Cry Havoc
③
How does one greet another in a predicament as ours?
“How are you?” I ask him. The words are odd and stilted.
“Why do you want to know?” His voice is harsh and cruel.
If I tell him the truth, that I merely want him to stay longer, he might just leave. I can’t have that. But I can’t lie. Damned prison. Worry builds as I refrain from answering.
“Fine, don’t answer.”
“What do you request of me?”
“Are you going to insult me again?”
“No, no, I promise.” I've learnt my lesson.
“Then you know what I want to know.”
“I see.” This is curious. “I simply did so. That is my grand reason. I had no desire to rule, to subject others to my will. Purely, it is, or rather was, my task. Rebirth, change, and the effecting of change.”
“That’s all?”
Shame burns within me. “Yes. I did my duty, and allowed others to pay the price.”
“Damn you, you foul demon.”
I laugh mirthlessly. “You are a bit late to damn me, mortal. I would say my dear sister has done an excellent job of ensuring my eternal torment.”
“You keep saying eternal. Why don’t I believe that?”
“How am I supposed to know your reasons for not believing me?”
A long, tense hush falls between us. I bask in the slight warmth his presence emits. Fates, it truly has been too long.
He shatters the silence with curiosity. “So, what is the extent of your punishment?”
“That a very broad question,” I warn him hesitantly. “What exactly do you mean?”
“How has the queen ensured you’ll never escape? Why do you keep saying you’ll be here forever?”
“Ah, that.” Bitterness taints my words. “My sister is an ingenious spell master. She has cursed me with a truth telling enchantment and an obedience spell. She has placed no caveat upon them, ensuring I will forever be under their effects, and has ordered me to remain in this prison for the remainder of my days.”
“This prison? You’re in a room. With doors. And windows.”
My mouth falls open in shock. “I am?” A queer pain blossoms in my chest. “I am, aren’t I? That would be just like Cassie, to place freedom within arm’s length…”
“Don’t speak ill of the queen!”
I jerk back and turn away. “I wasn't,” I mumble softly.
If he hears me, he makes no sign of it.
“You say you’re under an obedience spell?”
I beg the fates silently not to let him be cruel with this knowledge.
“Then stand.”
My legs are weak from hunger but I do as he orders.
“Step forward.”
Trepidation coils in my stomach as I obey. Can he see the limits of my prison? Even if he can, will he still force me over?
“Keep going.”
I swallow thickly. Just before where I imagine the boundary lines lie, I stop. “I can't leave,” I tell him.
“Keep going.”
I must have lost all self-respect because I start begging him. “I can’t! You don’t understand!”
But then that damn curse activates and steals my body from my control. I take another step, and as soon as I pass over that line, pain erupts in my leg. Tendons and muscle sever from bone as the spell punishes me for my escape attempt. A shrill screech rips up my throat. Despite my screams the order hangs in the air and will not leave. I drop to my knees as my body attempts another step. Though I bite back desperately on a second howl, it becomes too much when the geas forces me ever forward. Blood pulses behind my eyes. Agony unfurls as my musculature tears itself apart bit by bit. I froth and twitch.
So this mortal will prove to be the key to my cage, and my deliverance to death.
If only it didn't hurt so much.
Skin meets mine. Hands grab a hold of my shoulders and force me backwards.
“Stop! Stop! You have fulfilled the order!”
With those words, as blessed as cool water, I am released.
Panting heavily, I lie on my back and feel my body slowly piecing itself back together. It itches like wildfire but I prefer this to the earlier agony.
It's only then that I realize I’ve been crying. Who knows when I started, but I can’t stop. The tears roll down my cheeks, unhindered by pride or dignity as those were lost ages ago.
My throat is raw from screaming. How long did he allow me to suffer that? I whimper, “Why?”
The warmth from his proximity diminishes before fading entirely. I choke back on a sob.
“How are you?” I ask him. The words are odd and stilted.
“Why do you want to know?” His voice is harsh and cruel.
If I tell him the truth, that I merely want him to stay longer, he might just leave. I can’t have that. But I can’t lie. Damned prison. Worry builds as I refrain from answering.
“Fine, don’t answer.”
“What do you request of me?”
“Are you going to insult me again?”
“No, no, I promise.” I've learnt my lesson.
“Then you know what I want to know.”
“I see.” This is curious. “I simply did so. That is my grand reason. I had no desire to rule, to subject others to my will. Purely, it is, or rather was, my task. Rebirth, change, and the effecting of change.”
“That’s all?”
Shame burns within me. “Yes. I did my duty, and allowed others to pay the price.”
“Damn you, you foul demon.”
I laugh mirthlessly. “You are a bit late to damn me, mortal. I would say my dear sister has done an excellent job of ensuring my eternal torment.”
“You keep saying eternal. Why don’t I believe that?”
“How am I supposed to know your reasons for not believing me?”
A long, tense hush falls between us. I bask in the slight warmth his presence emits. Fates, it truly has been too long.
He shatters the silence with curiosity. “So, what is the extent of your punishment?”
“That a very broad question,” I warn him hesitantly. “What exactly do you mean?”
“How has the queen ensured you’ll never escape? Why do you keep saying you’ll be here forever?”
“Ah, that.” Bitterness taints my words. “My sister is an ingenious spell master. She has cursed me with a truth telling enchantment and an obedience spell. She has placed no caveat upon them, ensuring I will forever be under their effects, and has ordered me to remain in this prison for the remainder of my days.”
“This prison? You’re in a room. With doors. And windows.”
My mouth falls open in shock. “I am?” A queer pain blossoms in my chest. “I am, aren’t I? That would be just like Cassie, to place freedom within arm’s length…”
“Don’t speak ill of the queen!”
I jerk back and turn away. “I wasn't,” I mumble softly.
If he hears me, he makes no sign of it.
“You say you’re under an obedience spell?”
I beg the fates silently not to let him be cruel with this knowledge.
“Then stand.”
My legs are weak from hunger but I do as he orders.
“Step forward.”
Trepidation coils in my stomach as I obey. Can he see the limits of my prison? Even if he can, will he still force me over?
“Keep going.”
I swallow thickly. Just before where I imagine the boundary lines lie, I stop. “I can't leave,” I tell him.
“Keep going.”
I must have lost all self-respect because I start begging him. “I can’t! You don’t understand!”
But then that damn curse activates and steals my body from my control. I take another step, and as soon as I pass over that line, pain erupts in my leg. Tendons and muscle sever from bone as the spell punishes me for my escape attempt. A shrill screech rips up my throat. Despite my screams the order hangs in the air and will not leave. I drop to my knees as my body attempts another step. Though I bite back desperately on a second howl, it becomes too much when the geas forces me ever forward. Blood pulses behind my eyes. Agony unfurls as my musculature tears itself apart bit by bit. I froth and twitch.
So this mortal will prove to be the key to my cage, and my deliverance to death.
If only it didn't hurt so much.
Skin meets mine. Hands grab a hold of my shoulders and force me backwards.
“Stop! Stop! You have fulfilled the order!”
With those words, as blessed as cool water, I am released.
Panting heavily, I lie on my back and feel my body slowly piecing itself back together. It itches like wildfire but I prefer this to the earlier agony.
It's only then that I realize I’ve been crying. Who knows when I started, but I can’t stop. The tears roll down my cheeks, unhindered by pride or dignity as those were lost ages ago.
My throat is raw from screaming. How long did he allow me to suffer that? I whimper, “Why?”
The warmth from his proximity diminishes before fading entirely. I choke back on a sob.