woman appeared in the doorway, but Lilly could barely see their faces. “Hello?”

  “My name is Lilly. What are your names?”

  “My name is Daniel Tucker,” said the man. “This is my wife, Anita Tucker.”

  “Did you say Tucker?”

  “Yes, why do you ask?”

  “Are you Armorians?” she said ignoring his question.

  The man hesitated before answering.

  “Yes, and you must be as well, seeing that you know about Armoria. I don’t understand why you are asking this.”

  Lilly didn’t acknowledge her being an Armorian as well.

  “I know your son. You’re Thomas’s parents.”

  Chapter 20

  They had been staying at her grandparents’ house for three weeks with no clue as to what they were searching for. Lyla’s dreams had not changed to suggest any hiding place where it could be, and they had searched through everything. Drawers, under rugs, in the barn, and even her grandfather’s office of inventions. Nothing they found seemed to be anything that Damien was looking for, or maybe they had found it and just did not know it yet. Without knowing exactly what he was after, they would never know. They decided all they could do was wait for one of Lyla’s dreams to give them a clue.