Romanowski and Rosemary

16. Hades of Earth

Coretta

"Is my Persephone sleepy?"

My eyes shot open, heart back into beating an erratic rhythm at his sight.

Beyond the prison bars, holding a fire torch amid the dimly lit cellar, stood Nael, looking psychotic as ever.

This time, real fear crept into my bones. After the sudden stoppage of the electric compulsion, I had little strength left in me. Which meant there was no way I could fight him off right now.

"Have you come to finish... what the priest started?" I asked slowly, lowering my head.

"Darling, you saw how that fucking old man wants otherwise." He barked out, hanging the fire torch to unlock my cell. His menacing eyes didn't leave my face for a second as the grin on his face grew wider.

"Who is this mf that I hear Coretta?" Dunkin raged.

Oh no, I completely forgot to disconnect myself...

"And there's no way I can oppose him, either." He walked ahead, slowly, till he stood towering over me. I wanted to back away, press myself the hardest against the prison walls, but I just stared up at him.

'It's that bad priest, Dunkin.'

He tilted his head as he kneeled to my level, watching one of my hands shackled against the wall.

"Coretta, no. Dare if you disconnect right now..." Dunkin's voice was shaking as he spoke, right at the moment I wanted to.

'It will bring unnecessary worry to you, Dunkin.' I gulped when Nael took my face in his hands, staring at the cut below my eyes.

"Ah!" The receding pain intensified when he pressed a thumb over the cut, moving away the herb paste the priestess had applied. My eyes dampened, and I felt blood ooze back from the cut as Nael's figure became blurry before me.

"But I very well have the permission to spend some last moments with you..." he uttered, smearing the blood dripping from my cut onto my cheeks. Until I couldn't differentiate if it was my tears or blood.

"Coretta! Make him unconscious. He must be having the keys to your cellar." Aarmen screamed. "There must be a guard or two around. Try luring one of them and disguise yourself in their outfit. I know damn well you know how to fight an armed guard!"

It was a perfect plan again. But I didn't have an ounce of strength left in my body to execute it. The electric compulsion had drained me severely.

"Coretta! I'm going to Julian. There's no way in hell I'll let him make you a slave. Coretta–"

'No, Dunkin! Please, please, I request you.' Nael's smile grew with my tears. 'You don't know how difficult it was for me to leave Julian. I don't wish to go back.' I hiccuped.

"What do you... want to do... Nael?" I asked, broken.

Aphrodite, if you truly considered me your priestess, you wouldn't let him violate me. You wouldn't...

In this world, I realised that God was the only way when all paths closed.

"You are one pure priestess, Chryseis." He caressed my hair as I tried hard not to shake under his touch. "Do you think I'll decrease your market value by ruining your purity?"

I tried, but I couldn't stop the tears from saturating my eyes.

Never had I felt so helpless that a man in front of me was deciding what to do with me.

He leant closer, making me back further against the wall. "Though I wish I could. But that old man would scream my ears off if I did." he tched.

"Coretta! I'm coming there! Whatever fucking place they've taken you to, I'm coming there! Damn it! Damn, damn God, what is... what is happening..." Dunkin was crying. I could feel actual tears dripping down his face as he broke down on the call. Aarmen couldn't speak either. He mumbled something incoherent but silenced. Clearly knowing he had failed as a leader.