Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend-Chapter 221: What’s Wrong, Dru?
Raegar watched as the woman’s eyes burned thanks to a feverish glint as she drew a thin, rune-carved band from her cloak, an Aether Blocker. Using a practiced motion, she fastened it around his neck, the cold metal biting into his skin.
The air thickened, his connection to the aether severed, and a jolt of dread coursed through him as he sensed her power that rivaled the legendary might of his grandfather, the Lion of Dawnfire.
Before he could react, her fingers clamped onto his wrist, her touch both possessive and unrelenting, pulling him toward a shadowed hallway as his head kept spinning thanks to whatever herb she gave him.
’’Come, my love,’’ she purred, her voice a dangerous caress. ’’We need a place where it’s just you and me.’’
Raegar’s pulse hammered, his body moving against his will, drawn by her commanding grip through a labyrinth of dim corridors to a small, hidden room. Dust cloaked the walls, muffling the world outside.
The door snapped shut with a chilling finality. Her lips twisted into a smile, sharp and obsessive, as she shoved him onto a velvet sofa. He collapsed, his mind reeling, trapped under her gaze.
She leaned over him, her fingers tracing the Aether Blocker like a lover, making his skin crawl. ’’I’m Elenore, your true love,’’ she whispered, her voice thick with adoration and menace. ’’I’ve always been yours, watching you, knowing you better than anyone. Every step you took, every fleeting smile you gave to those... unworthy bitches, I saw it all.’’
Her breath grazed his ear, her words a twisted vow. ’’I’ve waited long enough. You’re mine now, and no one will take you from me.’’
Raegar’s heart thundered, pinned by her suffocating presence and collar’s oppressive hum coiling around him like a noose. His chest tightened as Elenore’s oppressive presence filled the small, shadowed room.
The blocker around his neck pulsed faintly, its runes glowing, severing his connection to the aether and leaving him vulnerable. His gaze flickered over her, taking in every detail with a mix of dread and clarity.
Her long, black hair flowed like a dark river over her shoulders, framing a face both beautiful and sinister. Her eyes, a piercing purple, their unnatural glow betraying the evil that coiled within her.
Elenore’s lips, painted a deep crimson, twisted into a smile that promised cruelty. With a sudden, fluid motion, she straddled his lap, her weight pinning him to the tattered velvet sofa.
Raegar’s body stiffened, his instincts recoiling against her unwanted touch, but the Aether Blocker drained his strength, leaving him helpless to resist. Her hands pressed against his shoulders, fingers digging in with possessive force, her nails grazing his skin.
’’Don’t fight me,’’ Elenore murmured, her voice a low, venomous hiss that slithered through the air like a serpent coiling around its prey.
Her violet eyes gleamed due to an unhinged intensity, piercing into his that bordered on obsession. Each word she spoke was laced with a chilling promise, her lips curling into a predatory smile that revealed the sharpness of her intent.
’’If you resist, I’ll carve out the heart of that wretched fairy you dote on, and as for that brown-skinned wench you’ve grown so fond of...’’ She paused, her gaze narrowing, the air growing heavy. ’’I’ll gut her slowly, let her scream for you while you watch.’’
Her black hair cascaded like a curtain of shadows, brushing against his cheek as she leaned closer, her presence suffocating, an inescapable reminder of the control she wielded. Her smile widened, a cruel crescent that seemed to mock his defiance, her breath warm against his skin.
’’You belong to me,’’ she whispered, her voice dripping with possessive hunger. ’’And I’ll tear through anyone who dares to come between us. Their blood will stain the earth before I let you slip away.’’
The words struck Raegar like a blade, slicing through the haze of his restraint. Something primal snapped inside him, a surge of fury igniting in his chest. His eyes locked onto hers, burning with a hatred so raw it seemed to sear the air between them.
His voice, when it came, was a low, guttural growl, each syllable heavy with barely contained rage. ’’You will never touch them,’’ he snarled, his fists clenching until his knuckles whitened. ’’Lay a hand on either of them, and I swear by every god and demon, I’ll rip you apart. I’ll make you beg for death before I’m through.’’
Elenore’s eyes widened, the words striking her like a physical blow. Her smile vanished, replaced by a snarl of pure rage, her fingers tightening in his hair until it stung. ’’How dare you?’’ she hissed, her voice trembling.
Her eyes burned, wild and unhinged, her control fraying at the edges. ’’You think you can threaten me? You think those pathetic bitches will save you?’’
She pressed herself closer, her body a vice, her lips hovering near his as she whispered, venom dripping from every word. ’’You’re my husband. And I’ll burn your precious girls to ash before I let them take you from me.’’
Her hand slid to his jaw, gripping it hard, forcing him to meet her gaze. But Raegar’s red eyes were blazing with a promise of retribution, his prayers to Drusilla and the girls unspoken but fervent in his heart. ’Come for me. End this.’
***
As Raegar faced danger, Drusilla stood amidst the lively chatter of five young women, their voices mixed thanks to the laughter and gossip. A sudden, icy premonition gripped her, a visceral sense of wrongness that clawed at her instincts.
Her sharp blue eyes darted around the bustling room, searching for the source of her unease, but nothing immediately stood out. Trusting her gut, she excused herself from the conversation and hurried back toward the grand hall.
As she approached, she spotted Rune and Caspian emerging from the hall’s arched doorway, their expressions casual but their postures tense, as if they, too, sensed something amiss. Drusilla’s heart quickened.
’’Where’s Rae?’’ she curiously asked. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
Rune shrugged nonchalantly. ’’Getting a drink from some woman in there,’’ he said, jerking a thumb back toward the hall.
The words hit Drusilla like a thunderbolt. Her heart plummeted, a sickening lurch that sent adrenaline coursing through her veins. Without a moment’s hesitation, she bolted toward the entrance.
Bursting into the hall, she found it eerily deserted, no trace of Raegar, no clink of glasses, no murmur of voices. The vast space stretched out before her, its emptiness amplifying her dread.
Desperate, Drusilla closed her eyes and reached out through the bond she shared with her boy, a connection forged in trust and magic. What she sensed sent a surge of molten fury through her.
Her hands trembled, not fear but with a rage so intense it threatened to consume her. ’’How dare she!’’ she hissed.
Just as her fury reached its peak, movement behind her broke her focus. The group of girls materialized from the entrance, their faces a mix of concern and readiness. Dominique, her dark hair catching the dim light, stepped forward.
’’What’s wrong, Dru?’’ she asked as a worried expression crossed her face.
Drusilla’s eyes blazed as she whirled to face them, her voice trembling because of the barely contained rage. ’’That vile, creepy woman has taken Rae!’’ she exclaimed, the words sharp and urgent. ’’We need to find him before she does something to him, something we can’t undo.’’
The gravity of her words hit the group like a shockwave. Following that, the six exchanged, determined glances and split up, fanning out across the dining hall. The clatter of their boots against the stone floor.
Each of them moved, their senses heightened, scanning every corner, every shadow, for any sign of Raegar or his captor. Selene slipped away from the others and ventured down a narrow, dimly lit hallway branching off from the main chamber.
The air grew cooler, heavier, as she moved deeper into the passage. A strange sensation tugged at her, a faint, almost imperceptible pull, like a whisper of magic or menace lurking at the corridor’s end.
Selene’s instincts sharpened, and she slowed her pace, her hand hovering near the dagger at her belt. Whatever lay ahead, she was ready to face it and bring Raegar back to safety and make sure he was okay.
Her heart pounded as she crept toward the end of the dimly lit hallway, the strange pull in her chest growing stronger. The heavy wooden door at the corridor’s end was slightly ajar, a sliver of flickering light spilling out.
Steeling herself, she pushed it open and stepped into the back room, only to freeze at the sight before her. An older woman straddled Raegar’s motionless form. His eyes were half-lidded, his body unnaturally still, as if caught in a trance or worse.
Selene watched as the woman’s lips curled into a predatory smile, her hands tracing arcane symbols in the air around him. The Demoness’s blood boiled, her demonic heritage surging to the surface as her vision was tinted red.
