*Daphne*
I tried not to worry too much even though Rion was away chasing yet another lead toward Varge, but I couldn’t help but be anxious. The nightti was a funny thing. It was a ti of stillness when most of the world’s occupants were tucked away in their beds.
It was ant to be a peaceful ti, but it was also when monsters and villains were often milling about, thirsting for the blood of their prey.
I was never one for scary stories, but my older sisters enjoyed them and often gathered late at night when we were girls to tell them around a single flickering candle.
I couldn’t explain it, but this night had thinking about those horror stories that my sisters had murmured to . I debated whether to go to bed or wait for Rion to co ho, though he warned that it was possible he wouldn’t return until just before dawn. The latest lead was several hours away on foot.
After tucking the children in for the night, the still, dark house left feeling uneasy.
I decided to stay up for several hours, reading and trying to calm my worried mind. Eventually, the stress of recent events and anxieties overtook my body, and I felt heavy with exhaustion. I dragged myself to bed and miraculously, I was asleep in seconds.
It seed like only seconds later when my eyes shot open, and I felt sothing on my face. When I tried to move it away, sothing pressed it down harder. It was a wet rag, and the substance stung my eyes imdiately.
I gasped as I was grabbed roughly.
My heart nearly stopped as I recognized the scent... chloroform.
I thrashed wildly against my attacker, but my attempts were feeble as the chemical quickly caused my head to spin. Within seconds, the sickly sweet fus dragged back into darkness.
***
When I awoke next, my head was spinning, and my entire body ached. I blinked, struggling to even open my eyes as I took in my surroundings. The first thing I noticed was that there was a sharp pain in my wrists and ankles.
I flexed those areas, causing the pain to increase and a whimper to escape my lips.
There were tal chains around my limbs, holding in place. I was on a dirty, rocky floor. I lifted my head slightly, realizing that I was in so kind of cave. Torches illuminated the area enough for to make out strange runes carved into the stony walls. I squinted, but the patterns just looked like a bunch of swirls and random geotric shapes.
I rolled onto my side with difficulty, causing my limbs to cry out, but I ignored them and settled onto my side and ca face to face with Eva. She was chained up just as I was and was lying still, cuts and bruises covering her face and limbs.
“Eva!” I cried out, trying to wiggle toward her but unable to move my body enough to get any closer. “Eva, wake up!”
Panic filled when my sister-in-law remained motionless, not even stirring slightly as I basically scread in her ear. Tears filled my eyes, and I lifted my head as much as I could and yelled out for help, calling out to anyone. In my desperation, I cried out for Rion, praying to the Goddess that he would hear and co save us.
Only silence answered , even in the mind-link.
My voice beca hoarse from probably hours of screaming and I finally gave up, dropping my head and just praying continuously that my children were sohow safe. I prayed that they were with Rion and that he was protecting them.
It was impossible to tell how much ti passed in the torch-lit cave. I lost track of Eva’s ragged breaths, and the number of tis my own racing heart pounded against my eardrums.
My breath caught in my throat when heavy footsteps approached. I did my best to relax my body, trying to make it appear that I was unconscious and hoping they hadn’t heard screaming.
I tilted my head but kept one eye just barely open so I could watch fearfully as our captors entered the space.
Figures in dark robes entered. They looked like frightening shadows, but they were loud and terrifying as they tore through the silence that I was just starting to grow accustod to. The largest shadow stood in the middle and was the only figure that had their hood drawn up, concealing their face.
One of the shadows approached the leader. “Both the vessel and sacrifice have been prepared as ordered, My Lord.”
I could barely suppress a shiver as I recognized the insignia on the figures’ robes—the symbol of Hestia’s extinguished order.
My breathing quickened and I tensed against my binds and prayed to the Goddess for a way out of this terrible nightmare. Unfortunately, I was in too much pain to trick myself into believing that this was all just a horrific dream.
I felt my eyes pop open when the leader threw his hood back to reveal a scarred face that made my blood run cold. I’d had a bad feeling deep in my core even before he revealed himself, but I still had to stifle a shocked shriek when Varge’s face caught the light from the torches.
This ti I did shudder when Varge’s icy blue eyes narrowed as they examined Eva and with an appraising gaze. “Excellent. Bring the sacrifice to ,” he rasped.
There was no point in pretending I was asleep any longer as a couple of masked warriors strode toward and grabbed roughly before dragging over to Varge. I struggled against them, gasping out in pain when they threw down at his feet.
I hated that I was shivering with fear, but I couldn’t help it. I willed myself to be strong, not wanting to show weakness in front of the monster who had threatened my family over and over.
I gritted my teeth hard to keep from crying out when Varge grabbed the front of my nightgown roughly and hauled up so that we were eye-to-eye.
“Daphne Stormfall,” he greeted , grinning to reveal pointed teeth that had my blood freezing over. “I bet you thought that I was out of your lives for good, didn’t you?”
I didn’t answer, narrowing my eyes at him in a glare that I hoped would intimidate him just a little bit.
The spots where his eyebrows should have been wrinkled and rose up slightly, and then he let out a maniacal laugh, the vibrations from the sound rattling my bones. “No matter. What’s important now is that you are finally here to help us usher in a new age for our kind.”
I swallowed hard, my eyes widening. “What do you an?” I asked, amazed when my voice didn’t tremble.
Varge sighed dramatically as if he had been forced to babysit a child who asked too many questions. “Your blood, Daphne Stormfall, which I’m sure as a Crimson daughter holds great power, will be used to fuel the resurrection of dear Hestia.”
My eyes widened and I shook my head hard. “No,” I practically whimpered.
I feared he would be mad by my refusal, but he just looked amused. He tightened his grip on the front of my dress. “Yes, my dear. And Eva Stormfall’s body will naturally serve as the goddess’ host. With the two of your abilities combined, I have no doubt that Hestia will return to us stronger than ever.”
Nausea rolled in my stomach, making dizzy as I was forced to digest Varge’s disturbing plan.
“Hestia won’t return because I refuse to cooperate,” I spat finally, fear dissipating very suddenly and making way for disgust and anger to surface.
Varge didn’t even have ti to react to my decree. I fought him wildly, struggling as hard as I could, kicking my bound legs and ignoring the imdiate pain that jolted through my limbs as I tried to use my feeble strength to break free of the chains.
“Oh, my dear Crimson daughter,” Varge cooed in a wicked voice. “You needn’t fret. I simply do not require your cooperation to carry out this sacrificial ritual. However, since you do seem to need so kind of motivation, rest assured that your husband and the Beta will no doubt co looking for you. And when they arrive, I’ll see to it that they receive the slow, painful death that they’ve been asking for.”
“No!” I shrieked, struggling even harder against my restraints.
Tears started to fill my eyes, but I swallowed them back and glared hatefully at the monster holding onto .
I knew deep down that I didn’t stand a chance against Varge. He was too powerful, and he had all chained up and at his rcy, but I was a Crimson daughter. If I was going to go down, I was going to go down fighting.
And I was going to take any chance I had to save Eva and myself from this awful fate and reunite with Rion and my children.
Varge just tightened his hold on , but he made no move to stop my struggles. He stared at as if I was so rat in his lab experint, as though he was almost curious to see what I was going to do next.
It just made angrier that I wasn’t even the least bit frightening to him. With a frustrated cry, I swung my legs out as hard as I could. I did no damage to the monster like I’d wanted to.
All I managed to do was kick my legs up so high that one of my feet brushed Varge’s wrist. In that one instant, distorted images from Varge’s mory flashed in my mind like fireworks filling the sky over the course of a single second.
It was the longest second of my life as my mind was attacked with a sprawling coastal territory blanketed in perpetual darkness. The sky was hazy and black with packs of starving wolf-beasts roaming the blighted lands.
Their bodies were twisted and sick, their fur matted and pale in color. Violent battles raged in Varge’s mory, the sky filled with the cries of those hanging from the claws of demonic creatures.
Most horrifying of all to was the dark mory of baby Rion and Eva being held down as agonizing blood rituals were perford on them by faceless, robed figures.
I recoiled in shock from the visions as I was dumped back into the present mont. Varge was still holding onto the front of my dress, leaving suspended in the air. His face was expressionless now, his icy gaze boring into mine with new interest.
I felt my whole body freeze as I waited for him to realize what had happened, but he didn’t speak. One corner of his mouth quirked before he tossed back down beside Eva’s still form.
“Let us begin preparations for the sacrificial rite,” he announced loudly to his followers, who moved as one to obey him, taking off in different directions.
My whole body ached as I struggled to move. Fear gripped as the robed figures moved like shadows around Eva and . Helplessness threatened to suffocate , and I squeezed my eyes shut, once again willing for it to all be so horrifying dream.
I tried not to cry, screaming inside for Rion, praying that he would find us and save us from this cruel fate.
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