The Hunt

Chapter 65

I shuffled back against my cell wall once Emily had left, tilting my head back and staring up at the rocky ceiling. Water trickled from it, the small droplets winding their way around the stones, eventually reaching the floor and soaking into the sand.

My Father hadn't come to say goodbye, and I had gathered that he had already left, heading off straight after the ambassadors meeting. I hadn't heard anything from Finn about Markus' condition, and I was praying that he would come down here just to tell me that he had found him deceased.

It would change everything. Our chances of winning would increase dramatically, and I knew that that would mean many of the unnecessary deaths that would have occurred wouldn't have to happen.

Huffing to myself, I kicked at the sand in frustration, groaning out as I rubbed at my temples. I had a pounding headache, and I was in desperate need of a drink, but, there were no guards down here to request one from.

Dropping down onto my knees, I allowed myself to crumble down to the ground in annoyance, pressing my cheek against the cold sand. But, I furrowed my brows once I heard a strange crunching sound from my chest, and my eyes instantly widened.

I sat myself up, reaching down into my bra to pull out the small box of medication that I had been hiding. I had almost completely forgotten about it with everything going on. I studied it in my hands, a small smile reaching the corners of my lips as I felt my heart flutter.

But, there was no use having it down here with me where I couldn't use it. I needed to give it to Emily or Finn.

Fiddling with the almost flattened box between my fingertips, I pulled out the tray of tablets inside, counting them quickly before stuffing the box back in its original place. It was strangely comfortable, and I realised that I must have grown accustomed to having it stuffed inside of my clothing.

Pacing back and forth, I longed for someone I trusted to walk down the steps, and it felt as if I had been waiting forever when somebody finally did. I released a sigh of relief once Finn's head appeared around the corner, and he raised his  brows at me, his mouth set in a firm line.

"Well?" I asked hopefully, and Finn shook his head, causing my heart to drop.

"Nope, he's still alive." Finn's confession made me sigh as I ran my hands through my dark hair, closing my eyes and groaning. My throat felt dry and sandpaper-like, and I attempted to clear it, gaining the attention of Finn.

He moved around the corner, and I heard him turn on a faucet, quickly reappearing with a cup of water which I chugged down in a matter of seconds. He watched me, his eyes holding a hint of humour as I thanked him, passing him back the wooden cup, water trickling down my chin.

"Okay, we don't know where the rock went, so we need to turn to another option," I told him, and Finn looked warily behind him, looking anxious.

"You have roughly two minutes, Reya," he told me. "I'm not supposed to be down here and the meeting has finished. The guards will be returning to their positions soon. If they find me they'll report it to Markus and he will grow suspicious."

I nodded, yanking out the sleeping pill box from my bra, handing it to Finn. "I took these from the pack. You can use them on Markus. I know he's stronger than an average human and they probably won't work as well, but even if it slows his reflexes down a little, it'll help. We need to forget about the rock and just focus on killing Markus the old fashioned way."

Finn ran his tongue along the front of his teeth, analysing the box of pills for a few seconds before giving me one curt nod, stuffing it into his pocket. "Alright, Emily and I will burn the wolfsbane soon, and then I'll stash some of the weapons away where nobody can find them. I'm not too sure how I'm going to drug Markus, but I'll give it my best shot if I can get close to him. Perhaps I can convince my Father to visit him or invite him over."