The Tainted (The Tainted Series Book 1) (20 page)

She curled up in the corner of her dark, dismal room, tightly wrapping the filthy blanket around her shivering body. Her eyes burned, her head throbbed, and her body ached from a combination of thirst, hunger, and a lack of sleep. But she barely even noticed the pain. The realization that she no longer cared about her survival had broken her spirit. Her will to continue was smothered by misery and depression. Whatever little bit of strength that remained was slowly being drawn out of her while a heavy weight of despair was settling upon her chest.

A loud thud sounded from the opposite end of her cell, wrenching her back to reality. The lock in the door had been pulled back. Lately, this sound had only heralded pain, so she instinctively curled her body up even tighter.

She waited for the usual two pairs of footsteps to enter, but only silence filled her ears. Something wasn’t right, but, for some reason, she wasn’t afraid.

After a long moment, a single pair of footsteps entered and rapidly approached her. Her pulse quickened with anticipation as she held her breath. This was it. It was all happening as it had in her dream.

A strong hand clasped onto her exposed arm, “Now, Rebecca, we have to go
now
.”

She lifted her head to see Liam, and was shocked by his harsh appearance. His usually square jaw and high cheekbones were swollen, and bruises shone deep purple and blue against his fair skin. A heavy gash ran down the side of his right temple, dried blood still coating the wound, and his usually perfect hair and uniform were disheveled.

“Liam,” she whispered, her voice filled with empathy. “What did they do to you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said, shaking his head. “We don’t have much time. I have to get you out
now
.”

He delicately pulled her up and then made his way to the door, checking if the coast was clear.

“How are we going to get out of here unseen? There must be guards
everywhere
.” Rebecca made her way over to stand behind Liam. She felt weak. Her muscles were tight and sore, aching with every step, and she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d eaten.

“I’ve taken care of them, but only for a short time.” He looked down the hallway in both directions, then motioned for her to be silent.

She was still confused and frightened. She’d waited for so long for this, but now everything was happening so quickly. She was just about to whisper a protest to Liam when he suddenly reached back and grasped onto her hand.

Rebecca looked down for a minute, watching his fingers intertwine with hers, and felt a soft sense of calm come over her. Though fear still clawed at the edge of her thoughts, courage slowly crept into her heart.

She looked back up at Liam, who didn’t seem to realize the gesture he’d made. She watched as he silently nodded his head and then moved forward through the door, pulling her alongside him.

Rebecca gripped his hand tightly as they emerged from her cell. The hallway they entered was awash in dancing shadows, cast by the sparse torches that hung along the old, stone walls. Above them was a high ceiling made of rough, natural rock that dramatically contrasted with the perfectly straight walls.

She listened for a moment, half expecting to hear far off footsteps or voices, but the only sound was the soft, rhythmic dripping of water from somewhere in the distance. As far as she could tell, the place was deserted.

Rebecca felt a pull on her hand and she turned back toward Liam, who quickly headed down the hallway to the right. When they came to the first turn, Rebecca’s fear rose up again. There had to be a guard waiting for them around the bend. But when they turned the corner, they were met with yet another bare hallway covered in dancing dark shadows.

They continued on for what felt like forever--Rebecca could hardly believe how large this place was. Every time they came to a new corner, she expected to run into someone. But they never saw a single soul. After a while, Rebecca became disoriented and worried. It felt like they were going deeper into the structure, not making their way outside it, and the longer they walked, the more her nerves faltered.

Finally, Liam came to a swift halt. They stood at the edge of a corner and Rebecca swore the faint scent of the woods was coming from around the bend.

Liam lifted a finger to his lips, signaling her to be silent. He took a quick look around and then leaned in close to her ear, whispering, “The exit is around this corner. It’s night, so it’ll be dark in the woods, but, as soon as we leave, I need you to start running. I was able to get rid of the guards inside, but the ones outside will be out there waiting. I’ll attack them as we exit, but you need to run immediately. No matter what, keep going and don’t look back.”

Rebecca pulled away and was about to argue when he lifted his free hand up and placed it over her mouth. With an intensity she’d never seen before, he stared straight into her eyes. “I’ll find you. I promise,” he whispered.

After a short moment, Rebecca nodded and Liam dropped his hand.

“I’ll run first,” he quickly peered around the corner before turning back to her one last time. “You need to come out directly after me and, whatever you do, don’t hesitate. I need you to run faster than you’ve ever run before. Understand?”

Rebecca gave a final nod.

Liam returned her nod and then loosened his hand from hers. Rebecca felt her hand tense as his began to slip away. His touch had been so comforting, had felt so warm and strong that she feared, once it was gone, her courage would go with it. However, before she could think about it any further, Liam turned back around and instantly broke into a run, twisting around the corner.

It was now or never and, drawing on what little strength she could find, Rebecca dropped her head slightly and broke into an all-out sprint. As she burst out of what looked like the opening of a cave, a wave of fresh air hit her face. She’d grown so accustomed to the stale air in her cell that she had to struggle to prevent herself from coughing whenever she took in a heavy breath of the icy, night air.

Frozen, dead leaves crunched beneath her feet as she raced forward, concentrating only on maintaining her blistering pace. In the distance, she heard a few loud thuds, followed by heavy grunts, but she refused to allow her mind to wander, to let doubt creep in. Liam had told her that he would come, that he would find her, and she believed him.

As she pushed on, Rebecca’s already weak body began to tremble. After so long without food, she simply had no reserves left--she wouldn’t be able to push herself much further. Her knees started to give way and her lungs burned as they struggled to breathe fast enough, but still she pushed herself to keep going.

Rebecca made to jump over a small, fallen tree trunk when her foot caught, sending her flying forward, face first into the hard, frozen ground.

She lay still for a moment, breathing heavily as her vision shifted in and out of focus. Feeling every muscle in her body cry out in pain and her heart fluttering wildly in her chest, she knew she couldn’t make it any further. Her body simply had nothing left.

After allowing a moment to slow her breathing, Rebecca gradually pushed herself up and sat back against the tree trunk next to her.

Her eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness of the woods and she gazed up to see a clear night sky lit by a half moon and hundreds of bright stars that were scattered across the open expanse. There had been moments in the cell when she’d been certain she would never see the sky again.

Rebecca breathed in deeply, shutting her eyes and finally allowing her body to relax. She was free. She was alive. The reality of it was almost too much for her to handle.

A sudden rustle in the woods snapped Rebecca back to reality. She searched the surrounding trees, her body tensing in anticipation as she tried to spot any movement within.

“Liam?” she whispered, still scanning the area around her. “Are you there?”

A tall, thin figure casually stepped out from behind a tree and into a soft ray of moonlight, causing dark shadows to form under his sharp, high cheekbones. “Liam’s not here, but I am,” the General taunted, a crazed grin splitting his gaunt face.

Paralyzed in sheer terror, Rebecca gaped up at the evil Aillil, her insides suddenly turning ice cold.

“Thought you’d gotten away, did you? Thought you’d made it out alive?” The grin on his face widened as he spoke down to her. “I’m afraid I couldn’t allow that to happen. You see, I know you’re hiding something from me. With how much you’ve endured to keep it hidden, and now Liam sacrificing himself for you, I can’t help but believe that this is something I must know…”

“Liam,” Rebecca whispered as her stomach plummeted. “No…”

“An incredibly talented soldier, no doubt, but there was always something off about that boy. His end is befitting.” The General’s face dropped as he nearly spat the last words. His eyes narrowed as he glared down at her. “Our kind should not belittle ourselves by associating with those unworthy, those beneath us.” His voice dripped with disdain.

Rebecca, arms at her sides, balled her hands into angry fists and returned the General’s hateful stare.

Seeing that his words affected Rebecca, a malicious grin again began creeping across his hateful face. “Your kind is weak--tainted by the worthless human blood that courses through your veins. You’re a disgrace. You were never meant to be born.”

Loosing control of her anger, Rebecca abruptly moved to stand, to attack the General, even though she knew it was suicide. Suddenly, out of nowhere, several thick vines wound around her body, cinching tightly. Desperately struggling against the vines, she was slowly lifted upwards until her toes could barely touch the ground.

The General stepped closer, watching her fight against the constricting vines. There was a hint of twisted pleasure in his face as he spoke, “I could end you right now if I wished, break you with a simple flick of my wrist. But I still need to know what it is that you’re hiding from me.”

He’d gotten so close to her now that she could feel his hot breath on her cheek whenever he spoke.

The pressure from the vines was now unbearable--sharp pains shot across Rebecca’s ribs and she worried they were about to crack and crumble to pieces within her. Still, she kept her eyes even with the General’s and managed to utter a breathless retort, “You’ll have to kill me first.”

A flash of rage overtook the General’s face and the vines squeezed so tightly around Rebecca that all the remaining air in her lungs was pushed out. Her head wrenched back as she tried desperately to breath, her vision rapidly fading into darkness.

As she frantically gasped and struggled, a strange burning sensation began building at the back of Rebecca’s skull, slowly creeping around her whole head. Somehow, even in her weakened state, she knew that this new feeling wasn’t connected to what was happening to her body. It seemed to be emanating entirely from her brain and it felt powerful, almost frightfully so. Gradually, the sensation swept over her, washing away her pain, coursing through her entire body and filling her with an intoxicating strength unlike anything she’d ever felt before.

The vines suddenly loosened and she felt her feet touch down on the ground. Frantically, she filled her starving lungs with air. Rebecca looked up to see the General grasping onto his head, his face filled with terror as he stared back at her.

“You…you’re a…” he gasped, his eyes wide with panic.

Suddenly, with a rapid flick of the General’s hand, the vines squeezed around her again, this time tighter than ever. Rebecca felt a sudden severe pain and one of her lower ribs gave way, cracking under the intense pressure.

Crying out in agony, Rebecca threw her head back. There was nothing slow about the burning sensation this time. It instantly shot through her body, filling her every muscle, entering every fiber, and whiting out her vision as it overtook her completely.

But, as quickly as the sensation had come, it disappeared, and the vines again dropped limp from her body, sending her crashing down to the forest floor. She grasped her side in agony. Her broken rib had smashed into the hard ground, shooting an intense, sharp pain throughout her torso.

Kneeling on all fours, Rebecca took several short, rapid breaths, her burning lungs aching for air. Her vision was still completely blurred. Furiously she shook her head and blinked her eyes, frantically trying to regain her eyesight. All the while, she waited for the General to strike again--her terror was almost palpable. But nothing came. In fact, the only sounds she heard around her were her own sharp breaths.

When her vision finally returned to normal, Rebecca lifted her head, anxiously searching for the next attack. But what she found instead was utterly terrifying. Hurriedly, she pushed herself backwards, momentarily forgetting the agonizing pain in her side.

The General’s body lay in front of her, completely motionless, his sunken, lifeless eyes still holding a look of pure shock and fear.

Rebecca slowly shook her head in sheer disbelief and pushed herself further from the body. Had she done that? Had she somehow caused that to happen?

“Rebecca!” Liam burst through the trees, coming to an abrupt halt next to her. Noticing her transfixed gaze, he followed her eyes down and stared at the General’s still form.

Then, as if what he saw meant nothing to him at all, he quickly turned back toward Rebecca and bent over, grasping her limp arms. “Come, we have to keep going.”

Rebecca clutched her injured rib and allowed him to gently lift her up. Her frightened eyes, however, remained glued upon the body. “I…I don’t know what…what happened…I…”

“It’s alright,” Liam pulled her into a light hug, carefully avoiding her hurt rib.

It was more affection than he’d ever shown her before and she allowed herself to be fully enveloped in his arms, feeling his warmth wash over her.

He didn’t hold the embrace for very long, however, before he pulled away and quickly scanned the woods around them.

“We aren’t safe yet.” He looked back down at her, inspecting her injured side. “I know you’re hurt, but can you keep going for bit longer?”