Page 4
Story: Shadow of the Forsaken
Red doors.
My life aboard the prison ship revolved around those damn red doors.
Yet no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember what lay beyond them.
I forced myself to swallow the last bites of breakfast — a gloopy, cold gruel — just as the door to the cell block creaked open.
"Maderoth," Holden jeered from the end of the cell block. His heavy footsteps stomped towards my cell, making my stomach lurch. "Time for your next session."
Swallowing back the fear, I quickly scratched a new line on the cold iron floor with my spoon.
105.
105 days.
105 "volunteers" … whose faces would never be seen again.
Which unlucky soul would they choose today — choose to send with me to stand before those red doors?
"Hurry up!" the large asshole snapped, shaking the bars on my cell door.
I glared at him, forcing myself to stand. He'd been a prick at the Shifter stronghold, but now that he'd been made one of Frexin's prison guards, he took being an asshole to a whole new level.
Especially with me.
If I aimed for that spot on his jaw, I bet I could knock him out in a single punch, though.That'd teach him to keep his distance.
But Frexin had made the consequences of my resistance very clear the first day I'd arrived.
… A hand falling to the floor, its owner screaming and flailing as Frexin cleaned her blade and walked off …
No, I wouldnotbe punching the asshole today.
"Get on your fucking feet," Holden snarled, keys jangling in the lock. "Or do you want a reminder of how hard I can beat you without killing you?"
The door swung open with a loud creak as he glared down at me.
My stomach cramped at the reminder, and I lifted my hand to my cheek, wincing at the pain. Frexin wouldn't let him kill me, but beatings were more than acceptable.
At least it kept his attention mostly on me.
I shuffled forward to meethim, legs weak. Whatever happened behind those red doors was weakening me, day by day. And that fucking mage collar certainly wasn't helping.
Frexin had once told me it just dulled and blocked magic, but the strange metal did far more than that. Every second I wore it, it felt like my korra was being eroded away, bit by bit. And that horrible, suffocating numbness wasalwaysthere.
I staggered into the hall, and Holden grinned. He turned and slammed his club into the cell bars around us, the sound reverberating loudly enough to send a shiver down my spine.
My stomach sank.
"Wakey, wakey, everyone," he yelled. "It's that time again. Time for yourSaviortosaveanother one of you sorry shits. Why don't you come out and show her your appreciation?"
Fuck! Today was going to be bad.
I could avoid the other prisoners most of the time, but not when he roused them and pointed me out like that …
Gods. He was an asshole!
"Traitor!" a man called from the cell across from mine, his sunken eyes burning with cold hate.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4 (Reading here)
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 193
- Page 194
- Page 195
- Page 196
- Page 197
- Page 198
- Page 199
- Page 200
- Page 201
- Page 202
- Page 203
- Page 204
- Page 205
- Page 206
- Page 207
- Page 208
- Page 209
- Page 210
- Page 211
- Page 212
- Page 213
- Page 214
- Page 215
- Page 216