A Court of Horizon and Shadows

36.

"Stop this! You cannot do this to us! Think of me, of the children! We could die!" A woman screams.

Auriella cannot see her face, but she could hear the plain fear in her voice. She was backing away from someone, a man. He had his arms out, reaching for her. The woman sobbed, unable to get away from him.

The man grabbed the woman's arms, "I need to know. All the others have failed, but if you go in, there is a chance that you and the children could be... extraordinary." The faceless man says, his voice soothing but dangerous.

The woman caresses his face, "You are not you. Please, don't do this to us." She takes one of his hands and places it on her swollen belly, "We have always talked about having a family. If you do this to us, the children might not survive. I may not survive." She persists.

The man looks down at her belly, "But if this does work, our children will be powerful. They will have abilities that will be unmatched. Think of it. They will help us gain Prythian. We will rule together as a family." He tells the woman.

She backs away from him, "Our children are not for your personal gain! They have your blood as well as mine! I will not let you put them in danger!" She yells at him.

The man takes her hands once more, "You think I don't care about your wellbeing as well as theirs? I want this to work, but I also want you alive. If this works, we could be unstoppable. Our children, as well as us, will be the most powerful fae that ever existed."

She shakes her head, "I don't want that. I just want you and our children. How is that not enough for you? We have created a life for ourselves. Do not destroy it because of this. I will never forgive you if something happens to them or to me." She tells him.

The man gently takes her arm, "Then I will just have to live with that. But you will go in, either by your own will or by force. I am not letting this opportunity waste away because of your fear." He says.

The woman fought to stay in her place, but the man was too strong. "Please, stop this madness! Be the man you used to be, the man that I fell in love with! I don't know who you are anymore! You're not the man I married!" She cries.

The man forces the woman up the steps before placing her in front of a contraption that Auriella cannot quite make out. The woman kisses the man, "I loved you. I loved you through all of this. If you do this, you will lose me. You will lose us." She breathes against his lips.

He places his hands on her face, "I am doing this because Prythian is meant to be ruled. This is my chance... you are my chance, along with our children, to make things right. To set things into motion. If I don't rule Prythian, someone else will. But they will be worse than me." The man says.

The woman takes a deep breath, "I hope that this doesn't work. I won't let you destroy our family. I refuse it. Your wickedness will die, along with everything that you built." She steps back from him, walking closer to the unknown contraption, "Prythian will never be yours."

Then she falls back, engulfing herself in the dark liquid of the...

Auriella jolts awake, unable to breathe.

The mattress beneath her was wet with her sweat, her skin prickling with heat. Tears streamed down her face, but she didn't care. She was suffocating once again, feeling as if she couldn't escape.

Warm rough hands took hold of her face, but she cannot see who the person was through her blurred vision. She holds onto them, feeling the scarred hands that once held her. She could feel her shadows tugging tighter around her, trying to comfort her.