Hidden Bite (Book 3 of Bite Trilogy)

Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Prison Cell

I was clutching my chest when I abruptly got up from that sleep. The beads of sweat were swelling on my forehead. I could feel the intense pounding of my veins, how my eyes dilated against this darkness, and the thinning air that made me feel absolutely desperate to breathe. My other hand was clawing the ground with those elongated sharp nails.

"Y-you okay, Zen?"

The familiar voice of Seth slowly calmed me down. He tapped my shoulder while Blair caressed my back. "Nightmare."

Seth and Blair stayed beside me, while Rosh was staring at me, sitting with straightened cross legs on the ground, back against the prison bars behind him, and with his arms over his chest.

I irritatingly wiped those tears from the side of my eyes. "Divina. . . she visited my sleep. My daughter visited my sleep," my voice started to tremble.

Walang nagsalita sa kanila at nanatili silang pinagmamasdan ako. "She told me that I have to save these kids."

"We will," Rosh replied.

His balled fist hit on the ground.

Unlike the prison cell in Parsua Sartorias, this place has no enough lamps that would accommodate the whole place. There were only two old lamps and one from it was so dim that couldn't even brighten its own spot. Even the smell was so rotten, that made me think that we were slowly getting poisoned.

I noticed how Blair and Seth cowered from that little amount of light and remained hidden under the darkness, while Rosh was facing them as if avoiding something to see. . .

Marahas na akong napatayo at nagtungo sa rehas. I held those bars as I tried to look more closely in front of us, and when I finally understood why Rosh, Blair and Seth couldn't find strength to see the light, I took two steps backward with my widened eyes. Until my knees buckled and I fell on the ground again, my palms pressed, and arms were shaking, not just to support myself but with the realization I've witnessed.

"W-why are they so. . ."

"Ang dami na nila," Blair said in his restraint voice.

Huminga nang malalim si Rosh at tumingala sa itaas. "Can you still remember how Claret freed those women in slavery? She was sent inside this similar cell. I couldn't help but imagine her feelings," bulong ni Rosh.

"And she was alone," dagdag ni Seth.

"She's always been a brave priestess— a warrior," mahinang sabi ni Blair.

Muli akong sumulyap sa mga batang ngayon ay puro nakalugmok sa bawat kulungan at tila wala nang mga buhay sa kanilang mga mata. Karamihan sa kanila'y tila mga buto't balat na.

Claret witnessed a similar scene before, she was alone, heartbroken, and in pain, but she took all her courage to free all of them. Fate must be playing with me, letting me experience how my mate struggled when she once fought for our love.

Na hindi naging biro ang laban at sakripisyo niya upang ibalik ako sa mundong ito, pero ang tanging ginawa ko'y pumayag sa isang kasunduan na hindi man lang inisip ang hinaharap. She might have shared this experience before, but to witness it with my own eyes and be trapped in the similar situation. 

How can I unlove my mate for being so selfless and brave? Habang pilit niya akong ibinabalik noon napakarami niyang pinagdaanan, ngunit ang tanging nagawa ko lang ay isakripisyo ang aming hinaharap.  

I wiped the tears by my arms. Lumapit ako kay Blair at hinarap siya. Hinawakan ko ang magkabilang balikat niya. "Who are those? Narinig kong kinausap mo sila."