Chapter 13:

In the next few days, my escape attempts were more like scouting missions.

First, I wanted to confirm Sona’s words, so I tried to escape the village alone. But once I reached its borders, the invisible tether around my neck manifested and pulled me back in, as if it had a maximum range and couldn’t extend any further.

Realizing she was telling the truth was reassuring, but it still wasn’t enough for me to trust her. She could still be Lida’s pawn, meant to mess with my head. On the other hand, Lida’s arrogance now had its confirmation. She didn’t care if I tried to run away because she knew I physically couldn’t.

After that, in other attempts, I scouted the entire village. I figured that if I knew the precise layout - not just the areas Lida and Belferon showed me on the day I arrived - it could give me an advantage that might end up being lifesaving for both me and Ren. During those, other villagers crossed my path, and the illusion that some of them might be innocent or merely dragged along quickly dispersed. Broden, the baker, smiled when he saw me sneaking around and told me how proud I should feel that Vitara herself was going to take my life. Rogeer, the butcher, said something similar when he stumbled upon me, an unsettling smile across his face. “It’s so wonderful seeing you cling to life. The last ones before you weren’t as lively.”

Additionally, on one occasion when she caught me, Lida revealed why I hadn’t encountered any new outsiders since being captured. “The village is closed to visitors until the ritual.” She explained, her eerie grin widening. “Those who come are either sent away or killed.”

Eventually, I managed to build a mental map of the entire village. The main square was at the heart of this twisted place, dominated by the looming presence of Vitara’s statue. The square was both the symbolic and literal center of the village. Adjacent to it was the infirmary - Ren’s prison - where Vera and her nurses tended to her and the other captives. A few steps further lay Lida’s house, the place where I ended up becoming her puppet. And a stone’s throw from there was the bakery, right next to the butcher’s house, and the local tailor.

My own confinement was farther from there, in the western side of the village. A lone house that seemingly didn’t belong to any villager. Not to far from it stood the jailhouse, where the wails of the captured bandits and other captives sometimes echoed outside. Two armed guards were stationed at the entrance at all times. And Walden, the warden of Vedem, resided nearby, his house next to the jailhouse, as expected.

The fields I saw upon my arrival were located in the northernmost part of the village, with the adjacent houses serving as workstations where the farmers processed the harvested crops - cotton during the spring and summer months, and winter wheat during the colder months.

The residential homes were scattered everywhere among those places of interest. Yet, despite my attempts to locate them, the whereabouts of Vera and Belferon remained a mystery to me. I hoped that if I managed to reach them, especially Vera, I could stop everything right then and there.

I had never killed anyone in my life, but given the situation and the stakes involved, I knew that I might have to. If Belferon was truthful and this ritual was exactly as he described, there would be no point in trying to talk these people down. You cannot convince someone who does not want to be convinced.

In between my attempts at escape, Lida continued visiting me, and I finally got the chance to test my cotton wool silencers theory. I kept to the dark corners of the room and managed to conceal the makeshift earplugs. The theory proved to be only mostly correct; the cotton wool wasn’t the perfect sound isolator I’d hoped it would be. I could still hear her commands, even if only faintly. However, I realized that I was suddenly more capable of resisting them. If previously each command was absolute, then with the cotton wool in my ears, her voice was muffled enough for me to muster some mental resistance. It was a brief and mostly insignificant resistance, but Lida noticed it. However, she didn’t suspect me of anything. Instead, she looked at her ring with concern, perhaps wrongly assuming that its lifespan was coming to an end. I knew I had to find a way to mute her commands entirely.

When she asked me about the calcite, I had to tell her the truth: that we stole it from the kingdom’s treasury, and I had no idea what it did. Again, she didn’t believe me at first and used her magic to verify my words, only to realize I was telling the truth. The look of confusion on her face was priceless and brought me inner joy. She left hurriedly, and I haven’t seen her since, with only Walden bringing me food over the past few days.

One night, with twenty days left until the ritual, I decided to pay a visit to the jailhouse, hoping to learn anything new from Sona. Belferon’s words were still ringing in my ears – his claim that my existence was worthless had fired me up and strengthened my determination.

The moon hung in the night sky as I moved silently through the village’s streets, making my way to the jailhouse. Luckily for me, most of the villagers were already in their homes, so I didn’t have to evade too many eyes. I reached the jailhouse fairly quickly, where two guards flanked its entrance. As I watched them from a safe spot, it dawned on me: If the entire village was in on this scheme, why were there guards outside the jailhouse? It’s not like any villager would attempt to break in and release the captives. The only one who might have such an interest was...me. Perhaps I was overthinking it, but I felt reassured - as if my decision to come here tonight was the right one. If they were guarding this place from me, then this was exactly where I needed to be.

I approached the back of the jailhouse, staying hidden from the guards at the front, and surveyed the structure before me. I noticed a window on the roof and scanned the walls to see if there were any places I could use to climb up. My training ever since I was caught finally came in handy as I used the first floor’s window’s outer frame as handholds and began to climb. As I neared the roof, my fingers clawed at the edge, and with a final surge, I pulled myself up.

Crouched on the rooftop, I took a moment to regain my composure and breath. My hands and arms were shaking from exertion. From my elevated position, I surveyed the village below. The guards seemed oblivious to me, maintaining their post at the entrance.

I crawled along the rooftop silently, making my way to the roof window I had noticed earlier. Balancing on the edge, I pushed the unlocked window open and peered into the dimly lit room below, my senses alert to any presence. Not hearing Walden or any guards, I climbed down into the room with a controlled descent, my boots finding the ground beneath me with barely any sound. The room remained hushed, with the only light coming from the moon filtering through the window above. I approached the staircase to my left and crouched, straining my ears to catch the conversation downstairs.

“I can’t sleep! What if they come for me next?” a terrified voice said.

“They already took Livan today, so I think we’re clear for a few days.” a familiar voice responded - the bandits’ leader, Jhad, trying to calm his subordinate. He then seemed to address Sona. “You’re the reason we’re still here! Useless! Couldn’t even kill that weakling.”

She sounded unbothered by his harsh words. “Five days…How many more until you finally shut up about it?”

“Every day if I have to.” he replied, his tone laced with anger.

I tried to peer down and get a sense of the layout on the ground floor while focusing on their words, but it was hard to see anything from my position.

“I’m not one of your lackeys, so keep your tongue in check.” Sona shot back. “I only agreed to work together because we have a common goal.”

Jhad exhaled loudly, though he sounded a bit calmer when he spoke again. “What do you suggest we do now, then? I doubt I can pull this off again. That bitch will surely kill me if I try.”

“Then don’t try.” Sona replied nonchalantly.

A thud vibrated through the wall and up to the ceiling of the ground floor. It sounded like someone had punched a wall – likely Jhad.

“There’s no way I’m going to meet my end here, you hear me?” he snapped, before his tone turned more measured. “So, I’ll ask again, what are our plans now?”

“I don’t know yet.” Sona answered with the same calm tone as before. “But shut the hell up, or I won’t share my plans with you when I have them.”

“Damn brat.” Jhad muttered as their exchange died out, and the only sound I could hear were the murmurs of the scared and terrified below.

I descended the stairs slowly, careful not to create any unnecessary noise, and as I reached the ground floor, I was relieved to see no guards inside. Most of the floor was a confinement area, dominated by a large metal cage reaching the ceiling with nine captives scattered inside. Their faces showed a mix of fear, despair, and exhaustion. In the remaining portion of the floor, a medium-sized desk occupied the space, with papers strewn across it. Other than that, two tapestries depicting Vitara hung on each wall, both identical, showing the goddess speaking to the first human she created - a famous image I’d seen in the capital before. My gaze then moved to the door leading outside; it was closed, with the pair of guards standing just outside.

My attention was drawn back to the captives. Most of the faces were familiar to me. Three of them were the bandits from Jhad’s group, now looking completely terrified - nothing like they were two weeks ago. The two traitors, Martin and Kenneth, lay on the floor like wounded animals, their gazes fixed on the walls. A couple I hadn’t seen before huddled closely together, likely the parents of the unconscious children I’d seen in the infirmary. They looked tired and worn-out. Sona sat quietly in the corner of the room, seemingly extremely focused on her right hand’s fingers. Last in line was the bandit leader, Jhad, leaning against the cell bars with his arms crossed. His eyes locked onto mine, and a grin spread across his face. “Look who we have here.” He said slowly, surprise mixed in his voice. “Sona, you might have another chance at killing him.”

Sona lifted her gaze at Jhad’s words and noticed me as well. She stood up from her spot in the corner and approached me, with Jhad following closely behind. “Luca? What are you doing here?”

“Scouting out the village.” I whispered. “Planning the escape.”

Jhad let out a laugh. “Are we supposed to believe you? You were literally waltzing beside those crazy bastards when my men and I were practically paraded in here.”

“You attacked us first.” I reminded him, keeping my tone firm, before adding an important explanation to defend myself. “And I had no idea what they were planning to do back then.”

“Then you’re either dumb or – “ he began, but Sona interrupted him.

“Shut up, Jhad. Keep it down, or the guards will hear.” She said, her tone commanding.

Jhad looked annoyed but complied. She then turned to me. “Did you find out anything important?”

“I’m not sure yet.” I lied, playing my hand carefully, trying to keep what I’d learned a secret for now. “I was actually hoping you could share some things you might have learned with me.”

“Like what?” she asked, puzzled.

“I don’t know…Anything, really.” I replied. “Something about Walden, or better yet – about Vera?”

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A faint sound of footsteps outside drew our attention to the door, making me freeze in place. But after a few seconds passed and nobody entered, we continued.

“We haven’t seen much of Vera, honestly.” Sona admitted. “But Walden seems like a typical knucklehead. Very proud and very stupid.”

“And that’s putting it mildly.” Jhad added, rolling his eyes.

So, Vera kept herself hidden from them as well. She remained a mystery to me. If I believed Belferon’s story, then she was hundreds of years old. What was her main goal? Was it truly just the prosperity of Vedem? And what powers did she hold? For her to run the village for centuries, she had to wield some form of power to sway the population her way. At the very least, she had to be stronger than Lida, or else the latter wouldn’t have followed her.

“Does Walden have any minerals?” I asked, trying to learn what to expect from him.

Sona shrugged. “He definitely has a hematite; we’ve seen it. But other than that, I really don’t know…”

“Oh, c’mon.” Jhad intervened. “He obviously has a fluorite as well.”

“That’s just your theory, Jhad.” Sona said, her voice impatient. “And nobody cares about your theories.”

It seemed like an inevitable quarrel was about to erupt as Jhad’s angry gaze locked on Sona.

“What theory?” I asked, trying to cool down the rising heat between them.

Jhad’s gaze shifted to me, still angry as he spoke. “He definitely has a fluorite. He heard something I told one of my men, even though he was nowhere near us.”

“Don’t pay it too much mind, Luca.” Sona said, her voice dismissive. “Jhad here is oblivious to the volume of his own voice.”

Jhad suddenly turned red with anger and raised his voice. “You want to take me on, girl? I’ll beat you up, woman or not!”

The volume of his voice was a clear giveaway, and it was obvious the guards would come in any second. I rushed upstairs to the second floor, just before the guards opened the door and entered.

“What’s that all about?” One of them shouted as I crouched near the staircase on the upper floor, out of their field of view.

“Find another cell for me.” Jhad demanded. “I can’t spend another minute in here with this brat!”

“Brat…” Sona echoed. “You know I’m literally just a few years younger than you, right?”

“I don’t care.” He replied. “You’re still a brat.”

“Shut up, both of you!” the second guard shouted. “You don’t want me to call Lida, do you?”

The mention of Lida’s name not only silenced both Jhad and Sona but also drew whimpers of terror from some of the other captives.

“Just as I thought.” The guard continued, and I could hear their footsteps as he and his partner headed outside.

“Keep quiet.” The other one threatened. “Or else.”

They closed the door behind them, and I slowly descended the stairs once more, joining Jhad and Sona.

Jhad was covering his face with his hand, and Sona mocked him about it. “Hearing her name really gets you worried, huh, Jhad?”

He sighed and pointed at Martin and Kenneth. “Seeing what she did to these two fucks is enough to give me nightmares for a lifetime.”

“Does she come here often?” I asked, trying to get a better understanding of her schedule, and especially her whereabouts in the last few days.

“Almost every day.” Sona replied quietly, her gaze dropping to the floor.

Jhad looked thoughtful as well, and I noticed he began scratching his left arm with his right hand. When he lifted the hand, I could see fresh burn marks on the arm. He noticed me watching and immediately became aggressive. “What the hell are you looking at?”

“Nothing.” I replied, quickly switching the subject before his aggression escalated and the guards returned. “So, Walden might have a fluorite?”

“Yes.” Jhad replied, determined.

“Maybe.” Sona replied, unconvinced.

I shrugged, unsure which one of them to believe more – the bandit who had tried to rob me and assault Ren, or the girl who had tried to kill me. “Well, I’ll take that as a possibility at least.”

As I pondered what else I could ask, Jhad suddenly spoke. “There’s no way you haven’t learned anything you could share with us. Spill it out.”

I raised an eyebrow at his question, trying to play innocent. “I didn’t.”

He seemed unconvinced, his suspicion growing. “Then explain this to me - how did you get here? While we’re locked behind these bars and had to raise a riot to get the brat out to kill you, you’re freely walking around the village? How is that possible?”

His concerns were warranted, of course. The fact that I had free passage around Vedem was still absurd to me, but as both Lida and Belferon had explained, it was all part of their twisted plan to keep my hopes up before ultimately crushing my spirit. Lida could always bring me back whenever she wanted, so there was never any real risk for them. They had control over my body, and they had Ren for extra leverage.

“It’s part of their plan.” I replied, staying truthful this time. “They want me to try escaping.”

Jhad raised an eyebrow at my words. “What a load of crap…Sona, don’t tell him anything anymore. He’s clearly hiding something.”

Sona’s expression looked questioning, first toward Jhad, then toward me. “Are you?” she asked.

“No. Of course not.” I replied, shaking my head. “Remember where I was when you tried to kill me? I was outside of the house they held me in. They don’t have any guards watching over me because they want me to try escaping.”

She nodded hesitantly, seemingly recalling our first meeting. “But why would they do that?”

“Part of their ritual.” I said, trying to sound insightful, hoping it would sate Jhad’s suspicious nature. “I believe Vera is the key here. Even though Lida is our main obstacle, Vera is the one running things around this place. If we don’t pay attention to her and only focus on Lida and Walden, we might end up in trouble later on.”

“Yeah…” Sona looked thoughtful. “She is a mystery, that’s for sure.”

“I did confirm the ritual you were talking about.” I admitted, deciding to share some of what I’d learned. “They’re planning to sacrifice me to Vitara, and the rest of you along the way as well.”

“I knew it.” Sona said, her voice firm yet tinged with worry.

“But that’s not all,” I continued, deciding to elaborate further. “They’re cannibals. They’re planning to consume us.”

Everyone in the cell seemed to have a similar reaction – eyes wide, jaws dropped, and sounds of terror escaping their mouths. Jhad’s crew looked even more terrified than before; one lay on the floor, sounding like he was crying, while the other two crouched and nervously bit their fingernails. The couple seemed to tighten their embrace.

“What? Did I hear you right?” Jhad asked, his voice a mix of confusion and disbelief.

“Yes.” I replied. “They’re planning to feast on us. Apparently, they believe that Vitara will grant them eternal life by doing so.”

“But that’s nonsense.” Sona said, her voice laced with anger. “Why would the goddess of life require human sacrifice or cannibalism? And to offer them eternal life for it? It’s absurd of them to believe in.”

Jhad punched the bars of the cell. “These country bumpkins are even crazier than I thought…”

I nodded and tried to get everyone on the same page. “It doesn’t change anything. We still need to get out of here as soon as possible, regardless of the nature of their plans.”

Sona nodded as well, and even Jhad joined in, though hesitantly.

“What now?” Sona asked. “What are you planning to do next? I don’t think we can raise another riot like we did last time. It seems like we’re truly stuck here for now…”

“I want to find Vera.” I said. “If I can find her and end her, the whole ritual should fall apart, and we might use the commotion to escape.”

Jhad chuckled. “You? Kill? Yeah…I doubt you have it in you.”

Both Sona and I watched him carefully, but he just shrugged. “I’m just telling you how I see it. You’re not the killer type.”

“Then what do you suggest?” Sona asked.

“If you get me out of here, I’ll end her easily. Without a second thought.” He said, his voice sending a shiver down my spine. He sounded like he already had experience in the matter.

“I can do it.” I dismissed his words. “I just don’t know where she is.”

Jhad rolled his eyes while shaking his head. “Kid, I don’t care about your cans and can’ts. I only care about getting out of here alive and in one piece. I already took a chance on this brat killing you, but no more. If you get me out of here, I’ll end this Vera bitch before you can even say, ‘Hello, my name is Luca.’”

I wasn’t a killer. I knew that. But it didn’t mean I couldn’t do it if my life depended on it - which it did, right now. Yet, the thought of someone else dirtying their hands was tempting. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if Jhad, who seemed to already be a murderer, did it instead of me.

I shrugged and sighed. “It doesn’t matter who does it if we don’t know where she is.”

“Then figure it out. Find her.” He said, his voice laced with annoyance. “You’re the one outside, not us.”

“I hate to agree with him, but he’s right.” Sona added, before repeating. “We won’t be able to pull off the same trick we did last time.”

I had to admit they were right. Last time, Walden needed Lida’s help to tidy things up in the jailhouse, and if it came to that, then surely another attempt would likely be fruitless.

“I’ll see what I can find.” I said, mostly to myself.

“No, no, no.” Jhad said, his voice harsh. “Make sure you find her. I’m not going to waste my life on chances.”

“It’s not like you have much of a choice.” Sona reminded him.

“It doesn’t matter.” Jhad said fiercely. “The kid needs to get his part of the job done.” He turned to me. “No buts or ifs. Find her.”

Easier said than done…

“Sure.” I said, mostly just to get him off my back.

“How do we keep in touch later on?” Sona asked.

“I can always sneak up here.” I suggested.

Jhad nodded. “Seems like the only way for now. How much time do we have until the ritual?”

“Twenty days.” Sona and I answered in unison.

Jhad sighed. “Enough time, but we have to be efficient with it.”

“Saying the obvious won’t get us anywhere, Jhad.” Sona quipped, seemingly trying to get on his nerves, but surprisingly, he kept his cool.

“Come here when you find her, kid. I’ll end all of our problems in a heartbeat.” He promised.

I nodded, hoping that his confidence was well-founded.

I climbed the stairs and escaped through the roof window, making my way back to my confinement.

***

As I lay on the cold wooden floor, my mind raced with thought of Vera’s whereabouts. Sona and Jhad could prove useful, but I needed to figure out how exactly can they benefit me.

Suddenly, the room’s door slammed open. I instinctively jumped up, expecting the worst - and it was. Lida had come for a nightly visit.

“Luca, my dear, you’re not sleeping? Good.” She greeted me, a vicious grin on her face. “How are you?”

I was great before you showed up was what I wanted to say, but I decided not to provoke her. “What do you want?” I asked.

“Oh, I just wanted to do something nice for you.” She said, still grinning.

Something ‘nice’ from her was definitely the furthest thing from actually being nice.

She suddenly whistled, and a half-naked Kenneth crawled into the room on all fours, his tongue hanging out. His appearance and state were disturbing, a lot worse than how he looked mere hours ago in the jailhouse, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. But the alternative was looking at Lida – a disturbing sight in itself.

“You see, I thought about how truthful you’ve been with me in our last few conversations, so I decided that you deserve a prize.” She said to me before turning to Kenneth. “Kenny boo, go and apologize to Luca for how you betrayed him last week.”

The blonde-haired man nodded, his tongue still out. He crawled toward me, still on all fours, and opened his mouth to speak. “Forgive me for manipulating you to trust me.”

Surprisingly, Lida seemed angered by his words. “No! No! No!” she shouted at him. “Dogs don’t speak!”

Kenneth looked shocked and began panicking, trying to imitate a dog’s bark. “Woof woof, woof woof woof.”

Lida shook her head, still furious. “It’s too late now, you stupid mutt.” She then addressed me, her tone suddenly apologetic. “I’m sorry, Luca. We even practiced it beforehand, and he still failed to do it right.”

The entire situation was bizarre and unsettling, and I wasn’t sure what to say or do.

“Will you punish this dog with me?” She asked, her tone hopeful, a sly smile appearing on her lips as the question left her mouth.

“Woof?” Kenneth barked, in what sounded like ‘Punishment?’

Lida reached behind her back and brandished a small knife, a sinister smile spreading across her face. Meanwhile, Kenneth began whimpering like a frightened dog. “Stay in place.” She commanded him, and he froze at her order.

Then she kneeled next to him and slowly ran the knife across his back, all while keeping her gaze locked on mine, that damned smile never leaving her face. The cut wasn’t deep, just a superficial wound, but Kenneth screamed in pain regardless.

“Now it’s your turn, Luca.” She said, her grin widening as she handed the knife to me.

What does she mean it’s my turn? Does she expect me to torture this man as well? He may have betrayed me, but I wasn’t going to participate in this sadistic play. I shook my head. “No.”

Lida sighed. “You don’t really have a choice.” She said before turning on her commanding voice. “Take the knife and make a similar cut on his back.”

The ethereal chain around my neck manifested, and I knew I was under her control. My body acted on its own. My hand reached for the knife, and before I realized it, I was already crouching near the man, the knife in hand, poised above his back. I was screaming internally, trying to stop myself. I wasn’t going to be Lida’s pawn, especially for such gruesome and vile acts.

“Stop it.” I pleaded as the knife slowly inched toward Kenneth’s back.

Lida laughed. “Why stop? Don’t you want to exact punishment on it?”

“It’s not an it.” I protested, my voice strained. “That’s a man!”

“Really?” she replied, sounding genuinely confused. “I was pretty sure that’s a dog. Isn’t that right, dog?”

To my surprise, and complete horror, Kenneth suddenly barked a few times. I couldn’t understand why he did. She hadn’t commanded him to bark just now. He did it of his own volition. Had her punishments for disobeying been so severe that he’d lost his own free will?

Eventually, the blade of the knife met his skin, and I found myself unwillingly cutting the man across his back. He screamed in agony, and though the act lasted no more than five seconds, it felt like an eternity. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop the movement of my hand. All I could do was deny that it was really me, but that was impossible. Even after I closed my eyes, I could still feel the slight resistance of his skin against the knife, and I could hear his pain. The reality was that I was the one inflicting it.

As Kenneth continued crying and whimpering in pain, Lida stopped him. “Oh, shut up already.” she commanded, and he instantly ceased his crying. Instead, he began making some strange sounds - an absurd combination of suffocation and exhalation.

Lida took the knife from my hand and smiled, and I realized my hands were shaking uncontrollably. She wrapped her hands around mine and gently held them. “Oh, dear Luca, you’re shaking.”

I cleared my throat and tried to pull my hands from her grasp, but she tightened her grip, refusing to let go. “Come on, let’s continue, I'll help you.” She said. “We can’t stop its punishment so early, or else it won’t learn its place.”