Whispers From Below

Chapter 54

Dizzy, my vision swirling and blurry, I was now sitting but strapped down. Getting my focus in my eyes again, my arms were held down with clamps made of the blue crystal, along with matching chains at my ankles. I was now clothed in a dress that felt like it was made of a potato sack, it scratched and rubbed on my burns and lashes on my back.

Scanning around my new environment I realized I was in the experimental room, completely alone in near total darkness apart from a dim light coming through a slot from the main door. Wiggling around a bit to see if anything would come loose even the chair, but nothing, the chair was even bolted to the ground.

Looking at my wrists I still had Rylands bracelet on, thank fuck. It's the only thing I will never part with.

Hours passed until people finally piled in, they wore solid white hooded robes, their faces covered with silver masks on. Covering almost all of the face except their forehead which had a "T" shape carved in it that seemed to resemble a balancing scale. The mask had no facial features other than along the jaw it was engraved with olive branches.

Five of them stood in a circle around me, expecting Evander to come in, but instead a man in a black full length robe with red symbols embroidered into the sleeves, around the bottom and surrounding the hood. He had no mask, his entire face was brutally carved with more symbols, some I did recognize from books of the Gods.

His face was emotionless, "I am going to do what Serge was instructed to do to you" Serge? Was that the priest's name, huh, never knew that.

The man gripped my face hard and took out a small knife. He pressed the tip of it into my forehead and slowly carved into it.

Trying my hardest not to scream but my lungs failed me. Blood dripped into my eyes and down the sides of my nose. He continued to carve into my skin for what felt like hours. I could feel the markings being made were a mix of swirls, circles and different lines on my forehead. Then he began carving all over my body, anywhere visible atleast. He started on my legs and tops of my feet. Once he got to my burnt arm and hands I could not take it anymore and my body allowed me to faint.

~~~

Instead of standing on the water of the dark space, I was now kneeling in it, screaming with my hands on either side of my head. Voices sounded in the background, as if they were a mile away. Staring at my reflection in the water my skin was clear with no carvings or any kind of scars or wounds.

Instead down in perfect lines on either arm were runes and other symbols as if they were tattooed. Up the center of my neck were twelve rune like markings that I couldn't quite make out in the blurriness of the reflection.

My birthmark had a faint glow of gold like something was coming out from inside of me.

The water didn't ripple when two iron scaled boots walked and stopped in front of me. It had no reflection other than a shadowy mist with blue highlights coming through.

Slowly I looked up at the massive man covered in black iron armor that was adorned with skulls and spikes. The smell of mint lingered off of him. His face aged with a medium length salt and peppered beard, yet still so handsome. Long black hair draped around his strong features. Looking as though he was about to go to battle yet had no weapons or shields.

Staring down at me with pure milky white eyes, slowly kneeling down placing his armored hand on the side of my face. This man did not scare me, instead felt like I could wrap my arms around him and he'd comfort me.

"If they won't help you. I will. You have to just hold on a bit longer."

His voice deep and grovely, nodding in agreement to him. At this point there was nothing for me to lose.

"You need to prove to them that you have not lost yourself."

~~~

Waking up abruptly from someone throwing ice cold water over me, shivering and heaving out breaths. Every breath felt as though glass was digging into me. Rust colored water pooled at my feet and soaked the dress.

"Perfect you're awake, now let's start." A new masked man strutted himself to a table behind me, I could hear him picking up something heavy. A woman was brought in being held with chains, she looked at me in horror sobbing.

I recognized her, she was one of the royal healers. When she lost her abilities she was trying to learn how to use herbs but just couldn't get a grasp on it.

Just focusing on the girl I didn't realize the man grabbed pliers until he ripped out my thumb nail, then my index and so on. After he was done with my right hand he moved to the left, then my feet. I screamed in agony between every nail being peeled off of my flesh.

When they were all off the woman was forced to heal them back, so he could do it again. And again. And again. When I was about to pass out the woman would make sure I stayed awake. This went on for hours, until the pain of it just became numb to me completely and I could no longer scream.

They put me in another room when they were done. The entire thing was painted solid white and lit up so bright I had to squint my eyes. It was so silent the only thing I could hear was my breath and heart beat.

The next few days or even weeks, anytime someone came in they would be covered head to toe in pure white. The only color I'd see was the color of my own blood. They would rip out my teeth, put my feet in boiling water, break my toes and fingers, sometimes even my arms or legs.

Dunk me repeatedly, nearly drowning me. Every time I was mortally hurt I'd be healed by that same weeping woman, they had cut her tongue out in front of me to show that she couldn't speak to me or anyone else.

With not having my poisons anymore my body was in withdrawals making things feel even worse, making me have splitting headaches, shaking, vomiting and having tantrums while no one was around.

The only thing keeping me sane was hearing that man's voice telling me to keep holding on and to not let them win. As well as seeing Rayna, June and Henry at the back of the room or running around me.

Ryland had trained me in being tortured, well definitely nothing like this. He prepared me for it and how I could get myself through this all. So hopefully it was going to be very long until I broke, unless I faked that I broke. They never told me or asked anything from me. I couldn't figure out why they were doing this other than just out of anger.

It must have been weeks of this, being fed and watered just enough to keep me alive. Frozen water dumped on me to get washed. The burns, whip marks and carvings were healing on their own but barely.

Infection had kicked in, the gashes and carvings pussed yellow and clear liquids.