Whispers From Below

Chapter 7

"If she wakes up, prepare for her to be a new born Rivaak, when that happens she is to be cleansed off this world." I could hear voices fading in and out but could not open my eyes. Hearing a woman say that made me become absolutely petrified, I did not want to turn into one of those creatures, I could not die like that.

I did not know how long it had been or where I was, but what was known was the excruciating pain coming from my side, leg and rest of my body. Eyes ripping open quickly, my body drenched in sweat I was barely able to catch my breath.

Sitting up the best I could gripping my bandaged side tightly and looking around. My body was wrapped in bandages with red beading through, a tan potato sack like blanket covered my lower half.

The room was almost bare, a medicine cabinet sat on a far wall next to a wash bin. Walls were white though the paint was starting to yellow, peel and chipped off in certain places. Empty beds on either side of me with a few chairs sat around mine.

A pitcher of water was placed on the bed table beside me along with a candle and some berries. Laying back down and studying my hands front and back to make sure claws were not growing from my fingertips.

I did not really feel any different apart from pain. My mind started playing repeated flashbacks and pictures of that morning, making me go into a fit of crying and hyperventilating.

I tried to get up to swing my legs over the side of the bed to just get myself moving, but found that my feet were chained to the bed posts.

Screaming and panicking even more, Ryland and a guard that looked more like a little boy in his fathers clothes, came bustling through. I looked at them through my tears holding my side and tugging on the chins.

"Why.... Please Ryland let me out, Please!" He came to me and studied my face without saying anything.

Cupping my chin in his hand he tilted my head up to look at him, staring right into my eyes his pupils dilated a few times, "let her go she's mordl, she hasn't changed at all."

He did exactly what the priest would do. How did Ryland have Themis's sight? The childlike guard undid my bindings.

I took a heavy deep breath as Ryland hugged me softly patting my hair, "you're safe, you're okay Lily. I won't let anything touch you." With my free hand that was not holding my side I squeezed him back in silence.

The entire day I did not say a thing, just stared off to the ceiling, wall or even out the window at the sky. Ryland and nurses came and went changing my bandages, trying to get me to eat or drink water.

Refusing the food, yet took the water. Jace came in later that evening sitting in a chair next to the bed playing with the frayed edges of my blanket, he stared at me. "Never knew you had two different eyes, they're beautiful."

They must have removed the cloth when I arrived and realized there was nothing really wrong with it other than the color. Not having the motivation or the care to put it back on I did not answer him, just left him in silence.

"Looks like you made a friend," now turning to him confused. He bent down grabbing something under the bed and lifted up the golden eyed cat placing him on the bed.

I reached out to it and with the back of my knuckles stroked his fur. "I've never seen or heard of a cethin to choose a mordl as its familiar."

"cethin? familiar?" I asked confused.

His head bobbed "yeah, it's a shadow shifter, they normally keep to themselves, but they take on any animal or creature form and just mind their own normally. I guess this one has taken a massive liking to you and decided it wants to protect you. A familiar does that, protects you and many other things 'course."

He started petting the cat as well, "they normally don't trust mordls or anything that isn't the same as them. Mordls don't normally want to be around them anyways. They are normally vicious and are said to bring bad omens."

My lip started quivering, scared pulling my hand away from it, the cat hissed and hunched up at Jace.

He put his hands up in defense, "But this one is definitely something really good. Especially after protecting and helping you. It's okay, it won't hurt you."

Looking at both of them before going back to petting its shadowy fur it felt like I was petting spiderwebs and strangely my hand did not go through it like the Rivaak's did. Laying back to stare at the ceiling, blood and gore dripped from it. It had been doing it all day and it did not take me long to realize my mind was playing tricks on me and it was just a normal leaky roof dripping into the room.

Jace rubbed my arm with his knuckles and whispered " I am so sorry. I should have been there with you."

Shaking my head as tears rolled down my cheeks, still looking up "you have nothing to be sorry for, I am not your responsibility. No one could have known this was ever going to happen." The room filled with silence as we both sat there for the night.

~~~

I hated sleeping now, every time I closed my eyes I would see their bodies. Their insides everywhere.

The creatures are chasing me through the house. I just could not get myself to sleep fully.