Imprisoned

by Donn, KL

  “What do you want from me?” I whisper as we’re standing toe to toe. A purple mist billows up from her feet as she reaches for my chin.

  “Don’t fucking touch her,” I hear Apollo hiss.

  “Silence,” the woman demands, and everything quiets behind me. I can sense movement, people trying to reach for me, but whatever this mist is, it's keeping them at bay.

  Her nails dig into my face as she pulls me up, so I’m standing on my tiptoes, and I can feel when the sharp edges breach my flesh. Blood drips down my cheeks in slow rivulets as she leans forward.

  With her lips a hair away from my own, she whispers to me, “They are your end. I am your beginning.” Confused, I open my mouth to speak, but she’s gone as suddenly as she appeared.

  “Whoa, I’ve got you,” Ares says as my body collapses. Suddenly exhausted, I close my eyes as Apollo opens doors for us, and Ares carries me away.

  I can hear the murmurs as we exit the ballroom. What happened will spread like wildfire before morning. Fear will become the people’s constant companion, once again.

  “What did she mean?” I breathe out. Cryptic as her words were, I can’t help but believe them. For months, I’ve felt that something has been wrong with our country, and it is directly affected by her, but I had no clue why.

  Now, I think I might understand more.

  It’s me.

  I’m the poison.

  The reason Graeline is missing so many young girls and children.

  “What did she say to you?” Apollo asks as we stop in the hallway outside of their quarters. I can feel his and Ares' intense stares lasering into me.

  “They are your end. I am your beginning.” I repeat what she spoke and quiver as the words rush through me. “What could that mean?” I murmur again.

  “It was the dark mage. She’s come to collect on her dues.” I hear Callista’s soft voice from the shadows.

  “Arianna? Dear, are you okay?” Mother's confused comment breaks through the crowd, surrounding me as she walks up with Papa.

  “Put me down, please.” I stare up at Ares, realizing I still don’t know their real names. Reluctantly doing as I ask, he keeps a hand on my hip to hold me at his side as Apollo’s hands graze along my body, ensuring that the strange woman hasn't hurt me.

  “Callista, what do you mean, the dark mage? Who is she?” I have so many questions, but I sense I may only gain a few answers from these two alone. If I’m granted honesty.

  “Your dreams–”

  “No, Callista.” Papa’s booming voice interrupts her before she can speak more.

  Stunned, I turn to him. His face is ashen, his bright green eyes—so much like my own—are filled with…regret?

  “What, Papa? Who is she?” When I go to take a step towards him, Apollo holds me back. “Let me go,” I hiss at him.

  There’s something in his eyes that I can’t interpret. Looking up to Ares, I see the same expression. Something is going on, and for whatever reason, these men have picked up on it whilst I continue to remain in the dark.

  “Tell me!” I shout. “I deserve to know, more than anybody else.” Ripping my body out of Ares' and Apollo’s hold, I step back from everyone. Kicking my shoes off, I’m ready to leave if I'm not told what’s going on.

  “Darling, please.” Mother holds her hands out for me, tears on the cusp of falling as I back away. I don’t want handholding right now.

  “Answers,” I demand. Turning my head, I look to Callista, contrition is reflecting in her own gaze, and I’m even more confused. “You know. You've known all along, haven't you?”

  I battle back my emotions. Between sadness and rage, I don’t know what to feel for my only friend in the world. I trusted her. I shared with her my fears and secrets, and now, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at her again.

  Spinning on my heel, I head up the stairs to my tower. My prison. My hell.

  Asher

  “Someone better start fucking talking.” Watching as Arianna stomps up the stairs to her room, I can feel her distress. Which is a really lame way of saying she feels betrayed by the only people in her life that she could trust. They've let her down in the most profound way.

  “Now!” Ares shouts as we stare at her father.

  His head hangs with shame before he finally speaks. “Arianna was a miracle baby. We should never have had her.”

  “Stefan,” the queen cries as she grips his arm.

  “It’s alright, love.” Wrapping an arm around the woman he loves, he gains the courage to speak with more confidence. “We lost hope after so many failed pregnancies. I grew desperate. The only thing Leah ever wanted was to have a child. I sought the dark mage in the Catalina Valley. I begged, pleaded, and finally bargained for Leah to become pregnant.” The couple shares a look of sorrow.

  “What did you bargain for?” I growl, already sensing the direction this is about to go.

  “The mages have been in Graeline for as long as our country has existed. I have no idea why they aren’t dispersed throughout the rest of the world; it’s something about the land here, I suppose,” he continues to explain and avoids the answer.

  “Tell them, Your Highness,” Callista whispers from her spot by the stairs. “They have to know in order to protect her.”

  “Protect her? I thought you wanted us to find the traffickers?” Ares questions.

  “We did. Do, still. But I fear my child is right. I thought if we pushed her worries away, life would carry on, and we wouldn’t have to be concerned for her safety.” Stefan shakes his head before finally saying, “For generations, we’ve celebrated births with opulent parties and allowed all the good mages in Graeline to come and provide the children a wish. Happiness, love, laughter, leadership. Positive things. The dark mage wanted to participate as well; she wanted to bestow a wish on Arianna, and I agreed.”

  “But…” I prompt. There’s always a fucking but.

  “Leah never knew of the bargain I struck. I only wanted her to worry about the child. When it came time to invite the mages of the lands, I did not include the dark one. I couldn’t risk her cursing Arianna.” His wife is openly sobbing in his arms now.

  “But she did it anyways,” I observe.

  “Yes, she materialized in the night when the party was over and the castle was at rest. She cursed Arianna with finding and losing love on her eighteenth birthday. For months now, my daughter has been having nightmares of that night and another.”

  “Another?”

  “When Arianna was ten, after her birthday celebration in Cherish, darkness surrounded the island, and we were attacked. Entire families slaughtered over the course of the night. If not for Arianna lending me her strength, I couldn’t have stopped it,” Callista explains.

  “Her strength?” Now I’m confused.

  “Yes, the dark magic that was used to impregnate the queen affected the fetus.” Holy shit.

  “Are you saying—”

  “Arianna is a mage. In some senses, anyway. I’ve remained here to keep the darkness at bay in fear that she could ruin not only the kingdom but the world if she was not shown all the goodness our magic can possess.” Motherfucker. Callista’s explanation, Stefan’s revelations, were not something I was prepared to hear.

  Arianna

  My entire life has been a lie. One big deception after another. They pile up quicker than the stones in my tower.

  Darkness surrounds me, and now I recognize that it’s my fault. They've always known, and not once did they bother to warn me. The people who should have loved me the most, above all else, have spent a lifetime spitting untruths at me.

  There has always been this blackness in my soul. A feeling I've had that something isn't quite right, and now, the truth has been unveiled, and I’m unsure of how to react. How do I accept that I’m a product of the dark mage?

  Amidst all my uncertainty is understanding, though. The prevalent nightmares after all this time make sense now. This woman was trying to tell me somethin
g. I was being given clues, and now that I have some answers, maybe it is time for me to leave Graeline.

  I’m not an inherently evil person, and I’d hate for the poison flowing through my bloodstream to be fully activated because I’m here. Perhaps, if I’m in another part of the world, out amongst the rest of humanity, I can suppress it. Stifle it and live in peace.

  Shuffling silently the rest of the way up the stairs, I knew that eavesdropping was the only path to finding out what my parents and Callista were hiding, and I was right. Locking the door behind me, I'll have to wait until everyone is asleep before I can sneak out, and even then, I’m not entirely confident I’ll be able to get past the guards. But I have to try.

  I need space. Time to think. Away from everything that’s happening here and without my family breathing down my neck.

  Ares and Apollo are my only perceived problems because they’re very astute. The way they observe a room, even when distracted, is something the majority of people could not accomplish.

  I’m not sure where I’ll go or how I’ll get there, but as I pack my bags, I hear the sounds of the party below and suffer a moment of regret. If not for me, these people—my people—the ones I’m meant to one day rule, would not have suffered an ounce of agony or lost their loved ones.

  It’s because of me that darkness has been brought to our land, and it’s time for me to put an end to it. Leaving is the only option, even if it hurts my very being. I’ll gladly endure a thousand forms of torture if it means they never hurt again.

  Zipping up my bag, I place it on my bed and walk to the window overlooking Cherish and the land beyond. Sitting on the sill, I take in everything my eyes allow. Needing to memorize every piece of scenery before I leave because who knows if I’ll be back again.

  I’ve wanted to travel the world my entire life. The farthest I’ve ever been is Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Simply because of their proximity. And even that was many years ago. I loved learning of our similar yet vastly different cultures and customs.

  As the sun completes its descent across the sky, I know people will begin to return home for the night. Close their curtains and shut off their lights. Guard change begins in one hour, and that’s when I’m most likely to gain my freedom from Graeline.

  Beginning my life anew, somewhere else, where I am not a princess, a dark mage, or even a blip on anyone’s radar is terrifying. I know deep in my heart, though, that I have to do this. I have to find my footing once again.

  I’m no longer Princess Arianna of Graeline. I will have to transform into someone entirely different. Learn a new way of life, new rules in a world I can’t begin to comprehend.

  This is my time to find myself. My only doubt, now, is if the dark magic will follow me. And if it does, am I going to be forced to surrender my will to its control?

  4

  Asher

  Staring at Ares across from me, neither of us has said a word in over an hour. Not since learning of Arianna’s enigmatic past, and the possibility of an even more ominous future. The connection we both feel towards her is so strong that neither of us can resist, and until that bomb was dropped, I didn’t think either of us were going to even try.

  Now, I’m not so sure.

  “What are we doing here?” Ares waves a hand between us. I know he doesn’t mean on Graeline.

  “It doesn’t make sense,” I say. Sharing a woman had never been in the cards for me. Being so completely drawn to a woman I hardly know wasn't ideal either. Hell, I'd never even thought of myself as the settling down kind of man.

  Ares stands and saunters to the window before he speaks again. “Are we here to just do the job, or are we going to pursue her?”

  “What do you want, Ares?”

  Silence is my answer as he gazes off into the distance. “I want to go back to before I was incarcerated, when life made fucking sense.” Sitting back in my seat, I let him continue. “I’m fucked up, man. Like you’d never believe.” I’m not surprised about that. A man doesn’t get accused and convicted of war crimes and not pay a price.

  “You might be different, but you still have some of Matthew left in you.” He despises anyone calling him that. Except Everett. Doing that job for Task Force 779 eased some of his suffering, and Everett Gaines is directly responsible for it. “When’s the last time you spoke to Evie?” I wonder.

  “Before I came here,” he answers. “Foster’s keeping his ass in line and taking good care of her.” I can hear the relief in the words.

  “Good. She deserves it.” Her father betrayed her in the worst ways, and Foster nearly ruined everything for them. Near-death experiences have a way of waking a person up and realizing that what they have is worth more than any insecurities.

  “She does,” Ares murmurs before turning to look at me. “Arianna is like her. She’s an all or nothing girl. Us pursuing her needs to mean something to both of us.” I nod my agreeance. “You gonna be okay with that?”

  “Sharing her?” His turn to nod. “Yes. There’s no doubt it’s what she wants, but I need to know more about this dark magic that is overwhelming her. I need to know how to handle it.”

  “We need the witch,” Ares muses, and I shake my head. He refuses to call her a mage.

  Before either of us can move, there’s a loud banging on our door. Frowning, I stride to the entrance and open it to a frantic-looking guard. “She ran. There was a struggle in the woods, and now we can’t find her.”

  My blood runs cold. My ears ring, and the heavy pounding of my heart nearly causes me to pass out. “How the fuck did she even get out of the castle?” I shout at the man.

  Enraged beyond belief, I shove him out of the way and vaguely hear Ares making threats behind me as I rush to the den that's just off the front door, knowing they contain video monitors.

  Hawk and her parents are glaring at a screen with unvarnished horror in their eyes. I slowly walk closer, already knowing I’m not going to like what I see. Tears stream down the queen’s face, and when I see what’s happening on the monitor, I understand why.

  Arianna has somehow snuck out the back of the castle, into the woods, and up the mountain, where she’s met by a team of men. Prepared and ready to ambush her, they show no mercy in pistol-whipping her across the face. She falls to the ground, unconscious. Tossing her bag into a shrub, one man picks her up while the others stand lookout.

  “Motherfucker,” Ares hisses beside me.

  “What?” He sounds more than pissed.

  “They work for Judas,” he reveals, and I know that even though she’s been taken now, we’ll get her back much easier because Ares leaves in the morning to go undercover for the reprehensible man.

  “Do you think they know who she is?” Stefan asks, hope in his voice.

  “It’s likely.” I won’t fucking lie to the man. They deserve to know the truth. “You won’t get a ransom call, and if you do, it will only be to throw authorities off their scent.”

  “Why? Why would they do that?” Leah cries into her husband’s chest.

  Sighing, I resign myself to the fact that I’m about to increase their worry ten-fold. “Because they’re human traffickers, and they’ve been taking your people for years.”

  The queen's horrified inhale of breath leaves her pale and fragile as her gaze averts to the screen once again. “You’ll bring her home, won’t you?” The reticent words speak volumes in the large room as I kneel at her feet.

  Clasping her hand between my own, I vow to her, “We’ll have to be dead before we allow them to keep her. Arianna will be home again.” I can only hope to keep that promise.

  One thing that's absolute, though. The only way Arianna isn’t coming home is if Ares and I are both dead.

  Ares

  I’ve been to war.

  I’ve been tortured.

  I’ve spent time in the worst prison on earth.

  I’ve survived them all.

  What I won’t survive is Judas or his men hurting Arianna. I need to infiltrat
e the organization faster. I need to fucking be there now.

  “Nobody else can be in on this,” I tell Apollo as we leave the den where the princess’s parents are attached to the monitors in front of them. Praying their daughter has escaped.

  She hasn't.

  She’s in hell right now, and the only ones who can rescue her are us.

  “I want to talk to the mage. She knows a fuck-ton more than she’s letting on,” he counters. This is why Apollo’s considered the interrogator. He is analytical. No matter how emotionally involved he is in a situation, he's always on the lookout for more. Searching the angles others miss

  I'm the one that brings hell to any fight. I make people pray for Hades to capture their souls before I’m finished with them. This time will be worse. I intend to slaughter each man on that hill. I will make them wish they’d never been born.

  “Callista!” Apollo calls as we enter the main foyer.

  A shadow movement catches my eye at the top of the stairs, and the woman makes her presence known. “Arianna is gone,” I point out.

  “I know.” She sounds sad.

  “What the hell can you tell us?” Apollo demands as we take the stairs two at a time to reach her still form.

  “Nothing. I’m blocked from even visualizing her. It’s as if she was taken from this earth.”

  “What in the fuck does that mean?” I hiss. I think I know, and I’m not going to like it.

  “The dark mage, she plays a part in this,” the woman whispers as her eyes close. “What happened to you both eight years ago?” Her question takes me by surprise.

  “What the hell does that have to do with anything?” Apollo frowns at her question.

  Crossing my arms, I wait for her to answer. “Eight years ago is when this all began. The slaughters, the missing people, Arianna’s nightmares. What happened?” When her eyes pop open again, they’re completely white. Shadows dance within shadows across the small orbs, and I’m questioning my sanity.