After a couple of checks, the Physician said something to Eli but with the distance between them, she couldn't hear it, although the fury in his eyes when he turned to her was enough explanation.
The Physician certainly did not have good news and Eli believed she was responsible for whatever that was.
Well, he was incorrectly correct.
He approached her, every step promising doom.
At that moment, she feared him. It was a foreign feeling, a way she had not felt even during the Choosing Ritual.
This fear was just different. It was more cripply.
A guard kicked the back of her knees and she fell to the ground, on her face, the impact painful.
They pulled her to her knees immediately, her hands helped apart, while one yanked her hair backwards, so her gaze was fixed upward.
Her teeth gnashed against one another in pain.
"You are one of them. The Eye." Eli said, his voice cold and hard.
The Eye?
That was the group of people trying to kill her, at least that was what she got from the man in the kitchen, the same one that was in Eli's study some minutes ago.
What was he even doing there? Sourcing for secrets, planting dangerous things?
She wondered if they had caught him yet.
Seeing that no one could recognize her, he would not be able to recognize her too then.
"I don't know what you are---" her voice trailed off.
Before she had only felt the presence of the blade, now she could feel the cold blade pressed against the base of her neck.
It was so unsettling to have something so dangerous, so close.
Her heart drummed in her chest, fear rushed in her veins, and she could feel sweat break out on her forehead.
Oh, Ignas, no.
"Give me the antidote of whatever you fed her and I will spare your life."
"I didn't feed her anything, plea---" the rest of her words morphed into a hiss of agony, as she felt her skin slice open, when the sword pressed further against her neck.
She could feel her blood trickling down. A shiver crossed through her, the realization that he would actually kill her not knowing who she was, descending on her with full force.
Tears glimmered in her eyes.
She would have told him the truth but there was a high possibility he would not believe her.
There was an intruder in the Castle tonight and they all seemed to believe that intruder was her.
Her words would hold the weight of a pinch of salt in swaying his view.
Besides, she had lied once. He would believe that she was lying again.
"Tell me."
"Arrgh." The hot tears ran down her cheeks, the pain clashing with the confusion of the next step to take.
"Your Majesty!" The Physician called out frantically.
Eli ceased torturing her, and with the speed of light, he was right by her sleeping figure on the bed.
"She is bleeding." The Physician's shaky voice gave away his confusion.
These things were beyond his ability and it was obvious.
Eli threw Belladonna a rageful look.
He looked like he was ready to just send her head rolling at that moment.
"Your cut appeared on her skin. At the same place." The tug on her hair tightened and Belladonna let out a strangled cry. It felt like the strands of her hair, were pulling out of her scalp.
This was certainly not how she planned to spend her night.
Everywhere ached. Every joint, every muscle.
This just reminded her of being maltreated by her mother. She tried to suppress the images from flashing in her mind but she could hardly fight against them.
Her heart was racing. It felt like it would burst right out of her chest and she would be forced to watch it beat its last.
"You are a Witch."
Her heart dropped.
Why did it just keep getting worse?
"No, no!"
"Where is Kestra? Why is she not here yet?!"
"Your Majesty! She isn't in the Castle, but some guards have been sent out to find her, I believe they are on their way back as we speak." That was Seb. Taking Anok's role seemed to be taking a toll on him.
No, no, no, no, no.
Not Kestra.
She would be able to figure things out if she found her like this.
The cut from the sword was not hurting as it was before.
The Physician must be taking care of it.
"You have thirty minutes. If she doesn't wake up in thirty minutes, I'll feed you to my dragon."
Her eyes widened at that.
"Your Majesty---"
"Take her away."
"Please, no, no---" she tried to beg as they dragged her out of the room. She could see Eli returning to her bedside, falling to a knee while he pulled her hand in his.
Then the door was slammed shut behind her and for the first time in her life, the dungeon was her abode.
Chains on her wrists, ankles, and one around her neck. There was no torture, most likely because Eli knew that whatever was done to her would affect "His Donna", but there was no torture needed anyways.
This place smelt of death and agony. The darkness held no relief and the slam of the bars as they shut her within, was a painful yank away of freedom.
Two guards stood at the other side, watching her.
She could hear the sound of her own breathing, the way the stink in the air rushed into her lungs without restriction. She couldn't control it, she didn't even try.
30 minutes.
She had no clock.
But her mind was ticking for her. The sound, was loud, deafening. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she felt her time slip away in-between her fingers.
This part of the dungeon was silent.
It was probably specially picked for her.
The silence made it even worse. The silence was loud in its own agonizing way.
The ticking continued.
Her lips trembled and she called Alaris over and over again in her mind till she gave up.
That Bride Thief was never to be relied on.
A cunny fox.
Maybe he was done with her. m
Maybe he had gotten his freedom by this shift. She was stupid to believe his words would, at least, hold some truth.
A groan.
The sound of someone falling to the floor.
Belladonna sat up. Fear consuming her whole.
Were they being attacked?
Was the Eye here for her?
Dangling keys.
The bars swung open, and one of the guards who had attacked his partner a moment ago, stepped in.
The light was dim and she could barely see anything, but she could see the guard twitch as he moved, like he wasn't himself.
The eyes that landed on her, explained why.
They were unnatural.
Blue-lined pupils, with red lines like lightning, stretching out of them to other parts of the orbs.
By Ignas, they looked like Pamela's eyes.
"Alaris?"