Page 16 of Galadon (Dragon’s Breath #8)
Galadon
Agony, unlike anything I’d felt in a long time, suffused my chest and back. Consciousness came to me in slow, gasping breaths. I resisted opening my eyelids, though the light filtering through them told me it was daytime now. The discomfort of hanging suspended by my arms made it the most difficult to return to sleep. My strained shoulders begged for me to take the weight from them and change positions. With that thought, my eyes snapped open.
“You’re an idiot,” Rayna said from where she lay staked to the ground, staring at me with a pained scowl.
My gaze darted to her, relieved to find the knife gone from her chest and no fresh injuries. Astaroth had concentrated on me last night. My suffering was worth it if that kept him away from her. I just needed to find a way to free us or buy time until Lorcan brought others to rescue us. It was strange to think anyone would come for either of us, but I believed they’d be here as soon as they could.
The only tricky part was how they’d find us. With my magic blocked, I had no idea where we were, but it wasn’t close to the nest. There wasn’t any sign of life near us. Likely, the sorcerer had done that intentionally, so we’d be challenging to locate.
I looked down at my ravaged chest, noting some of my deeper wounds still seeped blood. Others were partially closed, but there were far too many for my body to heal quickly. This didn’t bode well, considering the torture had stopped near dawn. I estimated I’d had over eight hours to rest since Astaroth left. The loss of my magic would slow down my recovery as well.
Taking in Rayna in the daylight, rage filled me at the numerous injuries covering her body. The thin tank top and shorts she wore barely covered much of her, and both were stained dark red from blood. She’d been tortured everywhere except her face, which was oddly intact as if the Kandoran was saving that part for last. I didn’t want to think about what the tainted sorcerer planned for her next.
“I saw what happened when you were taken two nights ago,” I said with a growl. “You had to know I wouldn’t ignore that.”
She let out a mirthless laugh. “I’d hoped you would anyway since you promised.”
“For one thing, I didn’t promise. Those weren’t my words.” I’d avoided any kind of true vow because I knew I was likely to break it with her penchant for danger. “For another, just because I don’t want to bond with you doesn’t mean I don’t care. There is no world in which I wouldn’t come for you if you were in trouble.”
Until that moment, I hadn’t realized that hard truth. I might have known it deep down, but seeing her now, I had to admit I couldn’t stand to watch her suffering. It was far better for her to be healthy and driving me insane than this.
She sighed and stared up at the sky. “And this is why you’re far more capable of hurting me than that madman could ever manage.”
I winced. One thing about Rayna was she never failed to be blunt. “I’m sorry for that, najeema .”
“What does that mean?” she asked, frowning at me. I knew she could understand some of my language, but apparently, not that word.
I hesitated and cleared my throat. “Bright star.”
“Mixed signals, Galadon.” Rayna squeezed her eyes shut. “Using terms of endearment is not helping either of us.”
It wasn’t as if I’d meant for the word to come out, but it had escaped my lips before I could stop it. “I know.”
She turned her head away. I tried drawing her into another conversation, but no matter what I said, she wouldn’t look in my direction or speak again. She was focusing her pain and anger toward me. If that helped her get through this, so be it. I certainly deserved as much for all I’d done to her.
Several hours passed as the sun beat down on us. The day was especially warm, and we both sweated profusely, leaving streaks through the dried blood on our bodies. Flies swarmed around us as well. All we could do was wiggle or shake our heads to try scaring them off, yet they always returned.
Rayna studiously avoided my gaze, all while she tried adjusting her body every few minutes as the discomfort of her position bothered her. I understood since I was desperate to sit or lie down—never mind the insects irritating me. Anytime I relaxed, though, all my weight went into my wrists and shoulders. The strain grew worse the longer I was awake, and it occurred to me that it was another kind of torture inflicted by Astaroth, so we suffered while he was away.
Finally, as the sun started to dip in the sky, footsteps approached. I caught sight of the Kandoran group heading toward us with their robes fluttering in the breeze. Astaroth led the way, studying us both as he reached us.
“Good, you’re both awake. I hope your reunion was lovely.”
Rayna scowled at him. “Fuck you.”
“You have such a filthy mouth that doesn’t suit your pretty face,” he said, giving her a reproachful look.
She rolled her eyes. “My heart bleeds for you.”
“Ha, ha, it will soon enough.” He turned to me. “And how has your day been? I do hope you’re comfortable and feel you’re getting fair treatment.”
“These chains leave a little to be desired,” I said, attempting to shift on my bare feet, but I couldn’t do more than wiggle my toes.
Astaroth nodded. “Then all is as it should be.” He beckoned at his followers, and one of them handed him a wooden box, opening it so he could pull out something that resembled a large cheese grater. “I think we’ll use this on the slayer since we spent so little time on her last night. Dear Rayna is undoubtedly feeling neglected.”
“No!” I jerked on my chains, knowing how that could be used since I’d seen my mother handle something similar while cooking. She had a few human meals she’d learned in recent years that she liked to prepare. “Leave her and torture me instead.”
The sorcerer chuckled, handing the grater to a female acolyte. “Oh, we’ll work on both of you this evening. Not to worry, shifter.”
I watched as the young woman with red-rimmed eyes moved toward Rayna with malicious intent. “Where should I start first, Master?”
“Her thighs will do.”
She kneeled next to the slayer, adjusting her robe so the front opening revealed a familiar pair of pink pants they’d stolen from the tower. It was one more insult on top of the others. Then she grabbed one of Rayna’s outstretched legs where previous cuts were partially healed. I shook with the need to stop this and yelled obscenities, but no one paid attention to me.
Astaroth and the other two followers watched with an anticipation that infuriated me as the female started on Rayna. I tried to meet the slayer's gaze and give her what comfort I could, but she’d closed her eyes and clenched her mouth shut as her skin was slowly shredded. I pulled and yanked against my chains to no avail, wishing for greater strength as they destroyed her skin.
The older sorcerer let it go on for a few minutes before directing his attention to me. He took another item from the box—a long serrated knife—and moved to block my view of Rayna, where she’d begun to scream. Astaroth stabbed me in the lower stomach and pulled the blade up toward my ribs, slicing me wide open. My pained shouts mingled with the slayer’s.
“Music to my ears,” the Kandoran said, chuckling. “We’re going to have so much fun today.”
What happened next was beyond anything I imagined a human could do to another living being, but these were no ordinary people. They lacked souls. The sorcerers took turns inflicting wounds on us, getting more creative as they went. Each time we blacked out, they simply awakened us again before resuming.
It felt like hours passed before he forced a full canteen of water down each of our throats. I gulped it greedily, uncaring that it didn’t taste right. It wet my dry mouth and satiated some of my thirst. In less than a minute, though, my lids grew heavy. He’d drugged the contents to ensure we’d sleep for however long he wished.