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"How did I get out here?"

Trajan’s eyes lock with Eva’s He looks every bit terrified

It was the beginning of Trajan’s madness and the end of Arareorse The drinking of Trajan’s blood in order to sustain her consumed them Over time, it became every day, sometimes twice a day, but no matter how much or how often she drank, it would nevercould reverse the consequences of her bond Within six years, she did not know herself any the blood would do was keep her body alive, but herthat her h that one small part of her life had been somehow trapped in the depths of her subconscious was her need to bear hiue, but it had only been to call hihout the re two hundred years of Aramei’s immortal life, Trajan never allowed himself to believe that when she spoke his naotten him

He knew it to be true, but he would die before he ever adh it again But this ti of the rest of Aramei’s life all the way up to the day I saw her myself for the first ti fast and hard into some unknown place because I know that it’s not back in the cabin I try to scream out a name, any name, but when my mouth opens I have no voice It feels like my limbs are detached fro hurled through the ether Everything is so loud, yet at the sa, but like ed into infinite darkness

Is this Hell? Have I died and gone to Hell?

The air echoes all around h a black hole I try to see upward into the heavens, to find the top of the tunnel, but I’m too far inside of it

And then a sort of peace and calm overcomes me

I shut my eyes and let my head fall back to feel the wind on , so beautiful

Everything stops

I opento see…I don’t know

And as s becoined before

Chapter 27

Somewhere Unknown – Present Day?

I LOOK DOWN AT my hands, confused by how I can even see them; I’ve never been able to actually see myself in Aramei’s mind before My hands are filthy and bruised and fouled by tiny cuts I’reen dress which covers s to my ankles and I see that my feet are bare My hair is loose and falls messily about my face, which hurts tremendously just under my eye I reach up to touch the bone and wince

There is slass or shutters or anything that ht make it look modern or familiar

Slowly, I walk towards theand the torch blazing high on the stone wall revealsissteps that descend down into cold darkness behindroof that towers above

There’s so foul on the air I can only describe it as the s so horrible and death first comes to mind

I stop at theand cautiously lean forward to peer outside, afraid of what I s when I see the charred landscape which stretches farther than I can see in every direction I must be iant river snaking through the black hills far off in the distance, and down below, nestled aht as though burning inside s about this place feels like a part of anyone’s past It doesn’t seem to me like any real place that ever could have existed It doesn’t appear real, yet it feels absolutely real as I stand here as a part of it

I walk backwards away froainstside to side as if continuously telling ain No, this is a dream; this can’t be real…

Suddenly I hear a violent screah the stone stairwell My body jerks around andthe screa and desperate I’in to walk towards it It’s co froaze up, but can see nothing around the wall as the stairs spiral around and upward into the sky I wonder how et louder as I ascend the steps, funneling down intoh the air is cold and my feet are frozen to the bone, sweat beads offthe wall and I freeze in my steps until I see that the shadow follows suit and realize that it’storch isoff it only offers my body more discomfort When I make it to the next floor, I see an enorht ahead There are no hest point in the tower

I feelto burst out as I approach the giant door A fiery torch burns on each side of it

A voice resonates from inside and becoure steps out before me

I freeze in my spot in the wide open There’s no where I can run except down, but it’s already too late I wouldn’t have time to make it to the stairs before I’ht down into my knees All of the saliva evaporates from my mouth instantly When he is within ten feet of me, I feel like I should be certain that I’m about to die, but instead I’m not even sure that he sees me

He stops within three feet and looks around curiously as though he senses so them, hidden in the shadows