Aella
Sweat trickled downmy nose—slow, tickling, and unseen in the dark. To wipe it away was to line my prison with more shredded skin.
I shuddered, biting my lip hard. Pain sent a jolt to my brain and I peeled my eyes open. It made no difference to the dark, but falling asleep made a difference to my life.
That bread stopped me from feeling hunger, thirst, and the burning urge to pee. It did nothing to stop me from needing to sleep.
And that’s by design. They want me to wobble on shaking legs, desperately fighting to stay awake while pointed sentries haunted the dark. After one night, anyone trapped in here is begging to give Headmaster Drakos everything he wants.
Don’t let him break you. Stay awake, Aella.
Stay awake.
***
THE MAIDEN REVEALEDher prize, and my blood graced the stone before me. I followed, collapsing in a heap on the ground.
“Get up, girl.”
Commander Vasili grabbed my forearms. My blood slicked his hold, dropping me right back on the floor.
“Ahh!” Pain ravaged my entire front and the half of my face unfortunate enough to meet the spikes. “P-please... help...”
“I said get up.”
I tried. Pushing up, my ruined hands dumped me flat. The world spun as two pairs of boots paused by either side of my head.
The commander and a man my double vision didn’t recognize hooked me under the arms. I knew nothing other than I was moving. Leaving. My leather-wrapped toes knocked against each step as they carried me up.
I lifted my head and it lolled, tipping my chin to the ceiling. “How... long?”
I wasn’t asking them. I was speaking to the shifting, morphing horror of the goddess. She was with me as the hours bled. Always with me, always laughing, but this time she didn’t hurt me. I was in too much pain to feel more.
“Three days.”
Cool air hit my face. A welcome gift before the wall of sound.
Voices. Stomping. Chairs scraping. Instructions shouted. It bowled me over then under, making me squeeze my eyes shut at the sudden assault on my senses.
“—battle strategy.”
“I have to study for this history test first. How about we...? Gods.”
The voices, the stomping, the scraping, the shouting—all stopped.
“Who is that?”
“Where did she come from?”
“Reflection room.” “Reflection room.” “Reflection room.”
The name bounced off the walls in every direction and stuck to me. It lingered on me long after they faded.
Along the marble floor, my toes dragged, trailing the way to Headmaster Drakos’s office. My eyes adjusted over the threshold. The sun must’ve been high outside, but it was near pitch black in here.
Drakos stood behind his desk, Madame Remis by his side.
“Welcome, Miss Galanis. Please, join us.”