Chapter 55: Chapter 55
Sandy’s POV
I had never regretted meeting Ora. She was like a beacon of light that kept me from drowning in the darkness. I had faith that she would save me from this hellhole that tortured you on so many levels. God knows what kind of magic this cell possessed. It made me re-live all my nightmares again and again and I had quite a few of them.
The nightmares would plague my mind until I couldn’t bear the agony and passed out. The silver chains burned me as I tossed and turned in an attempt to run away. My life had turned into a horror singularity that kept repeating again and again, endlessly. I kept waiting and waiting for how long I don’t know.
Ora did come like a beam of light in the cell. I really thought that she had come to save me. It was only when she pushed me in front of her Grand Magus that I snapped out of my delusion. She wasn’t here to calm me; was here to scorch me.
Even now that she was raining blows on my back, I couldn’t regret crossing paths with her. But that didn’t mean I would submit to the witches without any struggle. I wasn’t going to give the so-called grand magus the satisfaction of hearing me scream.
I clenched my teeth and braced myself for the blows to land on my back. They stung but the pain was bearable. After five strikes the other woman’s words sounded in my ears, “You want to take revenge but you have the heart of a chicken.”
Those words flared the ray of hope in my heart. Ora was probably just angry with me. Once her anger dissipated, I should be able to convince her to let the children go. I didn’t mind dying for making Ora suffer but I had to save Evaan; no matter what.
When the sixth blow landed on my back, I realized that Ora had been holding back most of her strength. This time the silver whip tore through my skin, branding right into my flesh. I managed to stop myself from screaming but I couldn’t stop the blood from spluttering out of my mouth.
Every strike after that was like a lash of hot iron branding into my skin. At the tenth strike, I couldn’t keep myself upright and dropped to the ground. This didn’t make the blows stop. The Grand Magus continued to rain blows with equal intensity.
At some point, my entire body went numb and I couldn’t feel the lashes anymore. They did land on my back but I just couldn’t feel them; probably because I was too bruised.
By the time she stopped hitting me, I was lying like an unmoving corpse. She kicked me causing me turn turn over and land on my back. The movement was so suudent that I couldn’t stop the scream that left my lips.
Her lips lifted in a sneer, “Here I thought you were not going to scream.”
I so wanted to wipe that smirk off her face but I was too weak to even move. She disappeared right in front of my eyes and I was left alone. My eyes drifted in the cell in search of Ora but she had left too. It was such a golden opportunity to escape but I couldn’t even move. I tried to shift to my wolf form but couldn’t because of the silver in my blood.
Grand Magus must have known that. No wonder she didn’t bother to put me in chains. I wondered if what Ora said was true. Could werewolves really die when hit with a silver whip? I was bruised and broken but it didn’t feel like I was going to die.
Hundreds of thoughts kept swirling in my head and I don’t know when but I fell asleep.
I was woken up by a strange warm sensation flowing through me. Its soothing and calm effect made me moan. I twitched my back a little to find that I could move now.
With a sighm I opened my eyes to find Ora kneeling beside me. Her face was blanched and her eyebrows knitted in concentration. She was clasping my hand and there was a soft glow where our hands were linked.
My mind veered to the time, we had spent at the inn. It was difficult to say that she was the same kind and caring person who would risk everything to save unknown children. A strange ache developed at the core of my heart. Had my betrayal affected her so deeply? Was I responsible for this? Clearing my throat, I managed to rasp out, “Why are you doing this?”
Her eyes widened momentarily. However the next moment her face turned into a hardened mask, “I am just making sure that you can’t escape. The spell I have cast on you will keep you from leaving this cave.”
I flexed my arm to find that I could move it without causing myself too much pain. Pressing my right palm against the floor, I propelled myself to a sitting posture. Looking into her eyes, I stated in a chipped voice, “You know I wasn’t referring to that. Why did you track the children down? Why did you hand Evaan over to Valence?”
I paused for a long moment, hoping that she would say something but her lips remained sealed. When she didn’t reply, I continued, “I can understand your anger towards me but Evaan? How could you hand him over to Grand Magus?”
I grasped her hand and looked at her with desperate restlessness; urging her to see reason, “You went to such great lengths to save him. You even wiped out his memories so that he wouldn’t be in danger. Did all that mean nothing at all?
Her lips parted and something flashed in her eyes but she didn’t say anything. She got to her feet and just disappeared. For the next two days, I tried every means possible to get out of the cave but everything was futile.
Slowly the sympathy and understanding I had for Ora was replaced with pure frustration and anger. I started hating her for keeping me here against my will. I hated myself even more: For being weak, for trusting her, for letting her lure me here so easily.