Chapter 62

Mandalay remained silent for the rest of the journey, his body rigid and unyielding against her back. His horse seemed to sense his tension, shaking its head nervously.

They passed their home without stopping. Lilitha watched it recede, fear gripping her heart. “Where are we going?”

He didn’t respond.

“Where are we ~going~?” she repeated, turning to look at him. His blue eyes were fixed on the road ahead, his jaw set, muscles tense around his neck.

“I want to get down. I want to get down!” She squirmed against him, a futile effort. His grip only tightened, making it difficult for her to breathe. Pain seared through her ribs.

“Mandalay!” she gasped.

“I’ve given you everything. Why can’t you be happy? I didn’t want to do this, but…maybe…maybe the minister is right. Maybe this ~will~ help. It has to.”

Then she saw their destination. Lilitha’s eyes widened. ~What~ would help? She tried to scream, but only managed to choke. People turned to look, then quickly averted their eyes. The scene was eerily reminiscent of Norfolk, causing her skin to turn cold and her breath to hitch in her chest.

Mandalay spurred Agaroth to move faster. Lilitha tried to pry his arm away, but it was as unyielding as a vice. She kicked and flailed, but Mandalay managed to pin her arms to her sides. Soon, all she could do was plead.

They stopped in front of a small chapel. Mandalay dismounted, pulling Lilitha down with him. He lifted her off her feet and dragged her inside. The chapel was nearly empty, save for two men sitting in a pew. Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the altar. The men watched as Mandalay dragged her past.

“Please, Mandalay, ~stop~. I’m sorry. I’m sorry!”

His grip was unrelenting, the pressure making her ribs feel as if they were cracking. He muttered under his breath, “This is for your own good. For ~our~ own good. I have no choice.”

“You have every choice!” she cried.

The minister must have heard the commotion. His door swung open, revealing his surprised expression. Then his mouth set in a firm line.

“Bring her in,” he said calmly, stepping aside.

Mandalay hauled her inside, and the minister closed the door. As Mandalay tried to place her on the cot, Lilitha slipped from his grasp. She made a dash for the door, but he tripped her with his foot. She stumbled and fell, her face slamming into the floor.

Dazed, she rolled onto her back, looking up at the two blurry figures looming over her. Her nose throbbed with pain.

“Get her onto the bed,” the minister instructed. “I’ll prepare the sedative.”

Mandalay bent down and scooped her up. “Mateus,” Lilitha murmured, her head lolling on her neck. Mandalay stiffened but remained silent as he laid her on the cot.

He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I’m only doing this to help you, Lilitha. You must understand. This is for your own good.” He then rolled her onto her stomach, her face pressed into the pillow. He bound her wrists and ankles tightly.

“Good, make sure they’re secure,” the minister said softly. “She can’t move, or it will only hurt more.”

“Will it be painful?”

“Not with the sedative. Hold her head.”

Mandalay complied. Lilitha’s tears soaked the pillow. “Please don’t touch me.”

“This will only help you, girl,” the minister said in a soothing voice.

Then something wet and foul-smelling was pressed against her face. All Lilitha could do was inhale. The last thing she remembered was the sensation of someone pulling down her skirts.

The minister was wrong. Despite the sedative, she dreamed of sitting on the sun. She dreamed that a man in a black shroud was pressing a burning torch against her backside. Then she dreamed of demons digging their sharp claws into her wound.

All she could do was scream in her mind, soundlessly, endlessly. It was strange. To be asleep and yet not understand what exactly one was feeling. To feel pain and yet somehow not know it ~was~ pain.

It wasn’t until she finally woke that her mind made the connection. She was crying out, then she was sobbing, until more of the minister’s medicine was pressed to her face and she fell silent again.

The next time she woke, it was to Mandalay speaking her name and rubbing her back. She was numb. Down there—she was numb. Until she moved and it felt like her skin was tearing apart.

“Careful!” Mandalay warned.

Gently, he helped her roll onto her back.

Lilitha reached for her bottom, but it was wrapped in bandages. “What have you done to me?” she gasped.

“We’ve been trying to help you,” Mandalay said.

She began to cry. Mandalay reached out to wipe her tears, but Lilitha jerked away. “Don’t touch me!”

She still felt groggy from the sedative. A headache pounded behind her eyes. Her whole body ached, as if she’d fallen from a horse. Mandalay helped her sit up. Lilitha yelped in pain, clutching his forearms as she tried to catch her breath. Pain shot through her lower spine, burning up her back and making her eyes water. With a moan, she slumped over.

The men’s voices were muffled as they spoke to each other. Mandalay sounded angry. He grabbed her shoulders, then lifted her into his arms. Lilitha’s vision blurred, the room spinning. The minister looked like a smudged fingerprint.

Pain surged through her body, and she cried out. Mandalay said something. Then Lilitha’s eyes rolled back, and she blacked out.

The next time she woke, she was lying on her side in bed, the light pouring through the window so brightly she had to shut her eyes. When she opened them again, she realized she wasn’t the only one gazing through the window. Mandalay stood with his arms folded, his head lowered as he looked out onto the street below.

Lilitha tried to remain quiet, but a sigh escaped her as she rolled stiffly onto her back.

Mandalay turned. “You’re awake.” His boots thudded against the floor as he approached. He rested his hand on her forehead. “How do you feel?”

Lilitha didn’t answer. She looked away, her hands tightened into fists amid the sheets.

“I know you hate me right now, but it had to be done.”

Lilitha closed her eyes as she struggled against her rage. It was good. It ~felt~ good. It seemed to overcome the pain that was ricocheting all around her body. “Why?”

“To purge you of all of this evil, Lilitha. The minister believes, as well as I, that this will fix you.”

“Fix me.” Lilitha shifted with a grunt. “~Fix~ me. I don’t feel fixed.”

She felt broken. Tears pushed up behind her eyes, and she hated herself for it. Then Mandalay reached out to grip her shoulder, and her eyes flew to his. She looked over at his big, ugly hand. Her tears turned so hot they seemed to burn against her cheek.

“Let. Me. Go.” Her voice was a growl. An inhuman growl. A growl from the forest.

Mandalay’s hand jerked away.

She glared up at him, detesting his stupid face so much she could claw his eyes out. “I ~hate~ you.”

Mandalay frowned. His forehead puckered. “You’re only saying that because you’re in pain.”

“I ~hate~ you.” Using all her strength, she sat up. “I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.”

Mandalay’s face scrunched up, and Lilitha couldn’t tell if it was out of anger or grief. Perhaps it was the same thing. “You need to calm down. Everything is going to be all right.” Gently, he tried to push her back into the bed, but Lilitha swiped his hand away.

“I really ~hate~ you,” she growled again. “I wish you’d die.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“Don’t I?” She bared her teeth at him. “I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you…” And she went on and on and on until Mandalay’s face turned red, and his eyes bulged. “I hate you!”

“Shut up!” And he slapped her so hard he threw Lilitha back into the bed.

Blood filled her mouth as she bit the corner of her cheek. She stared up at him in a daze, her headache now twice as bad, heat and blood and pain rushing to her face.

“I’m sorry,” he told her sternly. “But you’re being hysterical. You’re sick. You’re tired. You’re in pain.” He reached out to touch her, but Lilitha turned away. He spoke quietly, but his voice was tight, thick with warning and danger. “My patience can only bear so much. Remember our ~deal~.”

His boots thudded. The door slammed shut.

The glaring sunlight burned against Lilitha’s throbbing cheek.