Chapter 50 Chapter Twenty-Four Part Two - Orenda
I’m struck by dismay when I look up at the row of stairs in front of me. The ten narrow steps seem to stretch on forever and the thought of climbing them feels as daunting as climbing Mount Everest. Invidia pushes for me to step forward, and I reluctantly comply. With gritted teeth and shaky legs, I take an arduous step forward, only to suddenly find myself reflexively squinting and recoiling when my eyes are unexpectedly assaulted by bright light that has me sharply sucking in air. I do my best to blink away the sting in my eyes as they slowly adjust. It takes a moment for my eyes to focus enough for me to realise that the bright light wasn’t some giant strobe light, but just the presence of sunlight. It seems being deprived of sunlight for a few days while in a weakened state has made me painfully sensitive to light. It’s a new experience and one I am not enjoying.
I continue to squint against the daylight, my eyes watering in irritation as I endeavour to take in my new surroundings. Invidia must have had enough sense to place a portal at the base of the stairs because we’re currently standing in a speciously cosy bedroom. A high, wooden, vaulted ceiling stretches upwards as drawn-back charcoal grey curtains allow sunlight to stream through the floor-to-ceiling lattice window at the far end of the room. The chevron wooden floors are only slightly covered by fluffy carpets while a queen size bed sits in the centre of the room covered in plush blankets and an abundance of pillows against a padded headboard. There’s plenty of seating from the nook by the window, to the oversized armchair and even a desk and chair. However, I note that the desk is covered in a variety of foods along with a pitcher of water and a pitcher of juice. The room could almost pass for a luxury room at a quaint bed and breakfast drowning in positive reviews, but it doesn’t matter how cosy or picturesque this room may appear, it doesn’t make it any less of a prison.
Invidia guides me over to the bed, surprisingly not mocking or huffing at my laggard steps. I sit down on the firm yet cushioned mattress, my muscles practically sighing in relief to be on something comfortable instead of the stone and steel they have endured.
“Quite the drastic change of scenery,” I comment suspiciously.
“Don’t go getting the wrong idea,” she counters in a discouraging tone. “Granting you comfort doesn’t mean I’ve suddenly decided to be nice to you, it is just a means to an end. I need to take care of the mother to ensure the baby you’re growing is nice and healthy,” she explains saccharinely as that familiar malevolent smile spreads across her face.
I fist the sheets beneath my hands as the rage building inside me sends adrenaline coursing through my body. Adrenaline is good. Adrenaline means strength, energy and alertness. It’ll be a bitch when it tapers off, but I’m sure this won’t be the last time Invidia says or does something to trigger my anger.
“And then what?” I snap scornfully. “You keep me healthy, I have my baby, and then what?”
“I assume you’ll die in childbirth. I mean, a human body weakened by rejection and forced to sustain the growth and birth of a celestial being doesn’t seem like it has a high chance of survival,” she surmises with mock sympathy. “And if you do manage to survive, then I’ll just kill you myself,” she states with a casual shrug.
I can feel the nerves around my eyes twitching in anger as my heart beats at a speed it hasn’t reached in quite some time. My mind is rapidly filling with images of all the gruesome things I would love to do to Invidia right now and they’re the only thing stopping me from taking a swing at her. While it would give me great satisfaction, the chance of it resulting in a broken hand is not a risk I am prepared to take. I have to weigh up every action and the risks that come with it if I am to do right by my growing child, and satisfying a petty impulse is not remotely worth it.
“If you think for a single second that I am going to let you take my baby away from me, then you’re not as smart as I thought you were,” I slowly seethe with impassioned warning.
Invidia raises an amused eyebrow. “I can’t tell if you’re really that confident or just delusional. You are completely at my mercy, Orenda. You won’t be able to stop me,” she declares with a mocking pout.
“I’m going to go with confidence. As an expert when it comes to delusion, I’m sure you would have recognised it instantly,” I jeer with a confident smile on my face.
Her amused expression morphs into one of displeasure. Her eyes begin to shift, and her hands glow as she snaps her fingers with a satisfied smile. I feel something cold around my ankle and quickly feel like my energy level has taken a hit. I look down and see a silver handcuff around my ankle attached to a lengthy, coiled-up chain that is secured to the floor. It’s not the restraint that alarms me, but the evident glinting stones of blue and teal embedded not only in the cuff around my ankle but the chain.
I look up at Invidia with wide eyes, my stomach once again sinking with dread. “You can’t keep me exposed to apatite, Invidia. It will kill me,” I stress urgently.
“I know,” she smirks. “But since we have no idea how long that could be, I guess we’ll just have to go with trial and error. Either way, this will prevent you from shifting or using your magic should your strength return.”
I stare at her in disbelief. How can she be so willing to take that kind of a gamble? If I die, her plans are shot to hell. She’s right that I have no idea how long I can be exposed to apatite before it kills me. It could be days or months. But whatever it once was has likely been cut in half by my current state. Up until now, I believed that Invidia was meticulous with her plans but this…this is bordering on insanity.
My feelings of dread increase to an all-time high when with a flourish of Invidia’s hand, thick black straps appear around my body and pin me to the bed. I try to wriggle or move free, but the restraints are so tight they’re starting to cut off circulation. I look up, unable to hide the panic in my eyes as Invidia approaches me, her face a blank mask of focus and determination. With another wave of her hand, a large syringe appears floating above me, and I suddenly feel myself choking on a scream that can’t break free.
I feel like I’m trapped in one of those nightmares where no matter what you do you can’t run or scream, as if your body has completely forgotten how. I feel paralysed not only by my restraints but by the overwhelming fear taking me over.
“Invidia…please,” I implore in a broken whisper as my eyes fill with unshed tears.
“I need this needle to go into the umbilical cord, so if I were you, I would hold perfectly still. We wouldn’t want me to miss,” she taunts with a sadistic smirk.
I gulp down my panic, my breath rate increasing and my heart racing painfully as she lifts my shirt. I watch helplessly as she uses her magic to guide the needle to my lower abdomen. I feel a sharp pinch as the needle slowly pierces my skin. I fist my hands so tight I feel like my fingers will break as my tears fall to the sides of my face. I‘m drowning in fear and the hideous feeling of being violated as I watch the needle move deeper and deeper into my body. Invidia’s focus doesn’t break for a single second as the plunger on the syringe is slowly pulled back by her magic. My eyes are fixed on the syringe as it slowly begins to fill with blood. Once the syringe is full, it slowly withdraws from my body, the small wound left in its wake now left to bleed.
Invidia places her hand over the wound, consuming me with the desire to tear off her hand as she uses her magic to heal the tiny wound. She grabs the syringe as it floats in the air, her eyes returning to normal and the glow of her magic and my restraints disappearing. She gives the syringe a light shake, then after a moment, her eyes begin to light up with excitement as a smile erupts on her face. I stare at the contents of the syringe in astonishment when I notice something silver swirling around the crimson blood. My mouth goes completely dry as I realise she succeeded. That shining silver moving around is without a doubt my baby’s blood. Only the Gods possess blood that colour.
Invidia smiles down at me. “That went even better than I could have hoped. You better eat and get some rest; we’ve got a long road ahead of us,” she promises.
She turns and walks out the door without a second thought, leaving me to my misery. I curl up on the bed, holding my lower abdomen as tears of anger and helplessness fall from my eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” I sob, holding myself tighter. “I’m so sorry for not protecting you.”
I continue to weep, apologising to my unborn child for my failure as a mother. I’ve never felt so violated in my life and I wasn’t even dignified with the chance to fight back. To just have to lay her and take it while this magical bitch uses my body and that of my unborn child for her own sick ends has me shaking with more rage and hopelessness than I would have thought was possible.
I don’t know how much of this I can endure. I knew from the start that I needed to bide my time and reserve my strength, and I was prepared to do so. But now that I have experienced what Invidia plans to do to me for the duration of my pregnancy along with being bound by a shackle that is slowly weakening me until it kills me…Biding my time just isn’t a feasible option anymore. I’m not giving up…but I have no idea how I’m going to get myself out of this.