The Curse of Thorns

CHAPTER EIGHT

Clawed hands pulled Briar deeper into the bone-chilling cold water, each grasp like a vise on her skin. Underwater, it was a world of liquid mist, a thick, swirling fog that obscured her vision. Indistinct silhouettes loomed around her, shadowy figures just out of reach, their forms wavering in the murky depths.

Running out of breath, the princess opened her mouth in a desperate gasp, only to gulp down the freezing water. It was as if icy knives were slicing through her throat. She struggled to break free, but the hands were relentless, iron grips that tightened with each passing second, dragging her further into the abyss. Her legs kicked out blindly, hitting nothing but the cold water.

Briar's lungs were on fire, an unbearable ache swelling in her chest. She opened her mouth again, choking on the water that filled her mouth. Panic surged through her. Hundreds of voices whispered and hissed in her ears. They felt both near and far, echoing in the watery void around her.

"Come with us," the voices whispered.

"We know all the secrets."

"We will show you the future."

"We will not let you die!" they hissed, the word slithering like a serpent through her mind.

The pain in Briar's chest grew more intense with each passing second. She felt as if her lungs were about to burst, the pressure inside her building to an agonizing peak. Desperation clawed at her, and she tried to scream.

"Leave...me!" she shouted, her words distorted and lost in the liquid expanse.

Briar's panic grew, her thoughts spiraling into a dark whirlpool of fear. Was she dying? Was death so excruciating? The thought of never seeing her parents again, of never returning to her kingdom, tore at her heart. She could see their faces, and their smiles, and felt a surge of sorrow and rage.

They would all turn into monsters.

"NO!" Briar screamed, a fierce determination igniting within her. With every ounce of strength, she had left, she yanked her hands and feet, thrashing against the unyielding grip of the claws. For a fleeting moment, the hold on her body weakened, and she propelled herself upwards, kicking furiously through the water.

Just as she was about to break through the surface, the hands returned, stronger and more relentless. They wrapped around her, claws digging into her skin with renewed ferocity. Briar cried out in pain, the sound a muffled echo in the watery depths, as they began to pull her back down.

"We are almost there," the voices cooed, a chilling promise that sent shivers down her spine.

"Let me go!" Briar gasped as she fought against the inescapable pull.

"Trust us," the voices murmured, their tones filled with a sickly sweetness. "You belong with us."

"No," she whimpered, tears mingling with the cold water around her. "I won't let you take me."

But the hands were unyielding, their grip like iron as they dragged her deeper into the darkness. Briar's vision began to blur, her strength waning as the cold seeped into her bones. The voices grew louder, their whispers a cacophony that filled her mind.

Briar's body was giving up. Her head pounded like a drum, and her vision blurred into a swirling mess of colors and shadows. Gradually, she began to lose awareness of her surroundings, succumbing to the cold, suffocating darkness that enveloped her.

Suddenly, a force yanked her away from the grip of the reflections. She felt herself being dragged out of the river, their ghostly hands clawing and screaming to pull her back into the watery depths. The cacophony of their furious hissing filled her ears. Finally, her back collided with the solid ground.