Painful Memories

Chapter 9

Consciousness came in the form of nausea and dizziness. I opened my eyes, then quickly shut them again as my surroundings tilted and blurred. My head was pounding, my mind foggy. My tongue was stuck to the roof of my dry mouth, and I slowly unpeeled it, swallowing rapidly to form saliva.

Where was I? How had I gotten here? The last thing I remembered was arriving at Nepptheas' gates and someone ambushing me. My body ached like someone had slammed me against the seafloor, repeatedly. Twinges of pain shot through my collarbone, making my eyes water. Nausea swirled in my stomach and I barely turned my head in time, retching.

After the nausea subsided, I took a deep breath. I sat in the center of a room, tied to yet another chair. It was small and utilitarian, a medium-sized table with a couple chairs pushed up against the back wall.

Shelves filled with paper and books lined each wall, the spines of the latter so worn I couldn't make out their titles. My hands were bound behind my back, the rope digging into my wrists. A door was at the very front of the room, but it may have well have been on the other side of the ocean for the good it'd do me.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice small in the silence. "Ronan? Anyone?" As the words left my mouth, the door opened. I held my breath as someone swam in, a worn black cloak covering their features. My heart was slamming against my rib cage, as if it were trying to escape. My vision blurred, then cleared, blurred then cleared.

When the door closed behind them, they removed their hood, revealing familiar raven-black hair and worried eyes. A sigh of relief escaped his lips, but it quickly turned into concern as he focused on my face. Ronan's eyes were filled with so much concern that it all but stole the water from my lungs. "What did they do to you?" He asked, voice filled with horror.

At first I didn't know what he was talking about, but he quickly pulled a small mirror out of his pocket, handing it to me. I gasped in horror at my reflection. Multiple bruises marred my face, ranging in severity from bad to manageable. My left eye was blackened, nearly swollen shut, marring my vision just slightly. I tasted blood in my mouth and, as I licked my lips, I felt tiny cuts on them. I must have bitten my tongue again. My head had never stopped pounding, the pain almost unbearable now. "When I found you outside the palace, you were all but unconscious."

My eyes widened. So I hadn't imagined his voice. He had really been there. He opened his mouth to speak again, but the sound of voices outside the room stopped him. When he looked at me, he put a finger to his lips. I nodded. A knock on the door had me flinching.

He swam to the door, opening it just wide enough for me to see a flash of blonde hair. He bowed, the mermaid inclining her head in response. "Your Majesty," he said.

Aunt Naia swam in, eyes focused on me. She wrinkled her nose at the smell, but didn't comment on it. When she bent down and took my chin in her hand, it was all I could do not to jerk away. "Oh, Izzy. You just couldn't let it go, could you?" Her voice was hard, edged with malice.

"You threatened to kill my family. Did you really think I would just ignore that? You really don't know me at all, do you?" The words were cold, harsh.

She laughed. "I know you a lot better than you think." I wondered what she meant by that, but didn't have time to dwell on it. Without another word, she let me go and swam over to Ronan.

"For instance," she said over her shoulder as she stopped in front of him, "I know you would do almost anything to protect those you love. Would you do the same for a traitor?"

My blood froze at her words. Ronan's face drained of color, his eyes meeting mine. "You think I wouldn't notice one of my own guards betraying me?" She nodded at another guard whom I hadn't noticed before. The burly merman took her place, throwing a cruel grin over to me.

"No," I said, my heart stopping as realization washed over me. "Please. I'll do whatever you want. Just don't hurt him." My voice broke as tears filled my eyes.

I struggled against my restraints, but it was no use. I was still too weak from the concussion. "What did you tell her?" Aunt Naia asked, her words sharp as daggers.

Ronan's face was blank. "Nothing, your Majesty."

Clearly, it wasn't what Aunt Naia wanted to hear, because she nodded again at the merman, who drew his fist back and punched Ronan. I screamed as his head snapped back, the blow making the chair wobble dangerously on three legs. He spat out a mouthful of blood as the chair slowly back came to rest on four legs, his left eye matching my own. When he looked at me, he subtly shook his head, begging me not to intervene.

"What did you tell her, Ronan?" Aunt Naia repeated, her voice cold as ice now. "I can do this all day. There's two ways this stops: you falling unconscious, or you finally confessing the secrets you divulged."

I pulled and pulled against my restraints, but they never budged. "Please," I cried. "Please, stop hurting him."

Ronan turned his head to the side, spat out a mouthful of blood, then glared at Aunt Naia. When it became clear that he wouldn't speak, she shook her head. "I didn't want to do this, really, but you left me no choice, Ronan."

His eyes widened as she swam over to me. I screamed, thrashing against my restraints so violently that my own chair wobbled, going from four legs to three, four to three. The merman finally swam over to us, grasping the back of the chair and slamming the legs back onto the seafloor. I jolted forward. The impact made my teeth rattle in my skull, blood filling my mouth as I bit my tongue once again.

"I can see you handle torture surprisingly well, but can you handle watching it be done to someone else?" Her voice was filled with venom, fury tightening her words. The merman grinned at me, eyes filled with cruelty.

Ronan's mouth opened, but before he could utter a sound, the pain began. The merman clapped a hand on my collarbone, ripping open the wound once again. Living bands of lightning shot through my blood, traveling up and down my arms, leaving an unbearable burning sensation in their wake. The scream that came out of me was bloodcurdling. Spots swam in my vision as it again blurred and cleared, blurred and cleared.

Now it was Ronan's turn to beg. "Please," he said, voice ragged. "I'll tell you everything. Just stop hurting her."

As the words left his mouth, the merman withdrew his hand. My entire body trembled in pain and shock, tears filling my eyes and spilling down my cheeks. "No," I choked out, voice hoarse from screaming. "Ronan, don't."

He locked eyes with me once again, the resigned look in them breaking my heart. Aunt Naia grinned, the sight making my blood boil. "Smart choice."

My head lolled on my shoulder, the pain finally slowing enough for me to breathe. I took ragged breaths, my body protesting at the movement, however small. Ronan's voice was muffled, but I assumed that was because of the concussion. I couldn't make out the words, but every once in a while, I heard Aunt Naia interjecting, her voice muffled as well.

I didn't think I'd ever craved the blackness, the unconsciousness more. If anything, it would make the pain disappear. I knew that it wouldn't help Ronan, but, gods, the pain was unbearable. "I'm sorry, Ronan," I whispered, my voice barely-audible as the blackness swallowed me up.

Read and review!