Once Betrayed Never Forgotten

Chapter 80: Riddles and Rhymes

“Arianna….” the hideous creature hisses my name from outside the tower, its cruel black eyes glittering with malice.

How the hell does this thing know my name? And what even is it? Some sort of monster? A demon?

“Arianna Lila Eaves…” it continues to call my name in a sing–song voice, now calling my full name, which adds another level of creepiness. It’s one thing for it to know my first name… but my second name and sumame? No one ever uses my second name, even my mom.

“How… how do you know my full name?” I ask hesitantly, peering cautiously at the creature on

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Abruptly, I recoil from the window as the creature emits a ghastly laugh, a sound so vile it could only be described as the hiss of a serpent, echoing hollowly in the cold stone chamber.

The malicious amusement in its actions sends a shiver down my spine.

The demon’s eyes gleam with a sinister light, its voice a serpentine rhyming whisper that slithers through the cold air. “You ask how I know your true name? Oh, for shame. Silly child, it’s written in the book of Life and Death, a tome where every soul’s breath is scribed, from birth until final rest

What the hell is The Book of Life and Death‘? Isn’t that a biblical thing?

“Where am I?” I dare to ask, but instead of answering, the creature shakes its head, then begins to giggle, before erupting into another wave of maniacal laughter.

“Where are you?” The creature cackles. “Why, you’re here, of course.”

“That’s obviously not what I meant,” I say, but the creature just stares at me with mirth dancing in its cruel eyes.

The demon’s laughter echoes in the hallow chamber, a sinister symphony of malice and amusement that makes my skin crawl. “Why, oh why, it hisses, its voice a slithering, sibilant sound that sends shivers down my spine, has our mistress brought to this dark lair, a visitor so fair, so… hahaha…

unaware?”

Rhymes and riddles? What the actual fu*k is going on..

I take several steps back, until I’m up against the far wall, as far away from the leering inhuman face as I can possibly get. I press my back against the cold stone, trying to put as much distance between us as possible.

“I’ll ask again,” the creature hisses. “Why why WHY has our mistress brought to this dark lair, a visitor so fair, so unaware?”

It smiles again, baring those razor sharp teeth as black as night. The terrible sight catches my voice in the back of my throat, as I imagine the teeth. sinking into my neck, ripping away flesh and arteries, tearing me to shreds. I have no doubt that if this solid stone wall weren’t keeping it out, that would be my fate.

The creature cocks its head, eyeing me with a mixture of curiosity and malice. “Silence, pretty lamb? Why don’t you speak? Tell me, why are you here, a thing so pretty, a child so meek?”

I muster the courage to respond, my voice steadier than I feel. “No more riddles. Just tell me where is here?” I ask, seeking some semblance of understanding in this nightmare.

It laughs, a sound that feels like ice down my spine. “Here is where night swallows day, where hope fades away. The last place you’ll ever stay, where shadows hold sway. Here is the home of the Damned.”

The home of the Damned? That sounds a hell of a lot like… well… Hell. But that’s impossible. I’m not dead… or at least, I don’t think I am.

Scouring my mind, I try to remember how I ended up here.

Tatiana opened up a portal, and someone maybe this creature, or some servant of hers dragged me through it. For some reason, Aleksandr and Seraphina weren’t able to follow. They’re probably still stuck in LA, looking for me.

*Your mistress – she is Tatiana, conect?” I ask the creature, and it nods, pressing its face against the window.

173

Chapter 80 Diddles and Rhymes

The Lady Tatiana Vesperine Fontaine, Duchess of Pain,” it whispers.

A Duchess? I guess I should have assumed she’s some sort of royalty, with that snobby elitist attitude of hers. But is she a Duchess in the human world too, or only in the vampire world?

“And where is the Duchess?” I ask the creature.

“Somewhere,” it answers, its voice an infuriating hissing whisper.

“Obviously,” I say, the frustration rising in my voice. “But where, exactly? And don’t say ‘somewhere” again.”

“Elsewhere,” it responds, before breaking out into another fit of maniacal laughter.

“Fine,” I say, deciding to try another tack. “And when will she be back from… elsewhere?”

“When she sees fit,” the creature says. “You’ll s-”

But it never gets to finish its sentence. There’s a distant bellowing of horns, an awful metallic sound like the death throes of some vast distant city, the trumpets of every fallen angel blowing at once in a hellish cacophony. The creature’s eyes go wide, and in an instant, its hideous ruined face has disappeared from the window, I can barely hear the flapping of its vast wings as it detaches from the side of the tower.

I run over to the window, just in time to see its winged form wheeling through the blood red sky into the distance, towards the source of the terrible bellowing, far across the inky black ocean. Other flying shapes are hurtling in the same direction, all racing towards the sound on the horizon.

I stand at the window for what seems like ages, watching the small soaring shapes disappear into the distance.

Wherever I am, I need to find a way to help Aleksandr find me. Maybe there’s something I could use to escape. I sure as hell don’t want to wait around in this tower for Tatiana to come and find me. Whatever it is she has planned for me, I’m sure it’s not fun.

1 turn around, scouring the circular stone room for a sign of anything that I could use, but it’s completely empty apart from myself, the small slit window and the ancient tapestries hanging on the walls. In fact, I don’t know how I even got in here in the first place. Another portal? Or maybe a hidden door, invisible to the naked eye?

Or… a door hidden behind one of the tapestries?

Each tapestry is about the height of an average doorway, the perfect size to conceal a hidden entrance. They are positioned at equal intervals around the circular space, six of them in total,

I run up to the first one, pushing it aside. To my disappointment, there’s nothing but cold, dark stone wall behind it, no hidden doorway in sight. I rush over to the next one, and then the next, finding the same thing every time. Finally, I push aside the sixth and final tapestry, only to be met once again with nothing but blank stone wall

Not ready to give up yet, I walk around the entire perimeter of the room, feeling the stone with my fingers, looking for some irregularity that could hint at a trap door. I trace every groove, every nick in the stone, until my fingers are cold and numb as ice. I carry on for what seems like hours, determined not to lose hope, not to miss a potential way out.

But it’s useless. The walls are so high at least fifty feet – and if there’s a trap door, who says it’s at floor level? It could be way up high next to the ceiling – or even in the ceiling – far beyond my reach.

This is pointless.

I slump down to the ground, utterly defeated.

How am I meant to escape when there’s no door? And no way to contact anyone who could rescue me? I’m stuck, lost and alone, a sitting duck at the mercy of my captor. I wonder what Tatiana will do with me when she arrives? I guess she doesn’t care anymore about staying on Aleksandr’s good side shes probably planning to torture me, or just kill me outright.

Basically, I’m screwed.

Just as I’m losing hope, I get an idea.

My hands fly up to my neck, to the old faded scar on my neck–two white crescent moons – left after Aleksandr bit me, marked me, at the Castle of Endless Night months ago. I trace my fingers along the mark, long healed, and the idea forms more fully in my mind.

Chapter 80 Riddles and Rhymes

Yes, it might just work.

Well, here goes nothing…

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mcdel1725

she never took off the ring… she could call to him.

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