Haunted

[Rhonya]

Rhonya was screaming. Screaming, against the bonds in her head, the unimaginable pain, resisting the darkness that threatened to overcome her, the claws of agony raking through her mind. She was screaming and no one heard her.

The claws dug deeper and deeper, numbing her, a face appearing in front of her. The face of Akesh, the cruel smirk twisting his features as he reached out to her with a glowing green hand. “You will be mine.” His voice dripping with venom, the poisonous words taking root in her mind. Suddenly she couldn’t scream anymore, her will breaking as he started to laugh and she felt herself crumble.
Everything went dark for a moment, and there was nothing anymore. No one around her, just that urge, the will to hurt, to obey, to hear his voice again… oh, if she could only hear that voice, speak in praise, had she done well..? It was all she longed for, to just be appreciated, to know she served, to give her life for him without hesitation if he asked… She saw the truth now, he'd always been right. There was no use in resisting, everything would change, would be alright, if only she could kill those traitors in front of her. They were no friends of her. Lies, all of it, and she felt an absolute hatred burning deep inside as she turned to fight those she once had loved, flames dancing between her fingers. They would die.

The laugh resounded in her mind and started to change into a deeper timbre, but not any less venomous. Rhonya felt herself starting to tremble, not having heard this voice in years, in her dreams… Not again, not this face, not him…

She felt a soft touch on her chin, almost a lovers stroke of skin, tilting her head up. The words filled her mind. “My dear Rhonya, you’ve not forgotten about me, have you? Of course not. You’ve always been mine, and you know it. My tool, my weapon. Look at me when I’m talking to you, wench.”
She didn’t want to. But the command was given, and it could not be disobeyed. To disobey meant more pain, more darkness, more suffering, an endless agony until he saw it fit to release her from it. Rhonya opened her eyes, and looked back into the deep, glowing red eyes of her past. Morkosh.
His mouth was twisted into a cruel grin, his unforgiving stare eyeing her up like she was a piece of meat on the market, a tool to be used for his own gain. The face of her worst nightmares, the face she never wanted to see again, but here he was.

The claw on her chin started to tighten its hold, the sharp nails digging in her skin and drawing blood. She gasped in pain, starting to whimper, but this only seemed to amuse him more. “My love, the mother of my son,  my legacy lives on in him, and he’ll never be yours. Always mine. Always.”

Skorm… not Skorm… Her firstborn, her son, her flesh and blood… Tears started to stream down her face, but they were not tears of salt and water. They were tears of blood. A deep pain started inside of her, as if all her organs were suddenly squeezed together, and she felt blood coming up her throat, choking her. His hand shifted to her throat and started to squeeze, and she tried to get him off, clawing at his hands, panicking… It was no use, he was too strong. Pain overwhelmed her, blood running down her nose and various other wounds as well.
More pain, felfire searing up and engulfing her, burning her, piece by piece, her mind and her being, agony, screams, and finally, darkness…

A soft groan escaped Rhonya’s lips as her eyes opened to slits. It was dark around her safe for some glowing things she could see ahead of her. Something was holding her, snug and warm, a comforting weight against her back, two arms wrapped around her. It took her a moment to realise she was back in the jungle, the remains of the nightmare still fresh in her mind. Sadok was lying behind her, snoring softly in her ear, and furs kept her warm.

She was fine… She was alright. The tribe was here, Akesh was dead, so they had told her. A deep sigh escaped her lips and she just kept staring vaguely at the glowing embers of the campfire. Her vision was still blurry, and she felt completely beaten, everything hurting. But she was alive. And so was everyone else. They had been victorious, together… And she was safe with them.
The thought calmed her, and even though she couldn’t get back to sleep, she pushed the nightmare out of her mind.

It was time to rest, to recover… and to forget.

[Okiba]

That, was a pretty dam good read.

Loving how your writing style is evolving Rhon, and the standard addition of art for each one too ;o