Chapter Nineteen

Aerilyn

Aerilyn’s hearing was the first sense to return to her. Her sight took a bit longer as the world seemed to fade in and out. She could feel soft blades of grass under her fingers, curling them as she tried to gain movement back in her body. She had no idea where she was, but she knew she was no longer caged in the darkness of the dungeon. The soft breeze hitting her warm cheeks confirmed that. She finally was able to force her eyes open, her heart racing in her chest as she began to take in her surroundings. She sat up, her eyes examining the tall trees circling her. Her limbs felt heavy as she lifted her hands to rub her eyes.

There were too many times when she had woken up in a place she didn’t recognize. It all started ever since they came across the people from Korth. Everything had been going wrong since the moment they woke up to the figures surrounding them. The king of Korth had mentioned the games to prove they were worthy enough to live. The words he had spoken seemed to replay in her mind. From their first encounter to the poison he’d slipped into her food during dinner. Thus far, nothing good had come from the man. He was danger in a human form.

It was obvious that the place she was in had to be part of the test he was challenging them with. It was hard to decide what the king of Korth was expecting from it. He had to be sick in the head to make people play games for their lives. It was obvious that he didn’t have any care for human lives. The only questionable thing was the fact that he threw her out into a forest with nobody else in sight. She had no idea what he was expecting out of this.

“I know you’re watching me somewhere, jackass. Why don’t you just tell me what the fuck you want me to do so we can get this over with?” Her tone was sharp, her head whipping around to explain every inch of the forest around her. The silence that answered her was only more unsettling. She knew he had to be out there somewhere watching her or he wouldn’t know if she’d completed his stupid trial. It was as if she could feel his gaze burning into her skin, but she didn’t have a clue which direction it was from.

Aerilyn felt her anger flare at the reality she was caught in. At that moment, the thought of returning to the strawberry fields almost sounded more comforting. Now, she had four other people she cared about who were probably also deep within the woods with her. The idea of something bad happening to any of them is what got her feet moving. She kept her footsteps light as she crept through the forest, noting any sort of movement even if it was only a leaf lightly blowing from the wind. Anything could come after her at any given moment, she refused to leave herself blindsided by an attack.

Her mind went to the idea of being attacked, realizing she had nothing to defend herself. She ran her hands over her hips, her fingers meeting the area where her dagger usually rested, expecting to find an empty space. She was surprised to feel the weight of her dagger back in place. She’d awoken without it in the cell and assumed she would never see the prized possession again. “Maybe you aren’t that much of a bastard,” she whispered under her breath, letting out a sigh of relief. The familiar grooves of the handle were enough to bring her comfort that she didn’t realize she needed.

A deep growl came from her left and Aerilyn pulled the blade from its spot, spinning toward the sound. She had grown too familiar with the sound as it filled her dreams after the first encounter with a hound. The beast wasn’t as large as the ones that had come after them during their journey, it was almost laughable. It stood about three feet tall on all fours, its back arched upwards and its head low to the ground like it was about to pounce. She stared into its glowing purple eyes and moved herself into her fighting stance. The hound took no time to run for her, charging for her legs with its jaws snapping. She swiftly spun away from its attack and swiped her dagger towards it. The blade connected with the flesh and tore into it. Blood began to pour from its thick skin and a horrific sound left the hound.

Aerilyn froze as the hound dropped to the ground in a fit of whimpers. Her hand was shaking as she watched its wide eyes look up at her. She didn’t understand what was happening before her. The beast curled into a small ball, submitting to her as it made sounds of pain. She was skeptical about how to react to him. She slowly knelt beside the beast, gripping her dagger tight. She reached a hand out towards it, her hand shaking. She wasn’t sure what made her do it. She ran her fingertips over the leathery skin on its side. The hound flinched, actually flinched. She let out a small gasp in surprise.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, slowly running her hand delicately over its side. The small hound seemed to lean into her touch, basking in the affection. She stared with wide eyes as the hound made no attempts to attack her. She wasn’t sure how to feel about what was happening. The way it reacted to her made her not want to kill it. She almost felt guilty for injuring it, even if it had come after her first. These were the creatures that killed her father. The creatures that had been the origin of so much death and pain. She didn’t want to feel bad for it, but part of her felt sympathy for the sad glowing eyes that watched her in pain.

The blow she had delivered didn’t seem to be fatal, not at first glance, but she realized the amount of blood that sprayed from the creature was surely enough to do more damage than she’d expected. “You came after me, I had to defend myself,” her voice was shaking as she continued to talk to the dying creature. It seemed to understand what she was saying as it moved its head, letting it fall into her lap. Her eyes widened at the action. The hound was finding comfort in her, even after she had stabbed it.

“What the hell are you doing?” The deep voice cut through her and the hound flinched as the king of Korth came into view. “It understands me. It isn’t hurting me,” she tried to explain, but she didn’t even have the words to understand it herself. Azazel’s eyes ran over her, studying the scene that was playing out before him. To anyone else, she knew it probably looked insane for her to be sitting next to the hound that way, but she could almost feel what the creature felt. “The vile creatures don’t know emotions nor do they understand the human language,” he shook his head, judgment written across his expression. “I didn’t think so either. This,” she motioned to the creature, “is making me question that statement though.” Azazel was quiet for a moment as he studied the creature taking in shallow breaths, only moving closer to Aerilyn as it noticed the cold gaze coming from the king.

“You need to kill it before the guards arrive. Everyone else killed their hound and they’re back at the palace waiting. Get it over with so I can get you back to them,” he motioned to the creature and then his eyes flickered to her dagger. “Thank you for this by the way,” she nodded to the dagger but did not attempt to attack the hound. “It seemed like it was important to you. I didn’t want to take that away. I’m not always horrible. Plus, we made a deal. I must do what I can to help you,” he shrugged, playing it off as if it were nothing.

“Seriously, Aerilyn. Kill it. The guards will be here at any moment and if they see this they’re going to think you’re insane.”

“I don’t give a damn what they think!”

“They will talk. The entire kingdom will think you have some sort of connection to the vile beasts and I won’t be able to protect you if any of them come after you for that belief. Just stab the fucker and let's go,” his voice was low as he continued to scan their surroundings to ensure no one was listening. Aerilyn frowned as she met the eyes of the hound, reality slamming back down on her. “I can’t do it, Azazel,” she whispered, not looking up at him. “You have to, it’s not an option here,” he sighed, coming towards her. As he knelt beside her, the hound’s entire body jerked as if to get away from him.

“Kill it. Now,” he wrapped his hand around hers, forcing the dagger into her grip. She shoved into him with her free hand, watching as he didn’t move one bit. She pulled her wrist from his grasp and swallowed hard before she looked back down at the creature. “I’m sorry, I’m going to end your suffering. Please forgive me,” she ran her hand over its head before she slit its throat and let the hound go limp in her lap.

“Are you happy asshole?” She snapped.

“Very. You’re such a good girl. I like it when you listen,” he smirked before he lifted the corpse off of her lap and attempted to help her to her feet. She ignored his outstretched hand and stood up on her own, brushing the dirt off of herself. “I ended its suffering, I wasn’t listening to you,” she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “Whatever you say, doll,” he shrugged before he grabbed onto her arm. She glared at him, trying to yank herself from his grip. “You completed your first trial, now let's get you back to the palace so we can get you cleaned up. You smell horrid,” he sighed as he began to half drag her through the forest.

Aerilyn stumbled to keep up with him as his long strides moved them swiftly through the forest. His grip was tight on her, never once loosening throughout the walk. She only glanced back at the dead hound once. She didn’t know why the creature had trusted her, but she knew that it was something that she couldn’t forget. It didn’t make sense, but the hound understood what she was saying. She reminded herself to return to the entire situation later when she was alone. The hound was trying to show her vulnerability and it made her question everything.