Demon Day by Penelope Fletcher (best novels in english .TXT) 📕

stopped, bringing the torturesession to an end, and I was thrown back into thedungeon.

I did not even realize it was overwhen iron door was slammed back into place. I noticed the absenceof new pain first. Then suffered the searing agony of the woundsinflicted upon me as my weakened body tried to fully repair thedamage.

Whimpering into the floor I tried tofeel through the bond. I was tied to Breandan in a way that defiedthe laws of nature. He would be able to feel my distress and hewould follow me here – wherever here was – and rescueme.

I whimpered and it hurt my chest.Still he was so far.

The energy I’d gathered dissipated andI stifled a sob. Why so far? Why was he not much closer? Surely hewould have realized I was gone and would feel the absence of me.Already I felt more than a niggle, telling me to go find him. Itfelt like an insatiable itch beneath my skin, a habit I needed feedto feel better. He would feel it too so why was he not on hisway?

“Damn the gods,” a tearfulvoice said. I heard the shifter twin’s feet pad over to where Ilay. I could not open my eyes. They were swollen shut. “Help me gether up. Bring me that water there. Oh! Ta, Runt.”

I felt my head being propped up andstale water trickled into my mouth. Swallowing was painful andafter a while, I stopped and let it run down the back of my throatuntil my gag reflex choked me.

Amelia touched a hand to my neck,checking the strength of my pulse. “Can you move?” she asked andbrushed the hair back from my face. “We don’t even have a blanketto wrap you in or spare water to wipe the blood away. Yourbeautiful face–” her voice cut off and her breath hitched. “Yourwings,” she whispered.

I scrunched my eyes closed at themention. The burning centered between my shoulder blades wasreminder enough of what had been done to my wings.

There was a scratching noise and afaint shuffling, as if feet were reluctantly dragging. Then itmorphed into the slap of footsteps as the person drewnearer.

I felt light pressure on my back as ifsomeone had poked me. I felt the mildest of irritation overwhelmedby fear. My eyelids jerked open and I found a last surge of energyto recoil from the figure hovering over me. The shadow squeaked andscuttled back. Runt watched me with a fear in his expression thatmirrored my own.

After a moment his trembling stopped.I groped behind me until my hand connected with the curved wall. Idragged my aching body back and leaned against it. I lay my head inmy knees, wrapped my arms around my shins, and bit my lip in painas my wings curled over to cocoon me. Pockets of light seeped inthrough the ragged holes in the thin membrane, damage from theClerics knives. Rather than shining gold they looked dull brown,torn and tattered like crumpled paper.

There were no tears, my eyes were dry,but they were so itchy they burned, and my breath was raspy. A sobchoked from my throat and echoed through the dungeon. I felt sopitiful and broken I didn’t think I had enough strength to carethat there was a strong chance the end was dreadfully near forme.

I would not have moved had he notstroked me so gently. It was as if a light breeze had disturbed myhair. I looked up and saw Runt’s huge orb-like eyes blinking at me.When I saw his long lashes were spiked, wet with tears in aninstant I held out my arms and he crawled into them to cry on myshoulder. This boney thing in my arms was more comfort that I couldhave imagined possible. He was like chicken wire, digging into me,and I shifted a few times before I found a position that wascomfortable enough to hold him.

I cleared my throat and announced tothe darkness, “I know he’s coming for me. Whatever’s holdingBreandan up is only temporary, but I can’t wait. We need to thinkup a plan to get out of here.”

“You don’t think we’vetried,” Nimah scoffed.

“Obviously you weren’ttrying hard enough,” I shot back, tearfully. “We can’t stay here. Ican’t go through … that again.”

Amelia whispered, “I don’t think anyof us can.”

We were all quiet for a long timeafter that. Hours passed, and we half-heartedly bounced ideas offeach other, but never did our plans get us further than calling theClerics in and fighting them. Each time we got excited one of uswould remember how easily they had subdued us before they had takenme. We couldn’t get the manacles off our necks because of the ironand silver draining our strength, and picking the locks was out ofthe question. What were we picking them with? We would have tofight hindered by chains, and with less strength than we were usedto. It wouldn’t work, we all knew it.

It was … strange to go from knowing Ihad the potential to be an unbeatable demon, to being unable tohold a one on one fight with a human because of somemetal.

I knew in the core of me that Breandanwould come for me. I simply had to survive until then.

Most of the day passed insilence.

My body healed, fixed the damage tothe point of where I only ached a little, but soon I stoppedchecking the places they had cut me. My fingers kept finding lumpsand bumps of new flesh. Scars. Lots of scars riddled my skin.Feeling tears well in my eyes, my breath hitching, I stoppedthinking about it.

I was alive wasn’t I?

I suppose I should have been gratefulfor the rest, but my mind was in turmoil. Was this where they hadkept Maeve when they had taken her? I would ask the twins when theywoke, for now Amelia and Nimah slept, curled together, comfortingeach other.

Runt stayed by my side, snufflingoccasionally, but was otherwise quiet. I tried to coax him into aconversation several times, and whilst it was clear he understoodme he did not talk back.

If the Clerics had tortured him likeme, I could understand that he might be mentally damaged. As far asI was aware,