Chapter 85: Chapter 85

Guards had taken Eric’s body to the temple dungeons. As I had spotted them, it wasn’t difficult for me to get there the next day. They spotted me, but no one stopped me from going to him. The confidence the Five had in them was beyond comprehension. Near the main corridor of the jail, a guard opened the heavy door and let me take the corridor of the dungeons. The hallway was huge. From the entrance, we couldn’t see the end of it. I walked forward and discovered in each cell an imprisoned caste, lying on a bed, a drug infusion planted in their neck.

I found Eric ten metres further. I pushed the bars aside using my telekinesis and went inside. Lying down, his face swollen and his body sore, he didn’t seem to suffer from his injuries. I started to feel guilty for wanting to wake him up, but I had too many questions. What was he doing here, for example?! I pulled out the drip and waited. It must have been a good three hours before he showed the first signs of waking up.

“Eric?” I whispered in his ear.

A breath. He moved his fingers and stirred. His consciousness was slowly returning.

“Eric?”

He made a faint sound and started blinking. I lifted my face above him. After a few seconds, his eyes finally opened, and when they met mine, a thin smile appeared on his lips.

“Eric, you gave me such a scare!”

“Eve,” he said, his voice sleepy.

“Yes, it’s me.”

I ran my fingers through his chestnut-blond hair. I dared not touch his face for fear of hurting him further. His bruise on the jaw wasn’t a pretty sight. So, I put my hand on his forehead, and an idea came to me. I closed my eyes and thought “energy”. A start immediately passed through him. I had managed to infuse him to wake up more quickly, despite the overpowering drug.

“Damn, Eric, what the hell are you doing here?”

He wanted to get up, but his arms still couldn’t support his weight. By thought, I levitated his body and put him as gently as possible in a sitting position. The operation was perilous, since a sharp pain in the ribs still tormented him during all the hour which followed.

“I’m completely drugged,” he said, his voice clearer.

“It takes days to pass.”

He looked up and his gaze locked on mine. Lord, how I missed him! Lord, it was good to see him! Even covered with bruises, he retained his charm and his animal presence. The worry of knowing him in this temple gave way to an indescribable joy about finding him again. I wanted to hug him tight. Since I was alone, every day, I have thought of him. He had always been there to help me, he was still there. The question about his presence still remained, however, and many more minutes passed before he finally explained himself.

“I arrived a few days ago, swimming.”

“You’re crazy?! But anyway, I warned you not to follow me under any circumstances. I told Johnny before I surrendered!”

“Because you think I was going to leave you here alone?!”

“Eric, I’m safe. If they wanted to kill me, they would have done it already. You, on the other hand, mean nothing to them. If they want to subjugate me, they can use you now.”

“I’m aware of that,” he said, still determined, “and I’m taking the risk. I’m staying with you.”

His last words touched me with their determination. I lowered my eyes. If he had been able to read me at that moment, he would have been able to see the emotion that his act inspired in me. Selfishly, I was very happy to see him, despite the danger it involved.

“What are we going to do now?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied, “I was able to go around the place and identify the entrances and exits. I think I visited the whole temple.”

“They let you do that?”

“Yes. They’re so certain that it’s impossible to escape from this island that they leave me free to roam here and there.”

“That’s amazing.”

I told him the conversation of the day before and the reasons why I benefited from this treatment.

“They’re not wrong,” Eric snapped, “the castle is in bad shape. From what I heard from Connor when I arrived, Carmichael hasn’t shown up in weeks.”

“How?!” I said, bewildered.

“When you left, he tried to convince everyone to attack the island, but Prisca rose up and reminded him that coming here was your decision, that you knew the risks, and that an unprepared frontal attack was suicide.”

“And she was right.”

“Probably, but for once I was the only one on Carmichael’s side. His position doesn’t allow him to come, but I’m not accountable to anyone, so here I am.”

Footsteps echoed in the corridor, Althea appeared in front of the cell.

“The time for reunions is over,” she said, her gaze eying us with a sort of disagreeable delight, “you’ll see your friend tomorrow. We’re going to dinner soon, and if you put up any resistance, Everliegh, I’ll kill this man.”

I grabbed Eric’s hand and stood up. He hugged it tight, his warmth spreading through my arm. He sensed my turmoil and sent me a knowing look when he let go of his grip. I went out. Althea replaced the bars of his cell by force of her mind, and called a guard to have the infusion reinjected into the prisoner’s skin.

“You seem attached to this man, don’t you?”

I didn’t answer. Now, Eric’s presence was a weakness, and I had to make sure the Five didn’t have to exploit it.

“He’s an acquaintance from the castle,” I finally said.

“Do you have many acquaintances who have this kind of feeling for you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I read him. It’s interesting,” she said, obviously delighted. “How interesting it is to know that your husband, Carmichael, has deserted the castle. No, really, it’s getting better and better, my dear!”

Connor had told her everything. Althea must also have had a list of all the castes in our ranks, and must have been informed of Eric’s importance to me. But it was when we passed the exit from the corridor of the dungeons, that I realised that the noose was closing in on me, my chances of escape drastically dwindling.

All entrances and exits are now monitored by a multitude of guards. The further we went, the more I saw the corridors filled with uniforms. It was clear that the Five didn’t want to take any more risks. At the slightest step outside my room, I was sure to be spotted. The Five would intervene within seconds, and I had no chance of reaching Eric, and running away with him without fighting them alone. I had to find another way.

My fears were confirmed the next day: my suite was now locked. But there was no question of me returning to this forced isolation, and impatient to see Eric again, it was stronger than me, when, after a week, I blew open the door. Outside, many guards tried to hold me back, but I ejected them all with such force that they fell unconscious. I ran down the stairs, but no sooner had I managed to set foot on the ground floor than a gust sent me crashing into an old and imposing clock. It exploded under my weight, as the air quickly escaped from my lungs. I stood up despite the pain in my back, and erected my mental barrier. Their efforts to pierce it forced me to step back. I had to face the facts: at five, they were too strong. I felt their noose tighten around my neck, and realised that I was now at their mercy. My barrier had given up the ghost in the face of so many combined powers. I gasped for breath, the invisible hand clenched, then loosened almost immediately.

“It appears that you thought you could do whatever you wanted in this temple,” declared Priam, a big smile of satisfaction on his lips. “We just want to remind you that you’re our prisoner. However, we’re not that cruel, and we will offer you company. Now you’re going back to your suite and you won’t move until we decide, is that clear?”

I nodded painfully. The pain in my neck was sending jolts of pain, and I headed back to my room massaging the back of my neck. An hour later, the door had been changed, and I found my solitude welcome this time. Events were getting more complicated, and it seemed that running away wasn’t going to be easy after all. My pride had played tricks on me. On this point, I turned out to be no better than the Five, in the end. I realised I was going to need help, a plan. I knew now that Mortain Castle would soon be in danger, just like Eric. I had to go home at all costs. I tried to call my mother and my brother by thought. I had no response. The lock on my door clicked and let in two young women I had never met before. Graceful, elegant and beautiful, they wore long cream coloured dresses under their long loose hair. They greeted me with a simple nod. I imitated them. One was loaded with a bag full of a few men’s pants and shirts, which she then put away in the wardrobe. The other went into the bathroom to drop off some toiletries, and I watched the whole thing with wary eyes. I didn’t have to wait long to find out the intentions of the Five, since, a few hours later, Eric was brought into my room. Althea was two steps in front of him and showed a worrying smile while the surprise was still read on my features.

“This man will stay here by your side,” she said, while a grin distorted her features. “As he’s one of your friends, I agree to leave him with you. Maybe that way you’ll put an end to your desire to escape. Who knows?”

With that, she turned away and left the room. I didn’t have time to reply. I knew Althea didn’t know anything about my desires because, unlike Eric, she couldn’t read me. She only understood that until I knew he was safe, I wouldn’t stop wanting to run away with him. By treating him differently, she knew I would calm down. And indeed, seeing him on my bed that very moment, I couldn’t help but feel relieved to have him by my side. The young maids bent over him. Half-conscious, he allowed himself to be undressed. The redhead went to get some soft pants which she then passed to him, while the blond took off his shirt and covered him with the duvet. They left the place without a word and plunged us into a deep silence. He slept until late the next day.