“Eli.” Tears were streaming down her face now.
Finally, they could touch but this moment wouldn’t last forever, and they intended to exploit it for as long as they could.
“Do you love me, Donna?” His hand cupped the side of her face.
“You know I love you.” She slipped her fingers through his hair which had grown longer than she remembered. She had certainly not seen all of the real him when he possessed Jyris’ body. Now, he looked so different. “By Ignas, I do. I love you, Eli.”
“And I love you too. No amount of this torture, nor of passage of time will take that away. I grant you the permission to forget me. You need not feel any guilt, it will be the best way of loving me.”
Belladonna wiped her tears away.
“It is ironic, you begged me to choose you in Gaya’s garden and I did not, and now that I want to choose you, you are begging not to.” The words spilled quickly out of mouth, as they tried to make the best use of their borrowed time.
A glimmer of a smile snaked into his eyes. “It was wise for you not to have listened to me. I had gone to the Kore and begged her so I could see you, but she manipulated me, exploited my innate desire, and deprived me of my logic. You would have failed with choosing me.” He paused and when he saw her smile he quickly added. “This is different, Donna. You have to listen to me! Ama fooled me once, do not let her fool you. Listen to me and do as I have said, please.”
Belladonna shook her head, the smile still playing on her face as she took a step back. “No, I won’t! Can't you see, the test has already started?”
Ama didn't tell her that they had to leave any longer, instead, she grabbed her and started leading them outside the dungeon.
Belladonna shouted, the distance between them growing, “I will come back for you my love!” The chains that had snapped earlier suddenly mended together and held Eli back in their captivity. He struggled against them, as he pleaded for her to abort her plans.
“I will win this for the both of us,” her voice lingered in the air while the door slammed shut.
Belladonna bit her tongue to stop herself from crying. If she were to fail, this would be the last time she would see him.
She would not fail.
_____
_____
The sun outside the castle was strange, and the day it provided, was even stranger. Very dim golden light with red undertones, it looked so close in the sky that it felt like she could touch it. It held a frightening stance like it would fall on her. By Ignas, it was so majestic and terrifying.
She didn't know that the Under realm had days. They, in fact, did, the everlasting darkness was only meant for their dungeons, one where Eli was right now.
The thought of it felt sickening.
The ground was rocky and dry, with cracks that stretched deep beyond the surface, revealing a stream of lava beneath.
Belladonna then and there that she didn't like this Underrealm, she had to find a way to get her and Eli away from there. Once they passed this test, that had to be an option.
Once again, she asked Ama about the details of the test, and this time she responded.
“My sister, Luna, will train you on how to pass the test. Just follow her instructions, she will be here anytime soon.”
So that was who they were waiting for? Luna, Ama's sister.
“How long will this training take?”
“Three Turning of the Moon.”
“Three months?”
Ama nodded. “You do not worry, time goes by like lava streams beneath the ground. All you must do is pass the test.”
“And if I do?”
Ama smiled broadly and Belladonna frowned, trying to see if there were any similarities between that smile and the annoying one Kestra used to give her.
Kestra, that Witch! Hopefully, she was rotting away in one of those dungeons. By Ignas, she had to pass this to get Eli out of there.
“You will have everything you want. Except life, we cannot give you that.” There was no similarity between Ketra’s smile and the one Ama was giving her. It seemed she was telling the truth.
But what would she gain from doing otherwise? Eli’s words flooded into her ears and she stopped herself from distracting herself with overthinking.
This just wasn't the time.
“I will be able to leave this place with him and stay in another realm, a better realm if I find one.”
“Except one that demands you to be alive,” she said quite dismissively, as if it was meant to be a joke but for someone who had just died, that wasn't funny. Ama caught on quickly. “I apologize if my words hurt you.”
Belladonna was stunned by the apology, it was unexpected.
“Why are you helping me?”
Ama shrugged, “I see much of myself in you. Much of us in the both of you. When he fought against my mate and stole his scythe, I was the one who bought him time. Even then I knew he would fail, I still thought it was honourable to try.”
She knew he would fail? That made Belladonna feel restless. Eli's words were playing in her mind, but she fought to remain focused.
“Do you think I will fail?”
“I did not fail and I see much of myself in you.”
Did she have to go through this type of test too? Was she once human?
“What do I stand to lose if I fail?” Belladonna asked, more determined to know.
Finally, Ama gave in. “Your soul. You will be imprisoned in the Under realm forever. You will never see him again.”
Belladonna nodded, she already assumed that.
“And life.”
“Life?!”
“Of the one who has the
closest connection with you.”
No.
“Your sister will join you in the Underrealm if you fail.”