Rebellion (Risen Series Bk1)

Hunger had my stomach twisting and my throat burning so raw that even swallowing hurt. I wasn't sure how long Anna and I had been kept in the cell, hours maybe, possibly more than a day. It was impossible to keep track of time passing in the dark. I'd lost weeks down here before.

Anna had gone deathly pale, only waking up to mutter a short conversation with me before sleep took her under again.

She was hungry too, her stomach growling every now and again. I'd done my best to keep my attention on anything but her because she was tempting me. Every beat of her heart had my fangs aching and suddenly the rush of her blood pumping through her veins was all I could hear, and it was deafening.

My jaw clenched painfully and I pressed myself firmly against the cold stone wall to distract myself. A headache began to form behind my eyes and the cold air slowly seeped into me until even my bones felt like ice. Perhaps I'd go crazy in here before Atanas and the others came, maybe I need to take our safety into my own hands. Both Anna and Zena, and even Una, had told me that I had great power trapped inside me if only I knew how to harness it so I could break us out.

I closed my eyes, shifting to sit cross legged. Taking a deep breath, I relaxed every muscle and tried to find that energy I sometimes felt like a ball of strength that raged forth when I was in danger. Frustration bloomed when nothing was found, no glimmer of magic or inner strength, just pain as starvation built.

As I slumped uselessly against the wall again, my head tipped to the side to catch the sound I was sure I'd heard from outside.

My ears strained to hear the footsteps that were getting louder and closer and pushed myself to my feet, not wanting to be caught off guard even if the chains kept my hands by my side. Muscles strained and trembled in the struggle to keep my weight up but I was almost excited at the prospect of being let out, no matter the reason for it.

Anna stirred when the heavy door creaked open but she didn't wake and I wondered what Airell had done to her to make her so exhausted.

Light filtered into the room and I looked away, blinking rapidly as my eyes stung. Airell chuckled, pulling my focus back to him. He studied Anna asleep on the floor with mild interest before his green eyes flicked back to me. A vampire I didn't recognise scuttled in and unchained me, his grip surprisingly strong for one so slight.

I pulled back, refusing to move, "She needs food and water."

Airell looked back down at Anna then back at me, smirking. My stomach dropped. I knew whatever he was going to ask of me was going to be hell.

"If you do the task I have for you, the witch will be fed," he said, turning away to walk down the hall.

My guard yanked me forward but I followed with no further prompting. I'd do whatever task it was for Anna, I had to, and that chipped away at my soul. I'd never done anything without a fight, I'd never killed or been forced to do any of the horrific things in my past without Ailill blood to stop me from really feeling or remembering. This time, I would be aware of every little thing I did. My eyes closed briefly to stop the tears from falling. I couldn't afford to feel right now, I had to block emotions away, but that brought the danger of losing myself completely.

The stench of rot got stronger the further we walked until I was almost gagging. I took to breathing through my mouth, but even then the smell seemed to linger on my tongue so I could taste it.

"You better get used to it, girlie, I think you'll be spending a lot of time down here," the small gaurd chuckled by my ear, the sound grating, making me cringe away from him.

My fear seemed to only delight him more as he pushed me into the cell Airell had slipped into. I stumbled and gagged again, unable to hold back this time as bile rose. This room stank of death and it burned my nose with every inhale. Blood splattered the walls, and I couldn't bear to look at the floor in fear of what I'd find.

"You can leave us," Airell told to my guard who gave me another smirk before walking out.

I shifted to keep the wall against my back, my eyes never straying from my maker. He took time to look around the room before green eyes fell on me. Having his gaze on me seemed to startle me into panic, my heart suddenly hammering in my chest. Every instinct was screaming at me to run but I somehow managed to keep still.

"Do you remember this room, Little Bird?" He asked, trailing towards me.

I shook my head, moving until the wall was firmly pressed against my back. Airell chuckled, his steps becoming predatory.

"I shouldn't really be surprised, the fights you put up when we brought you here..." He trailed off with a smirk but he didn't need to say anymore.

He snapped his fingers and the sudden sound made me jump, but he wasn't paying attention to me anymore. His gaze was on the door and my breath caught in my throat. Snarling and growls echoed from outside and when the door opened, flashes of memory had me cowering.

The sight of the deranged creature being dragged in by two burly vampires had the blood draining from my face. There was no humanity in its eyes as it snapped and darted about in an attempt to get free. It was no wonder I'd tried to forget so much of my time spent with Airell.

"Do you remember this game now?" Airell murmured by my hair, a hand trailing up my arm.

In the barest of movements, I nodded.

I did, very well. Airell didn't like to get his hands dirty, and what I was about to do would test my sanity. Killing fallen had always been my job, but I'd always been hyped up on Ailill blood causing my memories of doing so to be blurry at best. Fallen was a word whispered by those of Airell's men, a name given to the vampires that were too far gone to be controlled any longer.

"I'm going to give you a choice, to remind you of my mercy. You seem to have forgotten that I'm not all bad," he continued, his lips brushing against my neck.

I was too terrified to move away, glued to where I cowered against the damp wall.

"If you agree right now to do this task for me, I will either make sure the witch is given food and water, or I will supply you right now with something that will help you,"

My eyes followed as he held up a vial and my nostrils flared while my mouth watered at the sweet scent. I could practically taste the Ailill blood on my tongue already, my hand twitching to take it. It would make the job easier, I'd be almost unaware, any injuries I gained would heal quicker...

Lifting my hand, my fingertips brushed against the cool vial but Airell snatched it away before I could take it. Like the addict I was, I whimpered, his withdrawal of my craving a physical blow to me.

"Food for the witch, or blood for you?" Airell repeated a little more firmly, emphasised by his hand gripping my chin.

My eyes met his in defeat, but Airell couldn't have looked anymore pleased as I whispered, "Food and drink for Anna."

The look of triumph he gave me chipped away even more of my resolve. This was the first time I'd given him exactly what he wanted without a fight. A heavy weight settled on my shoulders, one I wasn't sure would ever fully go away.

"Be quick with this one, we'll be bringing along the next shortly," he advised, eyeing the beast that had gone eerily quiet as it's rage filled eyes settled on me.

My stomach sank at his words, "You never said there would be more than one,"

His smile contorted into one of annoyance and I was quick to flinch back when he lifted his hand in warning. My head bowed, shoulders hunching as I gave in.

Airell made his way out and I backed away to the far side of the cell as the vampires released the fallen before quickly slipping out and shutting the door. The clank of the lock slipping into place made the creature in front of me suddenly antsy, and it seemed more interested in testing the strength of the door than me.

I bounced on the balls of my feet, trying to hype myself up but it was useless. I'd take no enjoyment in this, because this could be the thing that would make me snap.

As much as I didn't want to, I took my time to study the feral vampire. I didn't want to see it as anymore than it was now, but at one point it had been a human, with a life, a family...

Shaggy brown hair was matted with grime and age old blood. His clothes were torn and his pale skin smudged with whatever was in his hair. I couldn't guess an exact age, but he was young, late teens, early twenties...and I was going to cut his life short. I closed my eyes. Guilt twisted at my insides and I fisted shaking hands, trying to push emotions away.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, even though he was far past being able to understand.

When I opened my eyes again, an eerie calm had settled over me. I'd allowed my instincts to creep forth and when the creature had enough of banging the door and turned to me, I was ready. It snarled angrily at me, hunching down in preparation to attack. Claw like fingers swung out at me in warning but I stayed still, waiting. I didn't know how many fallen Airell planned to toss my way but I would need to conserve my energy

With the next twitch of its leg, I swung my body to the side just in time to watch it fly past me. It growled it's rage at having missed me, lashing out in a flurry of aggravated attacks. I didn't move fast enough, a hiss of air leaving me as sharp nails sliced into my skin. My top tore as easily as my stomach and thick blood bubbled up and I doubled forward at the burning pain that flared. Pressing my hand against at the wounds, I made sure to keep my eyes on the beast.

The smell of my blood in the air only urged it on, drool leaking from chapped lips. It sniffed the air with a menacing grin, it's eyes focussed on the blood dripping past my fingers.

It attacked with more vigour now, craving to taste my blood. That was something about the fallen I'd never understood. If they were hungry enough, they didn't care if it was another vampire they were feeding on.

Again and again I dodged attacks, allowing it to wear itself out before I felt safe enough to make strikes of my own. My stomach had knitted itself back together and that had taken a lot of my energy. Yet I was thrumming with adrenaline that kept me going, allowing the vampire in me to take control.

While the fallen may have been stronger, and maybe even a little faster, I had the ability to calculate. It's moves were unfocussed, wild, and it was getting frustrated with me. Bloodshot eyes held no humanity as it came at me again. I couldn't bear to draw it out any longer, especially if there were more to come.

Shifting my weight, I grabbed its arm and kicked hard at the back of its knee. It fell with something akin to a howl that had my skin crawling but the sound was cut off with a twist of its neck in a sickening crunch. His body dropped, limp, but that wouldn't be enough to keep him down for long. Nudging it onto its back and clenching my jaw, I thrust my hand into its chest, barely flinching at the crack of my knuckles popping out of place as I tore it's heart from its chest. Warm blood stuck to my hand and I threw the heart away, gagging until the last contents of my stomach were gone.

My stomach rolled as the stench of blood filled my nose, but I pushed away the next wave of guilt, rebuilding the wall around human emotions. If I was going to get through this, I had to be harder.

Panting, I stumbled away from the lifeless body and wiped what I could of its blood from my hand onto ruined jeans. My hands trembled by my sides, eyes unable to look away from the man I'd killed. Panic threatened to take over my muddled thoughts while the tempting call of oblivion promised to make this easy.

When the door was pushed open and another feral vampire was unceremoniously shoved through, I gave into it's call. Becoming just as feral as the fallen I'd been ordered to kill, my vision darkened as instincts took over. Immediately, I launched myself at the woman who growled with dripping fangs.

Everything passed by in a blur after that. More fallen were given to me to slaughter and I did so with no thoughts of remorse. I was completely lost to the darker side of myself, and the sea of blood that now covered the dark room.

Only a few had managed to cause any further injury to me but I hardly felt the pain, even the throbbing of broken bones no longer came through the haze.

The last body lay limp and shredded by my feet but I waited with baited breath for the door to open and another to be thrown in. Even if another was given to me, I doubted I would be able to win the next fight.

Every muscle ached, even sitting against the wall as I was. There wasn't a single part of me that wasn't covered in blood and my clothes were torn and hanging. Flashes of nightmare like memories flashed before my eyes, visions of how I tore through bodies as if they were nothing. A sob threatened to choke up but I grit my teeth against it, squeezing my eyes shut until the dreaded sound of the door swinging open hit my ears.

Death had come for me, and I no longer cared. I sat still, giving into the thought that this fallen would kill me.

Airell's scent hit my nose and I forced myself to look up, almost in relief. He stood in the middle of the room, studying my handy work with a satisfied smile. I couldn't find it in me to be disgusted, forcing myself to remain cold and numb. He nudged at the severed head of my last victim and it rolled over to stare at me with blank grey eyes, it's mouth open in a silent scream.

Slowly Airell stalked towards me before crouching down, "You've done well, Little Bird. I'm proud of you,"

Looking up at his green eyes, his features soft as he watched me, I could be fooled into thinking his pride was wanted. Gently, he took my bloodied hand, the song of the bond between us easing me into a false sense of comfort. His touch was surprisingly warm and I found myself almost wanting to curl up closer to him.

My life before this was a blur, so much so that I'd begun to wonder if I'd ever escaped from this place, maybe everything had been but a dream...

"Come, there's a bath waiting for you. You want to clean up don't you? Let me take care of you, let me remind you that I'm not a bad man, Shylah. I only want what's best for you, what's best for all of us," he murmured softly, helping me to unsteady feet.

My body slumped against his and I allowed his magic to wrap around me like warm arms. I didn't want to think, so I let him lead me out of the room, the thought of a warm bath urging me on. Even as my mind screamed at me to run as far away from him as possible, I still followed his lead. My legs moved slowly, feeling weighed down from exhaustion.

Airell wrapped an arm around my waist, taking some of my weight which was a relief. I wasn't sure I could walk much further, and as we passed the cell Anna was in, I stumbled. He didn't push me though, he let me pause until I was comforted by the sound of Anna's strong heartbeat and steady breathing.

I looked up at my maker who smiled softly down at me, his finger stroking across my jaw. There was no sign of ill intent, he seemed to be in a good mood. Perhaps going with him wasn't such a bad idea, I told myself I might learn something from him that might help Anna and I escape.

Leaning more into his side, he began to help me up the stairs and I sucked in the fresh air gratefully. There was nobody else about, perhaps this meant it was daylight outside and the occupants of the house were all sleeping. There'd be no rescue in the next 12 hours or so if this was the case. I was on my own, as always. Atanas' hadn't come.

I hadn't realised I'd stopped walking to stare at the door that lead to my freedom. Airell's grip had tightened slightly around my waist as if ready in case I made a run for it. But I wasn't that stupid.

"A bath?" I murmured weakly, feeling the world spin.

He nodded.

"I need to feed," I said, the sound soft and pleading.

"You will," he promise, just as my legs gave out beneath me and the world went black.

I was aware as Airell swung me up into his arms, keeping his touch so deceptively gentle.

"Good girl," he coo'd, stroking my hair, uncaring of the state of me as he carried me up the stairs, and I passed out.