The Shadows That Dwell Within (The Warrior Queens book #1) (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 19 - Adelaide

Adelaide drifted back into consciousness. Images of her failed escape flashed across her mind. She'd failed every Enchanter in this camp. She felt like she had let down the whole race of Enchanters. How many lives had been lost for nothing?

She was so done. She'd had enough. Adelaide threw the blanket off and ran into the door. It was bolted shut as always. In her fury she hadn't cared. Adelaide felt stronger than she had in weeks, perhaps months. Who knows how long she had been down here? Victoria and Rosaline must be going out of their minds. A pang of sadness crept up on her. Did everyone think she was dead? A new surge of fury swept her. Adelaide jumped on the bed and smashed the camera with the heel of her hand. The glass cracked but did not break.

"You can't keep me in here forever" Adelaide shouted. "I don't know where the caveam is. You have the wrong person".

Adelaide waited. And waited. And waited. Finally three guards she did not recognise came bursting the door. Adelaide leaned against the wall opposite the door.

"Finally" she said and then she picked up a shard of broken glass.

"There's no need for violence" the stout one said. "Brenda just wants to talk. We aren't going to hurt you".

"No because you made a promise to Brenda" Adelaide said. "I made no such promise".

And then she put the shard of glass to her throat. The sight of the small trickle of blood was too much for the guards. It sent them whimpering.

"Brenda is going to kill us. Brenda is going to kill us" one of them repeated.

Adelaide shoved past them and ran up the rocky faced tunnel. Perhaps not the best idea she ever thought of. As Adelaide stumbled along the rock, her vision blurred and only thing she could see clearly was her own stupidity.

She didn't even mean to cut that deep. Her wooziness could be due to something else. The lack of food, water, sleep...

Her consciousness came as an uninvited guest. Every moment Adelaide was awake was streaked with pain. Couldn't she enjoy oblivion a little while longer? The failed escape attempts were becoming tedious. Her resilience was cracking and although Adelaide would never admit it - she was struggling. Not just shaking under the weight of stress or the feeling of being smothered. More like she could feel her sanity slipping away – piece by piece. She would not go to the dark place again. That was not an option.

Adelaide rolled off the couch and hit her head off a coffee table. Coffee table? The sound of a door opening made her scramble to her feet. She grabbed a candelabra and swung it over the figure's head.

"Hey" a familiar cried.

The lights flickered on to reveal a shocked Kiyan who was holding a hand to his head.

"Kiyan" Adelaide exclaimed. "What the hell is going on?"

"Keep your voice down. You'll wake Anya" Kiyan whispered.

"Maybe if you wouldn't creep up me like that" Adelaide said. "Why am I even here?"

"Brenda wants you dead" Kiyan said. "That's why the guards came for you. I think she's going to execute you".

Adelaide wanted to burst out laughing. It was so hard to keep a straight face.

"No she isn't. She needs me"

"They've found the caveam" Kiyan said.

Horror washed over Adelaide.

"No. They can't have. That's impossible" Adelaide said.

"Don't you see? If Brenda isn't stopped, the killings will never stop. If my mum got hold of a demon – I don't know what would happen but it wouldn't be pretty".