A Court of Horizon and Shadows

61.

The Daughter of Dawn screamed as her back seared against the Cauldron.

Her wrists were chained to the concrete, along with her legs. She felt the sweat run down her forehead, her body racked with exhaustion. She couldn't think straight, feeling as if she might pass out at any moment.

The guard removed his foot from her chest, letting her have a moment to breathe before he forced her back again.

Auriella breathed in the night air, feeling the rain on her skin. The Being's creations had done a number to her in Under the Mountain before they winnowed her to the top, wanting her weak and prepared for when their mistress came.

She felt the blood trickle down her forehead, dripping onto her dirty attire. Her entire body ached, still feeling the remnants of the punishments that the creations had given her. She was tired, bloody, and in so much pain.

All she wanted to do was close her eyes and wake up from the nightmare.

On the other side of the Cauldron, Damian's screams echoed through the air. Auriella could hear his chains rattling, knowing that he was trying to force his way out. But the more he struggled, the more the creations kept torturing him. But after pleading with him numerous times to stop, he finally did, letting him have a moment to rest from the pain.

Auriella looked over to the cliffside, where the human form of the Cauldron stood, overlooking Prythian from the high point. Her pale hands were behind her back, unmoving. It was as if she was taking in the continent, wondering about what was to happen.

But after a moment, she snapped her fingers, making the creations still.

Without turning to them, she said, "I'm curious as to what The Being has planned for the both of you. As I understand now, she is currently heading back from the Night Court. I wonder how everything will play out. As I can see, she still doesn't know the entire truth." She says.

Damian scoffs, "I'm surprised you haven't told her. We thought that you would have exposed the truth, given that you created the three of us. You gave her a power that shouldn't even exist anymore, and yet, she wields it. So why didn't you tell her who the real Children of Day and Night are?" He asks her.

The Cauldron grins, "It's a simple answer. I take no sides. I don't care about the good or bad because you are all the same in my eyes. All of you are hungry for something, whether it's power, greed, or greatness, every single one of you thinks the same in the end. The Being is no better. She wants power and control; to get revenge on all who wronged her."

She continues, "In a way, she is still the human she once was, filled with anger and resentment for those who neglected to see her pain. Even when she was visibly suffering, no one had thought to ask, thought to care. Instead, she protected the purity that had grown up beside her, protected it so that no one could wither the flower, or hurt it as they did her."

"And when they were suddenly taken to me, forced into my Cauldron, what I saw..." She trails off as if the memory had taken everything to remember.

"I knew where Dathomir's power had to be. It could have been either of you, but I chose for the both of you to have a greater purpose. As the protectors of the Children of Day and Night, you both had the task to do exactly that. Protect. Nothing more. And now, the pieces are falling into place, but The Being has mixed them up. It is her task to figure out the truth. She will have no help from me." The human Cauldron says.

Before Auriella could ask anything, she spotted six of the sisterhood members in the sky, carrying Elain.

They all landed on the top of the mountain, gently letting go of Elain. The girl was crying, taking in the destruction that erupted throughout all of the courts.