Chapter Thirty Two

Aerilyn

Brinley was sitting on the forest floor, cries of pain exploding from her. The girl had her back pressed against a tree to support her and keep her upright. Aerilyn’s eyes scanned over the length of her to determine where the blood was coming from. It put her back to only minutes ago when she had found Everett in a similar position. It seemed Azazel knew they wouldn’t fight against each other so he had to throw something else into the mix. When Aerilyn finally noticed where the blood was coming from, she felt her legs go weak beneath her. She ran to Brinley’s side as she dropped to her knees beside the girl. Her right leg was missing from her knee down.

The blood ran from the stub of her leg like a continuous waterfall. A mixture of bone and flesh protruding from the place her leg once resided. She quickly tore at Brinley’s shirt, trying to use the material to stop the bleeding. It was all deja vu. She couldn’t continue seeing her friends like this, she was going to lose her mind. Brinley screamed in pain when she applied the pressure, but Aerilyn didn’t let up. She pressed down harder, looking back to Everett for help. He was staring at the missing leg with a wide-eyed expression. She’d never seen the pure fear that radiated from the prince.

“Aerilyn, please stop,” the girl choked out, her throat raw from the screaming she’d been doing. Her voice was broken. The fiery redhead who always had a smile plastered to her face was no longer present in the girl that lay before her. “No Brinley. You’re not allowed to give up. I can heal you. I did it to Everett. I’m not sure how, but I’m going to try,” she panicked, trying to pull the light from deep within her. She tried to think back to what she’d done or felt at the exact moment that she’d saved Everett. “There’s no use, Aeri. You can heal me, but you can’t grow my leg back,” she whispered, giving the woman a sad smile. Aerilyn felt her heart sink at that realization. No matter what type of power she had, Brinley was right. There was no way to grow back a limb.

“Kill me. Please. I don’t want to live like this. If you do it, the trial will be over and you will all be able to live. You’ll escape here and save Orissia,” she weakly reached out, placing her hand on top of Aerilyn’s. “You need to return with us, Brinley. Your parents will be waiting for you, ” she bit her lower lip in hopes of concealing her emotions as best as she could. “Tell my parents that I love them. I need them to know that I tried and that my death wasn’t in vain. You need to save Orissia and find that goddamn sword. I know you’re all so special. If anyone can find it, it’s you Aerilyn,” she reached to her side and withdrew her dagger, holding it out to Aerilyn. “Please,” she began again, her eyes full of pain. Aerilyn slowly accepted the dagger, the weapon suddenly feeling too heavy in her grasp. Her stomach did flips as she looked up at Everett. She refused to let the prince dirty his hands and she didn’t want to watch her friend continue to suffer.

The mixture of emotions became insufferable. She hadn’t felt so much anguish in all of her life. Even losing her parents hadn’t felt like this. She had never taken a life before, not like this. She’d killed hounds now, but they weren’t humans. They weren’t her friends. She’d killed the two men with her mysterious magic, but that had been an accident. Everett placed a hand on her shoulder and she quickly shook it away.

“No. I have to do this,” she shot him a glare and he gave her a frown in return. She focused her attention back on Brinley, cupping a hand against her face. “Are you sure this is what you want?” She asked to gain a final confirmation. “Take care of Blaise for me. Make sure he finds someone to care for him the way I did. Don’t let him spiral into pain from losing me. Promise me that you’ll protect him,” she gave her dying wish and Aerilyn knew that she would do anything she could to keep that. “I promise,” she gave Brinley a forced smile before she steadied the dagger in her shaking hand.

Aerilyn felt the world fall around her as she plunged the dagger into her friend’s chest. The girl didn’t make a sound as the blade pierced her heart and began to take her life. Aerilyn tried to hold back her sobs as she watched the life slowly drain from Brinley’s eyes. Her breathing began to slow down and her eyes became distant. When her chest finally stopped rising and falling, Aerilyn knew she was gone. She cupped her hand over her mouth to hide her cries as everything struck her.

She had just killed someone.

She had just killed Brinley.

She let out a scream of frustration, her pain evident in the sound. She cursed any of the Gods above for what theyhad done, for taking her friend away. She took away Blaise's lover, his other half. Her mind ran back to the conversation they'd had in her bedroom when Blaise had first kissed her. Her bright smile and feet kicking in excitement. The two had talked about returning to Orissia and meeting each other's families. Now, Brinley would never return to Orissia. She would never smile again. Everything bright about the girl was gone in a matter of moments.

Everett began to tug at her shoulder, trying to pull her away from her friend’s dead body. Aerilyn began to scream, trying to force Everett away from her. She hadn’t expected the pain that began to consume her. She had lost another friend, another life that would never be returned. She had done this. She ended her friend’s life.

“It’s over, it’s all over Aerilyn,” Everett whispered as he forced his arms around her. She finally leaned into his touch, crying into his chest. She let herself crumble then. She allowed Everett to be the only thing that kept her stable. She, for once, allowed herself to be vulnerable. His hands ran up and down her arms, trying to bring her comfort. She couldn’t see anything, her vision blurred from the tears that continued to flow.

“Well done, I didn’t expect this. Quite the turnout. Congratulations, you’ve passed the final game. You’re free to live the rest of your life out here in Korth,” Azazel’s voice pulled her from the pain. All she could feel was fury. She looked up at him, rubbing the tears from her eyes as she tried to force back any feelings.

“You’re a vile creature,” she whispered, feeling completely defeated. She wanted to stab the dagger into his chest, but she knew it wouldn’t fix anything. Brinley was dead and there was no way to change that. “You’re such a pleasant creature, as always, doll,” he only laughed. “The guards will escort you to your rooms to prepare you for the ball in a celebration for your survival,” he motioned to the guards and they grabbed a hold of her. She threw an elbow, letting it collide with the man’s face. The guard swore and grabbed her tighter. She tried to fight, but she felt the Neuro slip into her mind and everything began to fade.