His Little Hunter

Chapter 15

My scalp tingled as fingers sifted through my hair, the touch gentle as they ran through my long hair. What was going on here? My head felt like a haze had settled over it and I could hardly think clearly.

I was sprawled out on the ground, my head rested on what felt like a person’s lap. The sound of nature floated around me, making me feel strangely at ease. Birds were chirping and I could faintly make out the sound of a flowing river. The smell of grass tickled my nostrils and my confusion only grew.

Where was I?

Hadn’t I been in the cell?

The hand sifted through my hair again and my body unwittingly relaxed, a strange calm washing over me with the action. I found myself leaning into the touch, craving more of the tenderness.

Confused, I blinked my heavy lids open, intent on figuring out who this person was but a haze of white blurred my vision, masking the stranger’s face in shadows. I could only make out the faint silhouette of what appeared to be a woman staring down at me, her long red hair slipping past her shoulders and tickling my cheek.

“You’re awake.” She said softly, her voice a soothing lull that stole all the tension from my body. “Did you sleep well, Birdie?”

“Yeah,” I responded absently, my mind still trying to process this strange situation. The woman’s face was a blur but something about her seemed familiar. Her demeanour, her voice, the way she continued to stroke my hair, it all felt so nostalgic.

It reminded me of a time when I’d been happy before my whole world had been upended.

Birdie?

My heart skipped a beat, the familiar nickname filling my chest with sorrow. Only one person had ever used that nickname on me.

“Mom?” I called out hesitantly, unable to believe what was happening. Slowly the shadows hiding her face lifted and the image of a woman I hadn’t seen since I watched a blade slice through her neck appeared before me.

“Yes, birdie.” She answered with a smile, her almond shaped eyes creasing ever so slightly. “I’ve missed you so dearly.”

Tears welled in my eyes as I lifted my head off her lap. My hands found her face, reaching for her to make sure she wasn’t just a figment of my imagination. But as soon as I touched her, her image began to fade, my fingers slipping through her like air.

“Mom!!!” I screamed, desperately reaching out to hold her as her form grew fainter and fainter.

“Listen to me, I don’t have much time left but you need to hear this. You’re in terrible danger, Birdie. There are people, dangerous people out there to kill you.” Her face turned serious, my mother’s normally tender features growing hard.

Was she talking about the royal who kidnapped me?

“You might be a bit too late. I was already kidnapped.”

“I’m not talking about that Royal Birdie. You have to hide. She failed to get you before but now that she knows you survived, she’ll be back. She’ll be back for your neck the way she claimed mine.”

“What are you talking about? Who’s she?” As my questions left my lips, her image flickered, her skin becoming even more translucent. “No!”

She smiled a sad smile, eyes full of sadness as she lifted a translucent hand to my cheek.

“It’s ok birdie, this is fine.”

“No, it’s not fine! You can’t leave me again. You don’t know how hard things have been since you died, how hard I’ve had it.”

Her transparent smile faltered and her eyes grew glassy, sorrow filling her green orbs. The ghost hand on my cheek shook, almost a mirror image of the way I trembled. More and more she faded away until she was barely visible.

“Trust me, sweetie, I know. I wish I could have done something to help but I couldn’t. But I want to do what I can to help now before I move on.” As her image grew fainter, so did her voice until it was barely above a whisper. “The royal is not your true enemy rather he’ll be an asset. You’ll need to get him on your side.” How the hell was I supposed to do that? I highly doubted he kidnapped me just to make friends. “There are greater forces at play here, individuals with strength you cannot even begin to comprehend and they’re all after your head.”

“Why?”

“Because of what you are.“

“What am I?” My confusion was at an all-time high. Nothing she said made sense to me.

Her lips moved in response but no sound came out and Instinctively I could tell her time was up. Panic made my stomach feel heavy and desperation nearly overcame me as I screamed out to her, pleading, begging. “Please don’t leave me alone again.”

My pleading fell on deaf ears because just like that she was gone. Like she’d never been there.

I didn’t even get a moment to mourn her departure when suddenly the scene around me changed.

Grassy meadow no more, I found myself back in that haunting cell. This time, my hands were bound above my head, held by chains emerging from the ceiling. All my weight rested on my arms as my feet didn’t touch the ground. Pain radiated through my shoulders and I attempted to pull myself up with chains, hoping to keep them from dislocating and to relieve some of the pain but the disturbed blood flow to my arms made them weak.

“I wonder how long you can keep struggling like that.” My head shot in the direction of the voice, my heart sinking at the sight of the man who stood outside the cell. “I’m curious to find out.”

My eyes fell to the whip in his hand, the one dusted with sharp metal shards. He caught my gaze on the weapon and his lips curved upwards. Fear sent a stream of hot tears sliding down my cheeks and instinctively I tried to escape, struggling against the bonds holding me in place. All I did was make the pain worse.

Clicking echoed in the dreary room as the cell door was unlocked. I heard the sound of metal scraping stone as he walked towards me, the whip dragging on the ground.

“I’m sorry. Please. I’m sorry.” I begged.

“Your tears motivate me. Your pleading only spurs me on. But do beg more and cry even more. Maybe if I see tears of blood, I might be motivated to stop.”

He lifted his hands and I saw the whip flying in my direction. I shut my eyes tightly as I prepared for the pain that was to come.