Chained to old wounds

CH33

Morgan

Pain, a dull ache throbbing behind my eyes, ripped me from unconsciousness. Disoriented, I blinked against the oppressive darkness, my throat parched and raw. Tentatively, I tried to move, only to find my wrists bound tightly behind my back. Panic clawed at my throat, but I forced it

down. Any noise, any movement, might alert my captors, whoever and wherever they were.

The air was thick and damp, the stench of mildew and something metallic filling my nostrils. Blood? Metal? Definitely stale water. Straining my ears, I picked up the murmur of voices. I recognized Keiji’s voice. There were others with him too, voices I vaguely recalled as belonging to some of the Elders.

“…we can’t leave her alive,” a voice, raspy and laced with fear, declared.

“But what about the veil?” another Elder, a woman with a calmer voice, countered. “She may be the key to lifting it finally. She can pass–

“Stabilizing it or weakening it?” The first voice shot back. “We can’t risk Tsuneo gaining any more favor. He is not even awake and yet he is still favored.”

A tense silence followed, broken only by the dripping of water somewhere deep within the cave. Then another voice, older and male, spoke, his voice tight with concern.

“Perhaps… there’s another way. The old texts mention a forced bond. We could…” He trailed off, leaving the horrifying implication hanging in the air. “To Prince Keiji. Have you brought the potion?”

My stomach lurched. A bond, forced upon me, with someone like Keiji… the mere thought of it sent a fresh wave of terror coursing through me. Escape. I needed to escape. But how?

A quick survey of my surroundings revealed nothing promising. The cave was dark beyond the soft light coming from ahead of me. My weapon was hopelessly out of reach with my hands bound behind me back. Even if I could reach it, I had no idea how many people were out there.

Despair threatened to engulf me, but I forced it back. I refused to give up. There had to be a way out. My gaze darted around the cave, searching for anything that could be used as a weapon, a tool, anything. A sliver of hope flickered in the darkness. A loose rock, nestled in a shallow crevice near my bound feet, offered the faint possibility

Focusing on the rock, I willed myself to ignore the throbbing in my head and the growing tightness in my chest. I needed to loosen the rock first, then maybe, just maybe, I could use it to

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shred the ropes.

I moved slowly towards it. My bound wrists scraped against the rough cave floor, the raw skin protesting with each tentative movement.

–

Sweat beaded on my forehead, the damp air clinging to my skin like a second, clammy layer. The voices – thankfully still arguing seemed to grow louder, their urgency a constant reminder of the dwindling time. Inching my body back, I managed to nudge the rock slightly closer. It wasn’t

much, but it was a start.

Suddenly, the murmur of voices ceased. An unsettling silence settled over the cave, broken only by the dripping of water and the frantic hammering of my heart. My breath hitched. They were coming.

With a surge of adrenaline, I threw all my remaining strength into a final, desperate push. The rock tumbled out of the crevice, landing with a dull thud on the hard floor just within reach of my bound hands. Relief washed over me, cold and exhilarating.

Just as I stretched my arm forward, the scrape of footsteps echoed in the passage. I froze,

every muscle coiled in anticipation. The wooden door creaked open, casting a sliver of golden light across the damp cave floor. Two figures emerged, their faces obscured by the darkness.

“Is she still unconscious?” one of them hissed. It was a of fear and apprehension.

young guard, his voice tight with a mixtu

“Seems so,” the other replied, a gruff voice I recognized as Elder Nara. “Get the potion ready. We don’t have much time.”

They left again. As soon as they were gone, I grabbed the rock in my bound hands.

The rock felt heavy in my bound hands, I sawed through the ropes and pushed to my feet. I heard them coming back and launched the rock at the them. There was a startled yelp, a sickening crack, and the guard crumpled to the ground, clutching his head. One of the elders roared in anger, his voice echoing in the cave. But before he could react, Keiji burst through the passageway, his face a mask of fury.

“Morgan!” he bellowed.

I drew my sword, glaring at him. More people came up behind him. The panic rose up like bile in the back of my throat. There was no mistaking the anger in his eyes, the cold calculation.

“Explain yourself,” I said. “Where am I? How long have I been here? How did you get me out of the palace?”

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Keiji scoffed. “Why would I tell you that? And it hardly matters. There’s only one way out of this

cave.”

He smirked. “Dead or at my side.”

A slow, cruel smile spread across his face. “Which will it be?”

I set my jaw. “There’s a third option.“”

“Oh?”

“All of you dead.”

I turned, aiming my blade at the oil torch nearby. The oil turned to a wall of fire between us and I

took off.

“Get her!”

I ran deeper into the darkness. A cold dread washed over me as I heard them running after me. I needed a plan. Someone lunged at me. I turned hard and sharp, slicing against something solid and giving. Someone cried out. My heart leaped into my throat and I kept running, deeper and deeper into the darkness as the torches started to vanish.

What could I do? Soon, I would have no light, and was pretty sure that they could see in the dark. Keiji wasn’t going to let up, and I didn’t want to know what his plan was.

I rounded a corner and plowed into complete darkness. My sword started to glow a vibrant blue, lighting just enough space ahead of me to keep going.

“You have no idea where you’re going,” Keiji yelled from behind me. “You will help me. You will become my queen. You can’t be happy with a half dead vegetable!”

I ducked to one side, covering the blade of my sword. I crouched down trying to catch my breath.

*Don’t make this harder on yourself, Morgan,” he said.

I heard him getting closer. Just him. There was only one set of footsteps.

“See reason, Morgan,” he hissed, his voice dripping with a false calm. “Become my queen, and I will spare your life. We could be happy… Refusing me will only make things worse in the end.”

i swallowed, ready to lunge at him. Then, he stepped just in front of me and I lunged.

He turned on me. My blade hit his claws with a shriek, Sparks flew and he screamed as his robe.

3/4

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caught fire from it. I shoved him away and kept running down another passageway. I saw light up ahead. I thought maybe it was the exit or someway out.

Then, the passageway opened up before me like a gaping maw, its vastness swallowed by an inky blackness that pulsed with an unnatural chill. There was only a single beam of light coming from above.

I rushed towards it and the ground gave out beneath me, plunging me forward into the dark.