Page 28 of Dream Warrior (Dark-Hunter 16)
CHAPTER 10
Terrified, Delphine was thrown into a drak cell by one of Azura's handmaidens. The door slammed shut, sealing her inside with a sickening thud. There was no light whatsoever, and in the oppressive darkness she could hear something breathing. Where was it?
More importantly, what was it?
Worse, Azura had returned the containment collar to her neck. All she had was her bare hands for protection. Never had she felt more vulnerable.
"I'm getting really tired of being grabbed and tagged." For thousands of years, she'd fought without ever failing. Now she couldn't seem to move without screwing up.
Something coughed.
Delphine spun around, ready to battle. "Who's there?"
"Me." The voice was so weak that at first she didn't recognize it.
"M'Adoc?"
"Yes."
She followed the sound of the heavy breathing to find him somewhere on the ground near her feet. Now that she was closer, she could tell that the sharp breaths weren't from anger. Rather they were gasps of pain.
Afraid of stepping on him, she paused.
Still she couldn't see even the faintest of outlines for his body. "Are you all right?"
"Just peachy," he said in a tight tone that betrayed the excruciating pain he was in.
She reached to touch him only to have him let out an agonized curse. It felt as if there was blood on her fingers and when he'd jerked, she heard some kind of heavy chain rattle.
"Don't touch me."
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I can't see."
"Just. . . stay... put."
"Is there any light here?"
He coughed. "You don't want it lit."
"Why not?"
She heard something skittering across the room. Terrified, she turned, trying to see it in the darkness. But there was nothing there at all.
"Trust me, child. You don't want to see what's in here with us."
Something rattled around the door, making the hair on the back of her neck rise. She didn't like this. Not even a little. "Are you chained?"
"Yes."
"Can I free you?"
"No. They have the chains embedded through my body."
Her stomach clenched. How horrifying. Most of all, how could he stand the pain he had to be in? "Why are we here?"
"To be fed to the things that call this place home."
Raw, unmitigated terror filled her. "What?" She panicked even more.
"Calm down, Delphine. You have to."
She heard the skittering again. Turning around, she tried to locate it.
"They attack when they sense fear. You must control your emotions. I know it's hard, but concentrate."
Her heart pounded so hard, she was amazed it wasn't flying out of her chest. It didn't help when she stumbled and fell over a broken skeleton on the ground. The moment she did, something unknown touched her leg.
"What? Who's here?"
"Shhhh," M'Adoc breathed soothingly. "Calm down."
If he said that one more time, she would scream. "Why won't you tell me the answer?"
"Because I'm trying not to scare you more. Just breathe slowly. Think about something comforting."
Delphine closed her eyes. In the past, her mother would have come to her mind. But today, it was an image of Jericho smiling at her that made her feel safe. Protected.
The skittering backed away.
"That's my girl."
She pushed herself up slowly. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"Keep the monsters from winning this war. You have to make sure that Noir is stopped no matter what."
That's what she intended to do. "I'm trying, M'Adoc."
She heard him curse in pain before he spoke again. "You're a brave woman, Delphine. You always were."
She rubbed at the chills on her arms. "I don't feel brave, especially not right now."
"That's what bravery is, especially for a woman not used to having emotions. When you feel deep, paralyzing fear and you don't let it stop you, that is true courage. There's never bravery without fear. Just as there's no love without hate."
She wasn't sure if that was true or not. Her experience with emotions was too recent. The concept of bravery seemed beyond her understanding. "Why did they put you here?"
"I wouldn't give them what they wanted. I refused to convert and join Noir's plans. Besides, Zeus was more cruel than this when he rounded us up to punish us for his dreams. Noir and Azura have nothing on him. Beatings and torture I can take."
Delphine shivered as she remembered some of her own beatings. Though Oneroi were immune to emotions, the ability to feel and experience pain had stayed with them. For one thing, it wasn't truly an emotion, it was a physical response to being hurt, and for the other, it allowed Zeus and the other gods to punish them when they stepped over the rules. "What about the others? Did they convert?"
"M'Ordant's dead." She heard the tears in his voice as he said that, and her own heart ached at the loss. M'Ordant had been a stickler for the rules, but at the same time, he'd been a good Oneroi. And a great friend.
Any time she'd needed backup, he'd been there to help. She would miss him greatly. 'They killed him days ago when he refused to eat their poison."
She didn't want to ask the next question and yet she had to know the answer. "What about D'Alerian?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen him since we were captured. Part of me hopes he's dead, too, rather than being tortured like I've been. I know they'd never get him to convert, either. May the gods help him wherever he is."
She groaned in frustration. "Why are they doing this to us? There are other pantheons out there."
"But not with the Oneroi. It's our powers they crave. More than that, Zeus banning our emotions made the Skoti an easy target. Noir was able to infiltrate our ranks by promising to return their feelings to them. Stupid, gullible bastards believing his lies."
"It's not entirely their fault. He's drugging them."
"I know. They tried to drug me, too."
