Chapter Sixteen

Aerilyn

The time that had passed was unknown to Aerilyn. There was no way to tell time in the cold darkness that surrounded her cell. It could’ve been hours or days, but it felt like forever in her mind. She had scattered conversations with Everett who sat against the cell bars across from her. They tried to keep each other sane, but it was a difficult task not to panic. She was thankful that the Neuro had never returned after that day. Each of them had been escorted to the same room meant for interrogation, all returning in the same amount of pain.

There was one thought that continued to pull at her mind. This wasn’t supposed to be possible. There shouldn’t have been anyone else alive, even more an entire kingdom. Throughout the duration of her life, she had been taught that the rest of the human race was within the walls. There was no one left beyond their protection due to the hounds killing any other forms of life. Aerilyn had seen both animals and humans still living beyond Orissia. She now questioned what all had been lies from the king. He had taken hope away from hundreds of citizens, convincing them that they had no choice besides living the life they were assigned from birth. She could only wonder if Everett knew these details. By the look on his face, it seemed he was just as surprised as the rest of them.

A loud pair of boots hitting the cement floor of the dungeon echoed through their silence, pulling Aerilyn from her thoughts. She moved her body off of the cell door, exchanging a look with Everett before backing away from it. It felt like a repeat of the day the Neuro had come for her. Her hands quivered at the thought of going through the mental torture again. She had never experienced something so awful, going through it again just might break her. The steps got louder as they approached until they stopped entirely. She saw the pair of black laced up boots before she saw the man’s face. Her eyes ran up the height of him, surprised by the new face appearing in the dungeon.

His gaze was piercing with green eyes that reminded her of the plants she’d grown back home. Though, there was no kindness in those eyes, darkened by the thick lashes, as he stared right back at her. His jaw was sharp and his cheekbones high, the type of features most men would kill to have. Along the left side of his cheek stretched a raised scar from the corner of his mouth up to his jaw bone. His blonde hair was pushed back in a slicked style, though a few pieces fell around his face. Her gaze wandered to the large silver crown resting upon his head, still sparkling even in the darkness around them, marking that he was some sort of royalty.

She had too many questions running through her mind, attempting to sort out the lies and truths. She realized that she wanted answers, the truth this time. Aerilyn began to question everything that her life had been before as the man stopped outside of her cell, meeting her gaze. The eye contact alone made her want to shrink back in fear, but she refused to do so.

“What might your name be?” The man’s voice was deep and enticing, making goosebumps form along her pale skin. He cocked his head slightly, a lock of his blonde hair falling into his eyes, expecting her to reply. She couldn’t find her voice. He seemed to be impatient, annoyed by her silence.

“Well?”

“Aerilyn,” she whispered, her tongue feeling odd in her own mouth. The time without food or water really seemed to be getting to her. “Aerilyn, what a pretty name,” the left corner of his lip twitched as if attempting to hide his expressions. She couldn’t mistake the small dimple that formed with the movement. Before she could say anything, Everett was on his feet with his hands wrapped around the cell door’s bars. “Who are you? Why the hell are we still here?” He began to throw the words at the stranger. She understood his frustration. All they wanted were answers.

The man turns his attention to Everett for a moment, making a show of looking him up and down before crossing his large arms over his chest. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well,” the sarcasm pinched in the man’s tone. “I’m Azazel, the one who is going to help you get out of these cells. Well, if you decide to accept my offer that is,” his gaze flicked back to Aerilyn once more before he strode deeper into the dungeon. She watched as he examined the three others that were in their company, a soft hum leaving him as he stood in the middle of the hallway so that everyone could get a glimpse of the stranger.

“Welcome to Korth, I hope the Jaque wasn’t too unpleasant,” the words made Aerilyn snort. “Is something funny to you?” He paused, turning his attention back to her. She almost stayed silent again, but she couldn’t hold her tongue. “Pleasant? The fucker tore my mind apart and brought me worse pain than I’ve ever experienced. Pleasant is the last term that should be associated with that asshole,” she snapped in frustration, already finding a dislike for the man. “Hm, I’ll have a discussion with him about being kinder next time, doll,” her stomach twisted at the nickname he gave her that would normally be endearing. He was anything but that.

“I’m here to give you all a choice. In order to stay here in Korth, you must prove yourself worthy of being a citizen here. We don’t have room for the weak. It’s a waste of our supplies and housing,” he glanced around as if to decide if the group was still paying attention to him. “We will be holding three trials, you could call them, to determine if you are worthy enough to live. I cannot promise that you will all survive these games, but I can promise that if you decide not to participate in them you will die,” a wicked smirk formed on his face. Aerilyn’s mind screamed in confusion and fear.

“You have a choice here, the games or death. I’m being merciful by not killing you all for entering our territory. It’s up to you to decide if your future is worth it or not,” he raked his fingers through his hair, pushing the long locks out of his face.

He spoke of death so casually, it was evidence that he was no stranger to it. Her wide eyes stayed glued to the man before her. She could hear the other’s shifting in their cells, most likely also surprised by this threat. She didn’t want to die yet. She had left Orissa thinking she wouldn’t make it more than a few days. Now she had hope that she could survive.

“And what exactly are these trials?” Brinley was the one to speak this time. “Each one will be a different task you must perform to test your skills. I cannot give out the specific details, but I can assure you none of them will be simple,” he spoke carefully, his gaze still on Aerilyn as he spoke. The heat of his eyes made her want to curl away and hide deeper in the cell. He was terrifying in every sense. She could tell that he was danger. “This is ridiculous,” Blaise laughed breathily, his voice coming from further down the hallway where Aerilyn was unable to see him. “Think what you’d like, I don’t care whether you live or die,” the man simply shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ll play your stupid game, but we need food. It’s an unfair advantage if we’re starved and don’t have any strength,” Aerilyn was the first to agree. “Aerilyn no, we don’t know what these trials even are. We can’t agree to this without knowing the details. This could be a death sentence,” Everett pleaded, his eyes widened watching her. “This entire situation is a death sentence. He said we do the games or die. I think I’ll take my chances,” she frowned deeply, not wanting to go against Everett’s advice but it was obvious that he wasn’t understanding the severity of the situation they were placed in.

“You should listen to the girl, Prince. She understands,” he used the title towards Everett like it was an insult. “You want food? I can make that happen. You will stay in this cell until the first trial is complete. Those who survive will be given a room to stay in and more hospitality will be provided. Until then, I can offer you a meal to regain your strength,” Azazel spoke so calmly, it was as if he wasn’t speaking about the fate of their lives.

“How kind of you,” she laughed, her head shaking in the process.

“I’m quite the gentleman when I choose to be. You should be thankful I’m giving you a fighting chance. The ones before you weren’t so lucky,” he fired back at her, adjusting the collar of his shirt as he made his way to stand before her cell. “You have a mouth on you, doll. That attitude won’t get you very far here, I suggest you keep yourself in check,” the man’s voice dropped to a whisper, sounding closely to a hissing snake. His words were a warning, testing her for a reaction.

“I do have quite the mouth don’t I? I’m glad you noticed, doll, ” she forced a cruel smile on her lips as she returned the nickname to him.

“We’ll see about that.”

“What about these?” Aerilyn questioned, holding up her wrists to motion to the cuffs around them. “They will come off once you’ve completed the final trial. Until then, none of you are allowed any access to your power,” Azazel said with a calm tone.

The man stepped away from her cell, glancing at the others. She hadn’t cared about these people the day they had left Orissia, but she couldn't help but want to protect them. They had all formed an odd connection after experiencing the horrors beyond the wall. “Well? Do any of you object to participating?” He clasped his hands together, spinning in a slow circle to take all of them in. Nobody spoke up, the silence of the dungeon becoming eerie.

“Lovely. Good luck with your first trial. Those of you who survive, I will see you again. For the unlucky ones… enjoy the afterlife.”