All they could do was try to contain him.
“May I see him, then?” I ask, forcing softness into my voice, though it makes my stomach churn. “It has been so long.”
Anethesis takes his time considering my request. So long that my impatience nearly eclipses the burn of my collar, almost driving me to charge him. But at last, he nods.
“If it pleases our precious Awakened and makes her more agreeable,” he muses, “I would be happy to take you to the beast.”
His eyes narrow, his gaze searching. Less of an offer, more a question. A test of my compliance.
I nod resentfully and his shoulders ease. Anethesis moves his hands in those delicate, sweeping motions. The ones he uses to summon his power. I’ve nearly memorized the subtle twirls and curls of his fingers, the effortless hypnotic grace of it. He steps onto the balcony, but I am not fortunate enough to see him plummet to his death. Instead, a swirl of wind gathers beneath his feet, lifting him effortlessly. He extends his hand toward me, long bony fingers and sharp nails outstretched.
I hesitate, my scowl deepening. The thought of feeling his icy touch makes bile rise in my throat, but the chance to see Ashen is too much to resist. He is my only comfort in Driftspire, yet all I can do is listen to his mournful howls, which strike fear into the Fae, but to me, they carry only sadness.
With reluctance, I take Anethesis’ hand, and he pulls me onto the swirling pillow of air. Together, we glide past the floating islands, the Ithranor Fae staring silently from their towers as we drift through the ethereal city. Our destination looms ahead: a massive hovering cavern, a waterfall tumbling from its mouth into the endless clouds below.
The sunlight’s warmth vanishes as we enter. Inside, it is pitch black and so cold my breath turns to mist. I can barely see Anethesis, even though he floats right beside me. Then, a pulsing purple glow blooms within the darkness, faint at first but growing stronger, illuminating the jagged crystal lining the cavern walls.
The tunnel opens into a vast chamber with a shimmering lake at its center, and suspended above the water in a gigantic cage is my beautiful Ashen.
At first, he looks so small, pacing in tight circles, little more than a black smudge against the enormous barred frame. But the moment I arrive in the chamber, his nose lifts, and the bright white of his eyes locks onto me.
He hisses, a sharp, high-pitched sound, but it quickly morphs into a deep, thunderous roar that shakes the stone around us. He lunges at the bars, his body transforming in an instant into the fierce, massive protector I know him to be. Smoky tentacles lash out from his back, striking at the cage with fury.
Then he cries out in pain.
A collar materializes around his neck, pulsing with cruel, binding magic. Chains follow, first around his front legs, then his back, each one tightening with every struggle. The harder he fights, the more mercilessly they constrict, dragging him down to the cage floor. He thrashes, desperate, but the restraints only force him lower and lower until, at last, he is pinned, face pressed against the cold steel.
“No! Stop it! You’re hurting him!” I snap, my voice cutting through Ashen’s agonized roars.
“Hurting him? Impossible,” Anethesis replies, his tone cool and dismissive. “He is a demon of the void. They do not feel pain.”
“Yes, he does!” I scream, my hands curling into fists. “Let him up!”
Anethesis sighs as if I am the one being unreasonable. “He is doing this to himself. All he needs to do is stop resisting the collar.”
My jaw tightens, and anger burns hot in my chest, sending tears stinging at the corners of my eyes. “Ashen!” I call, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to hold it steady. “It’s alright. Please calm yourself.”
Ashen thrashes harder, his claws scraping against the floor of the cage as he tries to rise. The chains respond viciously, dragging him down again with ruthless force.
“Please, my darling!” I call again, swallowing the sob rising in my throat. “Calm yourself. For me.”
His roar tears through the cavern once more, but this time, it falters towards the end. Slowly, reluctantly, the fight drains from his body. He collapses with a defeated groan, his glowing white eyes dimming to a muted gray. As his strength fades, the collar and chains shimmer and vanish, but Ashen doesn’t move. He lies still on the cage floor, utterly spent, as if the struggle has left him hollow.
“See?” Anethesis murmurs, his voice almost mocking. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
I whirl on him, fury surging through me like fire. “Take me to him,” I snarl. “He needs me.”
Anethesis tilts his head. “I was hoping he would relax you,” he says with an air of disappointment. “But it seems he has done quite the opposite. We cannot predict the effect the first trial will have on you in your…condition.”
His gaze flicks to my belly, and his thin nose wrinkles as though he’s caught the scent of something foul.
“What are you talking about? What trial?”
Anethesis dips his head, his nod so steeped in false sympathy that, for a fleeting moment, I almost believe it’s genuine. I’m too tired, too confused, too angry, and that glimmer of doubt flickers dangerously close to hope.
“Let me make this plain,” he says slowly. “Perform these tests without resistance, and we will release you and your pet.”
My head snaps up, my tired eyes narrowing as I scrutinize him for any shred of truth. “You will?”
