AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I recall how my family reacted at the sight of his woman. She, too, was non-elf and of a much lower caste.
Now that I think about it, she too fell ill all of a sudden. Her symptoms were the same as Althia’s! That can’t be a coincidence.
Worry accompanies my anger when I remember that his woman passed away.
Something very suspicious is happening in this manor… I cannot let Althia suffer the same fate as Taveth’s mate did.
Looking back at Althia, I stroke her cheek.
“I promise you that I’ll find out what’s going on. Nothing’s going to take away what’s mine, not even death.”
17
ALTHIA
Something’s happening to me. For a moment, everything is dark. There is nothing I can see.
Then a glowing orb of blue casts itself above me. I peer up, wondering why the sky looks like the surface of water.
Then the answer comes to me when I try to breathe. My insides become flooded with water, igniting a choking feeling as water encloses my organs, squeezing them to the point where I’m about to burst.
I look down at my belly, where I see the ocean floor some distance below me. I’m floating above a rack in the floor that opens up into a canyon, stretching down so far that it fades to black.
Fear cripples my already plagued body as I fight off thoughts of what could be waiting for me down there.
“Valkus!” I try to cry out but only bubbled screaming emanates from my mouth.
I can’t close my mouth, as if something holds it open. A concentrated pouring of water forces its way down my throat.
I can’t remain here, I’ll die!
I wave my arms wildly, attempting to swim up to the surface with all of my strength, but instead, I begin sinking.
There's nothing pulling me down. Yet the more I try swimming up, the more I plummet to the dark canyon below me, its crack opening further like a mouth consuming me.
This can’t be real!
Part of me becomes aware of how detached I feel from my own body. It’s then that I become aware that this could all be an illusion.
Still, it feels real, and even if this is all just a dream, I get the feeling its one I may never wake from.
I fight and fight. For a moment, it seems like I’m ascending to the surface. It fills me with a sense of hope.
But I’ve been down here for too long. I’m only two or three meters away from the surface, but the little remaining air in my lungs isn’t enough for me to breach the surface.
I’m still only human. The words of Valkus’ family echo in my head.
Are these going to be the final words I hear?
My vision becomes blurred once more, and I can no longer move my body. I use what little strength I have left to shove Meriana and Elrend’s words from my mind, replacing them with the image of their son’s face.
I accept my fate and close my eyes.
That’s when it comes, the outstretched hand penetrating the surface of the water. It reaches for my hand. I do not have the strength to grip it, but I don’t need to, for it grasps my arm.
With force, I am pulled up to the surface. I do not see my savior, for I’m greeted by a blinding white light. All of the sounds become replaced by a loud ringing before coming to a cathartic halt.
My body floats, drifting on clouds. What was all so dreadful is suddenly replaced by a feeling of overwhelming peace, like there was nothing wrong in the first place. Best of all, I can breathe deeply.
