The Cursed Kingdom

FORTY-THREE

~ THE INEVITABLE ~

You disgust me.

I'm so sorry.

I winced as a familiar, sharp pain travelled from the outside of my ankle and up my calf, reminding me of how the said joint had awkwardly rolled to the side not too long ago. The echoes of my harsh breathing grew louder in my ears the longer and harder I forced my legs to keep moving in a pathetic jog-like motion, no matter how many times my injured limb begged me to stop. But nothing could compare to the agony in my heart, the organ feeling so broken that I was surprised it was still beating.

Raena, I want to go home!

I released a shuddering breath as I wiped away more tears and gritted my teeth together to keep the sobs from moving past my lips.

We all knew.

You should've been the first to die.

Do not trust the king!

"Raena, I think I found something!"

The idea that she was dead had rooted itself so deep into my reality that Oriana's frantic voice calling out to me was equivalent to hearing one of the many phantoms in my head. It startled me and my whole body jumped, the sound yanking me out of the darkness that inhabited my skull and thrusting me into the one all around me. For a second, I was terrified I'd landed in another nightmare, a sob nearly slipping past my agape lips. Instead, I was left devastated and disappointed as I was reminded yet again of what my reality was, a viscous world of dark magic and brutal secrets that tore dreams apart by their very seams.

"Okay, I'm coming," I said, my hands becoming my eyes as they groped the side of the tunnel while I tried to maneuver in the direction of Oriana's voice.

It had been hours of running since we'd departed from Henrik's bedroom, the displeased muscles in my body making sure I was aware of that fact with every agonizing inhale of breath or movement of my limbs. The underground tunnels were cold and dark, the smell of stale water and soil lingering in the air and spider webs in almost all its crevices, reminding me of a tomb and giving me the horrible sensation that I was somehow already dead.

Although I was sure it must've been fine for the Lycans who designed and built the structure, the underground tunnels were completely pitch black to the point where I couldn't even see my nose or my own hand if I placed it just a hair length away from my eyes. Even with the structure's very straight path, both Oriana and myself experienced many stumbles on the uneven, dirt ground, the perpetrator for my pulsing ankle.

Every so often, there'd be the sound of something scurrying past our feet that would cause my heart rate to spike and a small shriek to either leave Oriana's or my lips. Our reactions were more out of the unexpectedness of it than anything, both of our senses and paranoia heightened by the idea of running into our true enemy, who was much bigger and more powerful than a helpless, passing rodent.

The rats are horrendous...

Eyes screwed shut and teeth gritted together, I hissed when my finger grazed across one of the many sharp rocks that made up the narrow tunnel, feeling its corner slice through my skin as smooth as if it was butter. A grunt being my only reaction to the burning pain, just like with my ankle, I kept going, knowing that stopping would be selfish of me in the scheme of everything that could be lost if we didn't get out of the Cursed Kingdom as quickly as possible. Even as I felt warm blood trickle down my palm and past my wrist, I didn't let my mind think about it for more than a second. I couldn't.

I bumped into Oriana's arm, wincing when her sharp elbow awkwardly dug into the side of my left breast, the sensitive area immediately throbbing with discomfort.