Page 148 of Between Soul and Vessel
A soldier flicked her hand, and vines began to shoot from the ground. They wove around his wrists, circling round and round. They wrenched his arms downwards, pulling him taut.
“Please, don’t hurt him,” I cried out, trying to fight against her power as I remained pinned to the ground.
But the empress didn’t pay me a sliver of mind.
In horror, I watched one of her soldiers use a knife to cut off Shadow’s shirt. In horror, I watched as the empress conjured a whip made of slender rawhide strips, interwoven with wire barbs, making it sharp and hooked. In horror, I watched as she handed it to one soldier and told them to begin.
“No!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as the soldier threw back her arm and issued the first strike. The hooks dug into his flesh, splitting it open and taking out chunks as the soldier ripped the whip back. Ichor sprayed in gory display, trailing after the whip. It brimmed like a dam bursting open, filling the deep gashes with silver.
Shadow came to, roaring in excruciating agony.
There were two sounds in this world I never wanted to hear again, and the sound he made right then was one of them.
My vision turned cloudy. His name slipped from my trembling lips. “Shadow.”
Chest heaving, he lifted his head, his eyes finding mine.
“Again,” the empress demanded, the words a snarl.
Whooosh. Crack!
“Ahh!” Shadow cried out.
“Please,” I sobbed desperately, the pain of my broken rib long forgotten as Shadow’s anguish took the helm. “Please. Please. Please. Stop it.”
The empress tipped her head, her eyes narrowing into slits. “Keep going.”
Whoosh. Crack!
Whoosh. Crack!
Whoosh. Crack!
I begged and pleaded for the punishment to stop, words pouring out of my mouth, full of promises and pledges. Promises I would never disobey the empress again. Pledges I would go with Victor and do as she asked of me. I tried anything and everything to get her to stop.
Whoosh. Crack!
Whoosh. Crack!
The whipping was ceaseless. It went on and on and on.
There were moments when Shadow would black out from the pain, only to come roaring back to life at the crack of the whip striking him again. Throughout it all, my eyes never strayed from him. Because when he awoke, I wantedhim to see me, to know I was there for him, that I was deeply sorry. This was all my fault. I should never have told him about Victor’s plans for me. I should have run away on my own. If I had, he wouldn’t be here right now.
When I’d lost count of how many lashes he’d been dealt, his back a bloody massacre, the empress finally raised her hand and said, “Enough.”
The soldier lowered the whip, and the vice that constricted my lungs eased its grip. Air seeped inside my chest for the first time in what seemed like hours.
The empress walked over to Shadow, standing in front of him. She grabbed his chin and angled it upwards, but he was too out of it to register what was happening. “You are lucky you are my favorite—otherwise, I would end you right now,” she growled softly. Her thumb stroked his cheek, and then she let go. His head flopped downwards. She turned to face me. “Now, the question stands. What shall I do with you?”
“I’ll go with Victor,” I pleaded. “If that’s what you want me to do. I’ll do whatever.”
“Victor has already found someone to replace you, so it seems you are no longer needed,” she said. “And I can’t have you in my palace anymore, considering you can’t be trusted not to steal my things.” Her gaze shifted pointedly to Shadow.
“I won’t ever do something like this again,” I decreed.
“Unfortunately for you, I’ve already seen second chances don’t work.” She rolled her wrist, and light wrapped around her hand, forging a soulius made from white dragonscales.
“Please, Your Majesty,” I begged as she started for me.
