Chapter Twenty-Three

**Enid**

I didn’t know how long I’d been here now, but I assumed one night and one day. I could only make the assumption based on the activity that was happening around me.

I was in what appeared to be headquarters for their operation. There was a large, round wooden table with six chairs, three of which were now empty thanks to Eris, Kat, Finn and I. There were maps of the world with extensive drawings hanging around, as well as what looked like a giant ceremonial diagram depicting the resurrection of the beast. In random places around the room, there were giant piles of treasure. Golds, silvers, and precious gems filled the corners and other open areas.

I felt like we were underground, just based on the coolness of the room. The floor and walls were stone, like the room itself had been carved out of solid rock. There were three doors, one that must’ve been the exit, one that the dragons traveled down when they went to sleep, and one that must have held the witch’s rooms.

They left me here, hanging from the wall. My shoulders were not bearing the weight of my body and the chains well, and had slipped out of their sockets several times. When that happened, I struggled to breathe, the pressure on my chest becoming unbearable. Skadi was healing my shoulders slowly and discreetly, so as to not draw attention.

I hadn’t been allowed to use a restroom, but I assumed Morga had cast some kind of spell to where I didn’t need to because I just hadn’t had to go at all. They probably didn’t want a mess in here, and they were too cautious to take me down and let me move around.

I rested a lot, my chin against my chest, and listened to them prepare for the ceremony. We would travel tomorrow to the ceremonial site, for the full moon was required to conduct the resurrection.

The one called Nox was impatient with not being able to take me down off of the wall. He was in front of me now, touching me inappropriately again, and talking to Morga.

“Don’t you have the potion ready yet?” he hissed at her.

“It takes time, my Lord,” she explained. “The herbs have to seep or the spell certainly won’t be strong enough to contain her power.”

I know he would have done worse to me than he had if he wasn’t fearful to unchain me.

Morga was creating something that would dull my magic so he could… take me to his room. I felt sick thinking about it. He’d already fondled me here plenty of times, biting my neck so he could have more of my blood.

“It won’t be ready until after the ceremony, my Lord,” Morga finished apologetically.

He growled at her, annoyed, and then looked at me lustfully.

“I guess I will have to wait,” he said to both of us, smiling at me. “But you’ll be worth it, I know.”

He put his face in my neck and inhaled deeply. As I had done before, I just closed my eyes and thought of anything else.

“I am going to bed, comrades,” he said to the other dragons.

They all stood and walked toward the hallway.

“Aren’t you taking your pet?” Edana asked, indicating Sophia, who was still chained to Nox’s chair.

I didn’t know what had happened to her because it had all taken place down that hallway. But I’d heard her scream. Wail and bed for mercy. And then beg for death.

He frowned and shook his head. “No, I am done with that one. The only reason she’s still alive is to be Sidious’ first meal when he awakens tomorrow night.”

Sidious, I had learned, was the name of the dragon they were planning on freeing. The one I was destined to kill.

“I don’t even want her in my room,” he finished. “I’m tired of looking at her.”

She clung tightly to the chair, staring blankly, as she had every time she’d been out here.

The dragons left, walking down their hall, and Morga followed soon after, leaving just Sophia and I.

“Sophia,” I whispered.

She didn’t react, as if she didn’t hear me. I was chained so thoroughly I could never break free. But she had only one chain around her ankle, and it was connected to the wooden chair. Even the weakest wolf could break the leg off and free themselves.

“Sophia!” I whispered more desperately.

Her haunted eyes looked to me, full of terror.

*‘She is too weak, little one,’* Skadi told me, a hint of disgust in her voice.

“Break the chair and free me,” I told her, glancing at her chain. “If you get these chains off, I can protect us. I’ll get us out of here!”

She shook her head violently, whimpering incoherent things.

“Yes, you can do it, Sophia,” I coaxed.

“He’ll… he’ll…” she was hyperventilating, sobbing.

“They’re going to feed you to a dragon tomorrow unless you act,” I hissed.

She hid her head in the crook of her arm, sobbing. “I’m sorry,” she whispered around her cries.

*‘I told you,’* Skadi said, sighing.

“Sophia,” I said in a forceful whisper. “You are a wolf, the daughter of an Alpha. Muster what pride you have left and do something. You can rectify all of your wrongs right now. Just free me.”

She looked at me again, and I saw her hesitation faltering.

“Yes, come on,” I begged her, tears in my eyes.

This was our chance, if she’d just help.

She looked at the chair and then grabbed the leg. I saw her muscles shaking from exertion. They had given neither of us any food since we’d arrived.

It snapped, and we both winced, watching the door to the hallway in terror. We heard nothing after several seconds, and she stood, picking up her chain so it didn’t drag against the stone. She hurried to me.

Her eyes were wide, so full of terror that my heart went out to her. She looked at all the chains.

“What, what-what do I do? There’s so many!” She squeaked in a panic.

“My hands,” I told her. “Can you free them?”

She grabbed the iron holds on my hands, trying to pry them open. She grunted with effort and her face turned bright red. Her muscles flexed in her arms and she shook with effort, but they didn’t budge.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I can’t. I’m so weak right now.”

“That’s okay,” I soothed, “just try the other chains.”

She worked at the rest of the mass of chains. I heard one pull away, and she gently set it on the floor.

“Yes!” I whispered.

She worked desperately at the others, her hands shaking so violently I hoped she didn’t pass out.

She clicked two more off, and I saw a small blossom of hope in her face.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

We both froze. Sophia looked up at my face, the color draining from her face and her eyes filling with tears. I was panting with fear, my breaths shallow and panicked. I looked up to find Nox standing in the door.

He’d been so quiet. How had we not heard him?

Sophia was sobbing against my chest now, her entire body shaking with fear.

“I am surprised at your resilience, pet,” he said to her. “Here, I thought I’d taken all the soul you had left.”

He stalked towards us and she clung to me, even as my silver chains burned her.

She started screaming, “No! No, please! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

“Leave her alone!” I snarled, fighting my chains desperately.

He grabbed her by the back of her hair, and I was intent on shifting and biting him, but Skadi refused to come forward.

*‘Skadi! We can’t let him do this!’*

*’I cannot reveal myself,’* she answered. *’They can’t know I’m here until we can escape.’*

*‘I convinced her to help. It’s my fault!’* I screamed in my head.

*‘I’m sorry, little one. You can’t save everyone.’*

He pulled her back by her hair and dragged her across the floor. She kicked, clawing at the hand holding her, and screamed wildly. I’d never heard screams like that.

“Stop!” I begged, tears running down my cheeks. “It’s not her fault. I made her do it!”

He tossed her on the floor and turned to me, hissing, “I know that, witch.”

“Then punish me!”

He smirked. “I am.”

I looked to see that the other dragons had entered the room, taking their seats at the table, excited to watch. Morga and her daughters were there as well, standing in the shadows where they liked to lurk.

“Morga!” Nox yelled, holding out his hand.

“Which one, my Lord?”

“Bring me the cat-o’-nine-tails,” he answered, grinning. “Let’s see if her bones are as pretty as the rest of her.”

She bowed and went to an adjacent wall. It held several types of whips and other torture devices. She grabbed down the one that had a long rawhide handle and nine knotted cords of rawhide hanging off of it.

To my surprise, he walked to me. I thought he was going to hit me with it, and I braced myself.

“Look,” he ordered. “This one is special.”

He showed it to me. The nine rawhide whips had silver wire interwoven. It was sharp and barbed, intended to inflict maximum damage on flesh.

Still looking at my face, he said, “Fifty lashes.”

“You monster,” I snarled, fighting my chains again. “I’ll take them. I’ll take the beating.”

He tsked and shook his head, indicating that wouldn’t be happening.

Sophia was on her side, curled in the fetal position and sobbing violently.

He walked to her. “Kneel.”

When she didn’t move, he kicked her hard, making her groan.

“Kneel!”

She slowly did as she was told, still crying. He ran the whips over her bare back and she stiffened, the silver hissing as it burned her skin.

“Fifty lashes,” he said again. “And you’re going to count them for me, Green Witch.”

“What?” I asked, horrified.

“They taught you to count, you know how?” he sneered while the others laughed.

I didn’t answer, just stared at him.

Suddenly, making me jump in surprise, he cracked the whips across her back. She screamed in agony.

He looked back at me, “So that would be…?”

“One,” I whispered.

“What?” He said, holding his hand by his ear.

“One,” I growled.

He cracked the whip on her again, and she cried and begged for mercy.

He looked at me again, grinning.

I refused to answer, and he frowned.

“Disobedience? Hmm, that won’t do.”

I snarled at him in response.

He raised his eyebrows, but was still smirking. “It’s fifty-five lashes now. And we’re starting over. You’ll count every single one out loud, or we’ll start over and add five more.”

“Please,” I begged, my heart sinking. But the words fell on deaf ears.

He whipped her and then stared at me.

“One,” I said obediently.

When it was over, I was sure Sophia was dead. Her back was unrecognizable, white spots poking through where her bone had been revealed. The entire room smelled like blood.

I had sobbed the entire time, but counted out all fifty-five lashes of the whip.

Nox came to me, an evil smile on his lips.

“You will learn to behave,” he told me. “You will learn that *You. Belong. To. Me.* There is no escaping.”

My chin was resting against my chest, and I mumbled something unintelligible to him.

He leaned closer. “What was that?”

I glared up into his eyes, my green burning into his yellow. Our noses nearly touched.

A furious rage burned in my gut. I had never experienced such a dark feeling, or such an intense want to not only kill another being, but make them suffer.

“I said, I promise you, dragon, that you will die by my hand.”