Chained to old wounds

CH34

Morgan

My heart raced as I fell. Then, the blue glow from my sword, now almost blindingly bright, revealed the source of coolness that I’d noticed before. There was a vast lake of dark water below me. I braced to dive in, listening to the footsteps coming from behind. I plunged into the water. The icy water stole my breath as it slammed into me, but I fought against the urge to surface, kicking my legs and paddling frantically away from where I’d fallen beneath the surface of the water. I couldn’t see anything, but there was the faintest current in the water, carrying me forward.

I couldn’t hold my breath any longer and kicked to the surface, gasping for breath.

I looked up to where I had come form, but I couldn’t see the ledge I’d fallen from or even a bit of light from a torch.

Suddenly, a colossal coil of smooth, cold flesh encircled my body. Panic seized me like a vice. A serpent? An eel? Whatever it was, it squeezed tighter, its immense strength constricting the air from my lungs. I thrashed, desperate to break free, but its hold was relentless.

The blade slipped from my numb fingers, clattering against the unseen bottom of the lake. My vision began to blur around the edges, the throbbing in my head a dull counterpoint to the roaring in my ears. Just as I felt the sweet, insidious embrace of unconsciousness, the water dragon lurched violently, throwing me with a sickening are through the air.

I landed with a bone–jarring thud on the cold, wet rock of the shore, the air whooshing back into my lungs in a painful gasp. Coughing and spluttering, I scrambled back, my body screaming in protest. The water dragon, a colossal serpentine form outlined against the luminous water, reared back to strike.

A deafening roar echoed through the cavern, shaking the very ground. The dragon glared down at me. A tremor ran through the water, distorting the lake’s shimmering surface. I watched, heart pounding in my chest. Hope, fragile and flickering, bloomed in my chest. Perhaps, just perhaps, the creature could be on my side. Relief, as fleeting as it was potent, evaporated as a pair of rough hands clamped onto my shoulders. The pair of elders I didn’t recognize, their faces contorted with a mix of fear and anger, wrestled me back from the water’s edge. Disoriented and gasping for breath, I struggled against their hold, but my strength was waning.

Then, a figure rose from the lake, its serpentine form morphing and shifting before solidifying into the unmistakable form of Keiji. He emerged dripping wet, a feral glint in his eyes that sent shivers down my spine.

10:06 Wed, Oct 16

CH34

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With a snarl that ripped through the cavern, he strode towards me, the Elders scrambling out of his way. He towered over me, his wet clothes clinging to his frame. Before I could react, he slammed his knee onto my chest, the air whooshing out of my lungs in a surprised gasp. Pain exploded across my ribs, momentarily stealing my breath.

He sneered, his eyes hardening. With a flick of his wrist, a glint of metal flashed in the dim light. A claw extended from his hand. He lunged forward, slashing at my clothing, leaving me exposed,

naked and vulnerable.

Panic threatened to consume me, but a surge of rage pushed it back. I would not be his pawn. I would not break. With a roar that surprised even myself, I slammed my head into his face. The impact sent a jolt of pain through my skull, but it was nothing compared to the fury burning

within me. Keiji stumbled back, a hand flying to his bloodied nose. The look on his face, a mixture of shock and rage. He pinned me further to the ground, his face a mask of murderous rage. A backhand blow connected with my jaw, sending a searing jolt of pain through my head. The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth.

He struck me again.

The world exploded in a kaleidoscope of pain and stars. Keiji roared, a sound that echoed off the damp cave walls, and his fist connected with my jaw. My head snapped back, the rock clattering from my grasp. Blood filled my mouth, a metallic tang that mingled with the rising tide of nausea.

“You stupid, defiant girl!” he screamed, his face contorted with rage. “Don’t you see? This power, the throne, it should be mine! Tsuneo, that weak, sickly fool, has no right to it!”

“You’re the only weak one,” I choked out. “Poisoning people…”

I shoved at him. The elders held me down. I screamed and rolled trying to get hi away from me. Ignoring my struggles, he grabbed my face, his fingers digging into the raw flesh around my cheekbone. From his belt, he produced a small vial filled with an ominous, glowing liquid.

“Drink it,” he hissed, his voice tight with barely controlled fury. “Become my queen, and all will be forgiven. Refuse, and this will be your last breath. I don’t give a damn about the veil.”

Clenching my jaw shut, I glared up at him, a silent challenge in my eyes. He growled, frustration twisting his features. With a snarl, he shoved a hand into my mouth, prying my jaw open. The metallic tang of the vial filled my nostrils as he tipped it over my lips, the glowing liquid threatening to spill down my throat.

But I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. I spat it out into his face. He screamed. A yelp of surprise and pain erupted from him. He reared back, wiping his face wildly, clutching at his burning eyes. For a precious moment, he was incapacitated, the vial clattering to the ground and rolling away

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10:06 Wed, Oct 16

CH34

into the darkness. I lifted up, trying to throw him off. He tumbled off me. I kicked out and away from them. Keiji stood over me. Pain exploded across my ribs, momentarily stealing my breath. He kicked harder, knocking the wind out of me so hard I gagged.

“Clearly you need to learn your place!”

I was dazed, seeing stars as he got back down and forced my legs apart. I screamed, trying to get away from him. Fury contorted Keiji’s face into a monstrous snarl. A guttural roar ripped from his. throat, he clamped his hands around my throat. My breath hitched, the air stolen from my lungs in a single, brutal squeeze. Panic clawed at me. He pulled the tie of his robe away. I kicked and screamed.

“Get off of me! Get off of me!”

“I was trying to be nice, you little bitch.”

I felt the heat of his body pressing up against me, threatening to shove into me. My eyes filled with tears. Stars danced before my eyes, the cavern walls shimmering and blurring.

“You have no one to blame but yourself,” he snarled, his voice a strangled whisper. “And if you won’t be mine, you’ll be nothing.”

The world began to fade at the edges, the darkness creeping in at the corners of my vision. Just as I felt him start to push and the darkness of unconsciousness take over, a thunderous crack echoed through the cavern, splitting the air itself along with Keiji’s head.