Chapter Fourteen

Aerilyn

The peaceful sleep that Aerilyn had been in was quickly ruined by the sound of loud crashes and shouts filling the room. Her eyes flew open in the darkness, her hand already clasped around her dagger. The room was filled with tall figures dressed in all black. They had masks over their faces, exposing only their eyes. She watched as the others sat up on their cots beside her, already on their feet with their weapons drawn.

They were people.

People were alive beyond the walls.

The panic quickly outweighed the curiosity as they all drew their open weapons.

A wave of nausea rolled over her as one quickly moved to come after her. She swung her dagger towards the figure, their body quickly darting to miss her attack. She heard the fighting break out around her. She couldn’t process what was happening. Maybe this was all a dream and she’d wake up shortly next to Brinley as the peaceful light shined onto her face. But this wasn’t a dream. This was real. She continued to move away from the figure, keeping her dagger positioned between them. Her hands were sweaty as she grasped the handle, her heart pounding faster than it ever had before. Facing the hounds felt like nothing in comparison to the sight of the humans before her.

Get down on your knees and surrender.

Aerilyn’s eyes went wide as a voice slipped into her mind. It was one she’d never heard before. Her body betrayed her as her knees hit the hard ground in front of her. The dagger fell from her fingertips and the figure didn’t waste any time to grab it. He tucked away her only weapon, her only defense against them. They were a Neuro. Aerilyn had never personally experienced mind control of that level. Neuros were forbidden from entering anyone’s mind without permission. The odd feeling of someone’s voice within her mind was jarring. She had lost control over her own body the moment the voice slipped inside.

She turned to her friends who were also in the same position as she was. Her panic set in as she began to realize that they weren’t going to be able to escape the power of this figure. She felt hands grab her, unable to fight against the control holding her mind. A pair of heavy cuffs were forced around her wrists, automatically making her entire body feel drained of any power she had. It felt like her soul was sucked dry out of her. The room began to spin around her, making her body shake.

A hand gripped her hair, yanking her head back. She met the piercing eyes of the person above her. They studied her, their head tilting ever so slightly. “They’re definitely not from here. I think they’re from Orissia,” he finally spoke, his voice deep. He was speaking to the others with him, each of them holding onto one of her companions. She felt helpless as she tried to think of what she could do to get them out of this. Her mind was blank.

“Let's load them up,” another from the group called out and the man forced Aerilyn onto her feet. He kept a tight grip on her hair, shoving her forward to move toward the exit of the house they’d been staying in. She wanted to fight against the man, but a tight grip was still held on her mind. It felt like a hand crushing her skull in its grasp.

Aerilyn felt like she was outside of her own body as each of them were led out of the house. Her eyes landed on several more figures, all dressed the same way, and a wagon that was attached to two horses. She’d also seen this type of transportation in books before. It wasn’t needed in Orissia since the kingdom wasn’t very large. Getting around had never been a problem. The sight of the beasts that were called horses was startling. They were a lot larger than she’d imagined. They huffed and stomped their feet with impatience. It felt like the one was making eye contact with her, judgment radiating from the animal.

Each of them were forced to sit in the wagon, the hard surface covered by a thin layer of hay. The sides of the wagon were open, making it easy to jump out. If only the man didn’t have such a strong hold on her mind. She wanted to defy the orders being spoken into her brain, but every rebellious thought made her skull ache. She hit the hard wood of the wagon, forced to sit amongst her companions. They were all exchanging looks of pure shock.

Don’t move or speak.

The voice slithered through her mind, making her entire body go frozen. Her mind screamed and begged to fight it, but there was no escaping a Neuro’s power. The mental hold was too strong to fight against. The only thing she could move were her eyes. She kept her gaze locked with Everett’s seeing the fear that also resided in his own eyes. They were completely and utterly fucked.