Page 70

Glaide

He's been silent for days.

I stroll down the tall hallways painted with Amara and her worshippers.

Ivy and I are hand in hand, wearing professional attire.

I put on a classic black suit, while Ivy picked a modest scarlet sundress.

Ivy has makeup in her purse and I carry a longer white suit with branches embroidered in it, symbolizing a new start to life.

Amara requested me a week before to make this suit.

It's to be expected since I've been making his suits since he discovered my knack for tailoring, but this feels weird.

Usually, Amias would speak to me weeks before and talk about the details.

Amara herself doesn't come to me, and she's never come to Ivy to put makeup on Amias.

Then Amara never made us sign confidentiality contracts either until now. They stated that if we talk about what happened inside the castle, we would be subject to a punishment of her choosing.

Things are starting to feel off.

“How bad does Amias look for him to need makeup.” Ivy has her brows perked. “She wouldn't tell me why, so I'm a bit confused.”

“It's all weird. Amias is never this quiet. Fuck, I've never signed a contract before with them!” I shake my head. “I know this whole dreamscreecher situation is fucked up, but I thought he would talk to me a little more. Especially if he's going through this ceremony.”

“Yeah, I understand,” she sighs. “Him being your best friend and all.”

We continue walking towards his room when I hear whimpering and heavy breathing. We halt and exchange looks.

My brows scrunch as I try to recognize the person.

That sounds like… “Amias?”

I whip my head to the door on our right side, with guards on either side of the door.

I rush to open the door when a guard steps in the way. “We can't allow you to pass.”

My nose flares. “That's my friend!”

“This room is not for friends to go in.” The guard growls.

“I'll have you know that we are here to work for Amara!” Ivy puts her hands on her hips. “I'm a makeup artist and Glaide here is Amias’ designer. We have the contracts if you need proof. We’re meant to see him!”

The guard pauses, glancing between her and me. Then finally he steps aside, letting me through the door. “Don't get any ideas.”

I find him there, sprawled on the ground with a line of black and blue bruises across his neck.

“Oh shit!” I slide down to the ground beside him, my heart pounding. Shit! What do I do? “What happened?”

“I'm going to kill Ignatia,” he whimpers, tears streaking his cheeks. “I'm going to kill her.”

I sneer. Seriously? This dreamscreecher is what he’s worried about? “Come on! Focus on yourself, man!”

“I don't want to kill her!” he cries, between shallow breaths. “I don't want to kill her.”

“Amias, I-”

“Glaide!” I snap my head up to Ivy, who gives me a sympathetic pout. “He doesn't need you to yell at him. Be his friend.” She glances towards the door. “I'll go find help.”

I suck in a deep breath and realize she's right. Yelling won't make him stop panicking.

“It's alright,” I whisper, holding his shoulders. “It's okay. It's going to be alright. Just breathe, Amias.”

“I don't want to kill her.”

“I know. I know you don't. You won't.”

“But you can't be so sure!” His breaths get shorter and his eyes shift. “I could-”

“Calm down.” I exaggerate my next inhale to demonstrate, squeezing his shoulders. “Just breathe.”

It takes him a few trembling breaths to even realize what I was instructing, telling from his lack of response. Then he follows along, mimicking me as I breathe slowly in and out. We keep doing it until his breath steadies. “Are you calm?”I ask.

He nods quickly. “Yeah…” Tears glaze his eyes again. “I'm so sorry. I wish you didn't have to see me like that.”

“No. It's okay.” I smile. “I'm your friend, through arguments and panic attacks and everything else.”

“But I look so stupid!” he cries. “What kind of a prince am I? I'm so… pathetic…”

“No,” my voice turns stern. “A panic attack doesn't make you pathetic.

You could have a million panic attacks and I would never degrade you like that.

It certainly doesn't bother me now when you've clearly suffered a lot.” I look over at his face.

He's got a bruise on his right cheek and darker eye bags.

There's a subtle thinness to his face telling me he hasn't eaten since I last visited.

My heart drops. The contract. The makeup. She's trying to cover this up.

Oh… fuck!

“What's happening? Why? You look like shit!” I squeeze his shoulder again. My own body shudders with dread. “I thought this was a ceremony you agreed on. Did you?”

He shakes his head. “Do you think I'd wish this upon myself?”

I should've known. “Amara is forcing you?”

“She's gone mad thinking this ceremony is best for me. She's been doing the extreme to make it happen.”

I look down to his neck. That kind of bruise doesn't come from an accident. “Did she choke you?”

He glances down, before facing me. “Yeah, she did.”

My jaw slowly drops, making my muscles freeze. There ain't no way… But she's the Gift of Love…

“I'm okay though,” Amias murmurs. “She didn't kill me. She's doing what she thinks is best and doesn't realize she's taking it too far.”

“That's bullshit, Amias!” I shout, but I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “I hate dreamscreechers. I wish they were all dead, but I would never choke you to change your mind!”

“She thought it was necessary when I first confessed. I've been resisting but she keeps choking me with the flowers. It's not right but she's just scared-”

“She’s done this multiple times?” My muscles tense as cold blood rushes through my veins. I’m going to beat the shit out of Amara next time I lay eyes on her.

If this is what Amara's idea of love is, I have to reconsider that idea about dreamscreechers.

Amias raises his hands up defensively. “It’s extreme, and fucked up, but she's clouded by judgement. She's the Gift of Love. She wouldn't-”

“If she's strangling over this, she's trying to control you.” I groan. “This isn't right. I don't care what excuse she makes.”

“Hey!” I look up to see Ivy with Dr.Kurt.

“I got help.” I nod as he comes down and examines his neck.

He touches two fingers around his neck, each time causing Amias to suck in air.

He then uses an instrument to look inside Amias’ mouth before taking a shot from the briefcase he brought and injects him in the shoulder.

What in the name of love is this?

Amias shrieks as Dr.Kurt rests a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” the doctor whispers.

After Dr. Kurt examines him one last time, I ask, “How many times has this happened?”

He sighs, “I can't disclose that.”

“Because it's confidential?”

“I can't disclose that either.” He bows his head. “It's horrible, and I don't agree with anything going on, but I have a family to feed and I can't afford to be punished under Amara.”

“What even is that?” I gesture my hand towards the shot in his hand. “What kind of shit are you injecting him with?”

“Pain medication.” He furrows his brow before shoving past me. My teeth clench as the door shuts behind him. Fucking coward.

Amias pushes himself up against the wall and I sit beside him. Ivy takes a seat on the other side of him.

Amias closes his eyes, leaning his head into the wall. “I'm tired.” He sniffles. “She’s far away now, but what if I find her again? What if I kill her?”

My brows scrunch. He was much better when he was with her. Even with the crazy delusions, he seemed much more alive, and happier.

“Well, she's a dreamscreecher. Does that…” Ivy’s voice drifts. Her lips twitch as she looks at the floor. “Doesn't that scare you?”

Amias shakes his head, leaning a cheek against the wall beside her. “She saved my life. Three times. I’m not afraid of her.” He then turns over to me. “She loved me. The flower even glowed for us. She really loved me.”

He lets out a sob before stopping to wipe the tears from his cheeks. Meanwhile I'm silently churning out ideas. I don't think the cleansing ceremony will help him. It’ll only make his condition worse.

“We have to get you out of here,” I say firmly. “I'm not letting you go through this.”

“No! I can't!” He grabs my arm as I push myself off the floor.

I stay still and meet his panicked eyes again.

“Grandmother will come after me, and I'll be dragged back here.

Worse yet, it will encourage her to hunt Ignatia down and kill her too!

The only way I can escape this is by convincing Grandmother.

I'm only lucky she isn't looking for Ignatia herself right now.” He glances towards Ivy.

“And… I don't want you two to get punished.”

“I don't care about getting punished. I will do what I can to help my best friend.”

“If her punishment is anything like I've experienced, I don't want you to go through it. Besides, I'll be caught with all the guards around here and all of my efforts would be erased if I escape. I don't need Grandmother to follow Ignatia.”

My heart drops. “There's no way you're convincing her.”

“I know.” He smiles softly with tears coating his eyes. “I know. All I can do is try.”

I fall silent, before leaning back against the wall. He's right. If the key is to keep Ignatia safe, he's right.

“Can you promise me one thing?” he murmurs.

I nod quickly, realizing my lip is throbbing. Why? I don't know. I bite it to stop it.

“Don't let me kill Ignatia. Whatever you do.” He sucks air through his teeth. “Please. Kill me if you need to. Just don't let me kill Ignatia.”

My lips throb even more, and my vision starts to blur with warm tears. Fuck! Why does it feel like I'm losing him? Like he's dying or some shit? And I have to let it happen?

“I won't.” I force my trembling lips to smile. “I promise, you won't kill Ignatia.”

He smiles and leans back against the wall. “Good.”

I take a deep breath to hold in my own tears, sitting beside him until a guard demands to get on with preparations from the door.

It's a solemn time, but at least Ivy seems to be able to joke around enough to distract him, at least for a little bit.

It does little to distract me, but I try to keep in mind her jokes too.

I try to make sure his suit is put on perfectly. I feel like there's a knife piercing my heart with each minute, but instead of pain, there's guilt.

I should've known something was off when I signed that damn contract.