Page 99 of This Dark Descent
I will die here, she thought back.I will break.
Be strong, little lion.
She didn’t know how long she hung there. It could have been hours or days. Had the Illinir finished? Had Damien freed himself and left her here to die?
She flinched at every sound. Shied away at every hint of light. Only the voice kept her company, muttering a quiet litany of promises that soothed her. Without it, fear was her only companion. Fear, and the knowledge that when they came back, she would break, and she hated them for it. For taking away her carefully wrought power, for breaking her down to flesh and bone and terror.
We will make them regret every cut, soothed the voice, and Ari clung to it.We will make them afraid.
Noises scratched through the darkness. Bone-deep growls, high-pitched inhuman keens, and pained groans. She shut her eyes against them and told herself she was imagining them, but then she thought about a cold knife against her skin, of Kyvin’s empty eyes, of the knowledge that even if she made it through this agony, there would be another waiting.
Be fearless, my love.
Ari choked on a sob, unable to stop the feeling of utter helplessness that descended over her.
You deserve this, she thought.All of this.
But another one rose above it.You are magnificent, Arielle Kadar.
A door opened down the hall. She recoiled, but there was nowhere to go. She turned away from a sudden glaring light, but not before she caught a glimpse of a face. Older, with thinning auburn hair and a neatly trimmed beard.
Not Kyvin.
Someone worse?
The door swung open, revealing an exhausted man with pale skin and a smattering of freckles across the bridge of his sharp nose.
There was something familiar about him.
He winced when he saw Ari and set his enchanted lantern on the ground. “I’ve come to help you.”
Gently, he lowered her to the ground. First her toes, then the pads of her feet, then the weight of her body upon her knees—they buckled immediately, striking stone. She barely felt the resounding impact.
As her arms fell before her, the muscles screaming at the slightest movement, she swayed dangerously, but the man was already there, careful of her wounds as he held her upright. He pulled a bottle from his pocket and uncorked it, pressing it to her lips.
“Drink,” he said. “This will help with the pain.”
She turned her face away.
“Please.” He sounded desperate. “I’m a friend. My name is Keirian Rusel. You know my daughter, Mikira.”
He could be telling the truth, but Rezek would know that too. The thought sent a shiver through her. Surely, he wouldn’t create this elaborate ploy just to get her to drink something he could easily force down her throat.
She allowed Keirian to tip the liquid into her mouth. It tasted of honey and began to work almost immediately, the sharp edges of her pain dulling into something manageable. When he helped her to her feet, she could stand, though she felt weak and disconnected.
“I can take you as far as the nearest exit,” he said as they proceeded painstakingly from the cell and down the corridor. The enchanted lantern swung from one of his wrists. “But I mustn’t be seen you with at any cost. I’m sorry I can’t do more. My daughter—” His voice choked into silence.
She mourned the loss of it. Hearing it made her feel real again. It made her feel safe.
“I know you’re working with her to win the Illinir,” Keirian continued as they approached the end of the hall. “Thank you.”
It was all Ari could do to remember to breathe, but she managed a small nod.
As they neared the door, something in the last cell moved. Ari flinched, then peered closer. The creature inside seemed neither man nor animal. With piercing blue eyes and shaggy yellow fur, it huddled over itself, its ribs pressing against thin, sallow skin. It lifted its head, revealing a mouth crowded with sharp teeth. Then they were through the threshold and into a small room, and Ari struggled to hold on to the image.
Keirian turned left, and Ari fell into the rhythm of her steps. Left, right. Left, right—then a sound. They both stopped. There was nowhereto hide as another light curved around ahead of them. A Kelbra guard filled the hallway holding an enchanted lantern. His other hand dropped to the revolver at his waist.
Inside, Ari screamed. She would not go back to that cell. She would not—the guard’s eyes went wide, and he crumpled. A small dart stuck out from the back of his neck, and behind him stood Reid wearing a Kelbra uniform.
