Chapter 18

The dungeon was a wretched pit hidden in the bowels of the largest port-a-potty in existence. And Eris crafted it from the very essence of despair. She might not have known about me until recently, but I swear she made this with everything that would set me off in mind. It was all I could do to keep my skin from crawling and my stomach from rebelling.

The stone walls exuded a clammy chill that sent shivers racing down my spine. The torches lining the dank corridor flickered like feeble stars in a lightless void, casting grotesque shadows that danced with malevolent glee. The chains that bound me to the frigid floor clinked with each involuntary shiver. It was Eris's incessant reminder of my captivity and reverberated through the air like a twisted lullaby.

The sustenance delivered to me was an affront to the concept of nourishment. What little Eris deigned to allow her minions to bring me. It was barely food. It was a mockery. A cruel charade aimed at amplifying my torment. The stale air within the dungeon bore the stench of metallic dampness, an odor that clung to the walls like the foul breath of a lurking beast. The meager rations only intensified the famine that gnawed at my insides. It was a relentless hunger that mirrored the insatiable appetite of the shadows. Only mine was courtesy of growing three babies.

Rust-stained tapestries, draped haphazardly across the dungeon walls, served as a gruesome chronicle of suffering. They depicted scenes of anguish. Their grotesque imagery was a silent testimony to the countless souls who had faced torment within these oppressive walls. The tattered fabric seemed to absorb the pain, the very essence of suffering seeping into its fibers.

Tools of torture, vicious instruments of agony, adorned the chamber like grim sculptures of violence. Their surfaces, coated in sinister brown rust, told tales of pain and suffering etched into their cold, unyielding forms. The mere sight of the instruments invoked a visceral fear. Chained to the floor and waiting to have them used on me was all part of Eris's plan to break me down. And it was working. A little bit.

My predicament forced me to sit on the cold, unforgiving floor tracing the convoluted path of my life. It was a journey that had careened into an unforeseen abyss, sure. But it had been great until now. Memories that were once vibrant and pulsating with life now seemed like distant echoes fading into the oppressive darkness. The joyous hues had given way to muted grays.

Thoughts of my unborn children and their fragile lives tethered to my own haunted my waking moments. It was my job to protect them. Pregnancy was the one time I should have been able to do my best. The dungeon"s oppressive atmosphere intensified my fears for their future. What awaited them in a world tainted by Eris"s cruelty?

Noise from the stairs at the end of the hall startled me out of my moping. I jumped to my feet, heedless of the chains, and nearly landed on my ass because of it. But there was no way I was going to be on the ground when she returned. Witches, emissaries of Eris"s malevolence, descended upon the dungeon with an air of malicious revelry. Their whispers, a cacophony of taunts and jeers, sliced through the oppressive silence like daggers. They circled like vultures, their eyes filled with malevolent glee, relishing the opportunity to break my spirit.

"Defiance is futile, mundie bitch," one of them hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "Eris has plans for you, and your resistance only fuels her delight."

I met their spiteful words with steely defiance. I had to admit that I was getting close to losing all hope, so my determination surprised me. Although it shouldn't, it was fueled by the unwavering love and purpose that had defined my existence. The dungeon became a battleground where my resolve clashed with their cruelty.

Time warped within the dungeon"s perpetual shadows, each agonizing moment stretching into an eternity of torment. I had no idea how long I had been there. It felt like a week. Fear for my unborn children intertwined with the discomfort of captivity, creating a potent cocktail of despair and dread that took all of my energy to fight against.

The witches were really getting into their taunting when Eris returned like a malevolent queen descending upon her throne. Her presence was an oppressive force, a suffocating weight that pressed upon me. The air seemed to ripple with her cruel intentions as she reveled in the spectacle of vulnerability she had orchestrated.

"You thought you could defy me, mortal?" Eris sneered, her voice a chilling symphony of cruelty. The malicious delight in her eyes mirrored the torment she had imposed upon me. "Your suffering has only just begun."

I made a decision right then, and the dungeon became the crucible of my resilience. Amid the tools of torture and the echoes of malicious laughter, I clung to the remnants of my vibrant, happy life. I'd gained a new family when Miles divorced me and I had been forced to move home to Mom and Nana's house. Ignoring the witches' comments, I thought about how blessed my life was.

It wasn't until Eris circled closer with her laughter echoing through the oppressive air like a malevolent anthem that I paid attention. "Your defiance amuses me, little witch," she purred, her voice dripping with sadistic delight. "But it"s a futile resistance. I will break you, and your offspring will be mine."

A cold chill ran down my spine as she spoke of my unborn children. The terror for their safety ignited a fiery determination within me. "You"ll never lay a hand on them," I spat, the defiance in my voice a desperate counterpoint to the fear that threatened to overwhelm me.

I channeled that rebellion into my magic and directed it to the chains she'd bound me with. Every ounce of anger about her audacity fueled my power. I didn't think about what I wanted to happen, so when the chains shattered and dropped to the ground in a clatter, I smiled victoriously.

The witches helping Eris backed away from my cell while the goddess remained undeterred. She conjured a malevolent energy, a pulsating aura of darkness that danced with ethereal malice. The dungeon seemed to respond to her whims, the shadows morphing into grotesque shapes that writhed with a spectral hostility. The tools of torture, once dormant began to emanate an ominous energy. Their rusted surfaces began pulsating with a sinister glow.

"Your children will serve a greater purpose," Eris intoned, her eyes ablaze with a fanatical fervor. She raised her hands, and the very air quivered with dark energy. "They will be raised to serve me. Together, we shall become an unstoppable force."

Another surge of panic mixed with my desperate need to protect the unborn lives within me. In that moment, the talismans Stella and I had crafted flared to life, a shimmering barrier of protective magic enveloping my womb. It was a defiant stand against Eris"s evil intentions. The reminder of the love I had in my life fueled the mystical shields I added. Eris had a dampening spell active in the basement, but I'd broken through it in my cell. And I'd bet a million dollars that was why no one was opening the door and trying to truss me up again.

Eris"s frustration became palpable as she witnessed the resistance she faced. "You think these feeble charms can shield them forever?" she sneered, her voice a venomous hiss. "I will wear you down, little witch. Your offspring will be mine, and no magic will protect them from my grasp."

I clung to thoughts of my friends and family along with the protective magic. My resolve was unyielding in the face of Eris"s relentless assault. It wasn't a violent standoff, but the dungeon became a battleground of wills at that moment. It was a clash between the darkness Eris wielded and the flickering light of hope that I harbored.

As the confrontation escalated, Eris"s threats grew more venomous. "You can"t escape destiny, Phoebe," she spat, her eyes ablaze with a fanatical fervor. "I will break you, and your children will become the instruments of my ascension."

I simply snorted and rolled my eyes while running a hand comfortingly over my stomach since I could feel the tug of Eris's powers on my womb. With a final, chilling promise, Eris vanished, leaving the dungeon in an eerie stillness. The oppressive air seemed to linger with the echo of her growl. Yeah, my ordeal was far from over. The witches followed after her, and I was left in the silence.

I sank to the ground and leaned against a wall. Darkness wrapped around me like a suffocating shroud. Each moment in this wretched dungeon was an oppressive weight on my spirit. I kicked the chains, the rattle making me jump. Eris must have changed up the magic surrounding me because now the air thick with despair. It fed on the fragments of my hope, leaving me entangled in a web of emotional torment.

Loneliness clawed at my soul, a relentless phantom that prowled the shadows. The damp, oppressive atmosphere seeped into my very bones, making each breath a struggle. The rust-stained walls closed in, and the flickering torchlight made me dizzy. My thoughts were a tumultuous sea as waves of anguish crashed against the shores of my resolve. Eris's mojo was pretty freaking strong and made me fight to keep my spirit afloat. Unfortunately, the relentless current of despair threatened to pull me under. The uncertainty of my unborn children"s fate wasn't easy to ignore.

I clung to the knowledge that beyond these oppressive walls, my friends and family—my lifelines—sought to find me. Aidon"s love for us was a beacon in the darkness, a flicker of hope that refused to be extinguished. I imagined him plotting with the others to unravel the threads of Eris"s illusions. I did not doubt that they were determined to find a way through the veil that separated us.

In the midst of heartache, that knowledge gave me a sliver of strength. Witches returned sometime later, but each cruel word and attempt to wear down my resolve was met with my silent rebellion. My thoughts became a fortress, a sanctuary where the echoes of Eris"s malevolence could not extinguish everything good in my life.

As the dungeon pressed on, I envisioned Aidon"s sexy gaze and the unwavering support of my friends. Etched with concern and determination, their faces were my solace in the relentless torment. I refused to succumb to the despair that threatened to devour me. I knew that surrender meant risking not just my own life but the fragile existences growing within me.

Eris"s illusions, like twisted tendrils, sought to entrap my mind, but I resisted. It was fueled by the love and purpose that had become the foundation of my existence. In the darkness, my thoughts became a whispered conversation with my unborn children. I made a vow that their lives would not be defined by the malevolence that sought to consume us.

Time was an evil, elusive phantom in the dungeon"s oppressive embrace and kept slipping through my grasp like sand through the fingers. Exhaustion clung to my every limb. The gnawing ache in my empty stomach echoed the silence that once again enveloped the cold stone walls.

Days, or perhaps an eternity, had passed since Eris"s cruel laughter had faded into the shadows. My hope cycled through flickering flames to dying embers as Eris's power momentarily managed to get hold of me. The lack of sunlight, the absence of familiar voices, and the relentless hunger forged a weight that was binding me tighter than any physical shackle.

My mind swirled in a disorienting haze that blurred the boundaries between reality and delusion. Every footfall, every distant murmur, became a phantom promise of rescue. Yet, as time wore on, the certainty of Aidon and my friends finding me dwindled into a desperate yearning.

I slumped against the cold, damp wall, my fingers tracing the patterns of rust that adorned my prison. The dungeon seemed to pulse with a malevolent energy, amplifying the isolation that threatened to consume me. I closed my eyes, seeking solace in the darkness, but instead, visions of my unborn children"s fate danced on the canvas of my mind.

It was in this languishing state that a soft rustle near the cell bars caught my attention. My head snapped up, bleary eyes widening as a small, brown mouse emerged from the shadows. Its tiny whiskers twitched, and beady eyes regarded me with a strange intelligence.

"Phoebe," a voice said no louder than a whisper.

I stared at the mouse, my exhaustion momentarily forgotten, as the creature lifted onto its hind legs. "Who... what are you?" I stammered, my voice betraying a mix of surprise and desperation.

The mouse's expression fell. I shook my head. That wasn't possible. ‘I was once a witch. I was condemned to live in the shadows after I refused to do Eris's bidding," the mouse said.

Her tale unfolded like a tragic ballad, the melody of betrayal and defiance weaving through the dungeon's oppressive air. It was a miracle that she had opposed Eris"s sinister plans. It wasn't shocking that in retribution, she had been cast into the form of a mouse, destined to roam the shadows, eternally evading capture.

"The goddess is obsessed with your unborn children," the mouse-witch continued, her voice filled with a mix of sorrow and urgency. "She believes they hold the key to her dark ambitions."

"Tell me something I don't know. I will never allow that to happen." The mouse-witch had become an unlikely ally. She was a link to the world beyond these wretched walls. "If I help you, can you help me escape?" I whispered, urgency lacing my words.

"I'm not sure what I can do. I may be confined to the shadows, but together, we can find a way to break free."

I reached out and scratched the tiny head as a flicker of hope reborn in the form of a mouse-witch fueled more hope. She might be small, but I had to believe she was mighty and could help me get out of there.