Never Yours ✔️

Ch. 34

 Arysa stood outside the house, staring out at the empty fields that surrounded her. She didn't know where she was. She didn't know how to get home. She didn't know how long it would take her to reach civilization. She was weak with hunger and dehydration already. She wouldn't last long wandering Rahaida alone, without provisions, on her own two feet, even if she could evade Serden and the dusk riders that would surely be on her tail soon enough.

She wasn't chained anymore, but she was still just as trapped.

She walked back inside the house, to the bedroom, passing the broken chains on the floor to the window. She traced out a rune on its surface, but only black greeted her.

"Idaly!" She called. "Idaly!"

The black lit up into brown and then she saw a hand reach down and the image lifted to show Idaly's face.

"Arysa?" He questioned. "I'm almost to the final city--"

"Idaly, I need you to come back." She rushed out.

His brows furrowed in concern, alarm lighting up his eyes. "What? Why? What's happened?"

Arysa bit her lip. "Serden kidnapped me. I'm in some house outside Raida somewhere. I need you to find me."

"Do you have any more information than that, Arysa?"

She ran her hand through her hair. "I'm surrounded by fields, and there's forests to the north? We came here on our way from the battlefield back to Raida."

"The battlefield? What were you doing there?" A horse whickered in the background.

"That doesn't matter." Arysa rubbed her sore wrists. "Can you find me?"

His eyes hardened. "I'm certainly going to try."

Her eyes flit behind her towards the door. She knew he only came once a day, but still she was scared that somehow he would know, somehow he would find out, somehow he would thwart her, and trap her here forever.

"Hurry." She said.

"I'll get there as fast as I can." He assured.

She nodded and sketched the closing rune. Then she sat down with her back to the window and waited.

-

Four more days passed. She had to fix the chains and put them back on her wrists and ankles to keep Serden from finding out about her plan. He returned every day and pressed her to accept his deal and every day she refused and suffered the consequences. She was starting to lose hope that Idaly would find her, starting to lose hope that she would be able to get out of this.

She paced the room, up and down, back and forth. She was restless and anxious and worried. She shook out her arms and breathed in and out through pursed lips. The chains clattered against the bedposts and against the floor, brutal reminders of her imprisonment.

Idaly was her last hope. If he couldn't find her, then who could? How would she ever get out of here? She couldn't make it on foot, she knew that, so what else could she do? Attack Serden and steal his horse? He was far too strong for her. She couldn't defeat him.

Not yet.

She heard hoofbeats approach the house and her heartbeat picked up. She felt her hands grow clammy and fear swirled in her stomach. She couldn't do this, not again. She backed into the wall and wrapped her arms around herself. Her hands were shaking. She couldn't do this again.

The front door slammed open and she jumped, her breath catching in her throat. He was angry. Her heart beat out of her chest. Her fingers dug into her arms. She felt a familiar sting in the back of her eyes and she bit down on the insides of her cheeks, turning her head away from the door.