296: Vulnerable psyche (part 2)

Vulnerable psyche (part 2)

It was truly unfortunate, how Adela's words only seemed to fuel Aldric's sadistic desires. His eyes gleamed with malice.0

"Go ahead. Jump. Do you think it makes a difference?"

She had to remind herself to keep her mind strong. Not an easy task as his smile stretched from ear to ear.

"You will learn to love me when he forgets all about you and fuc*s the entire town, just like he used to do back in Kolhis."

He taunted her, using his words to play mind games with her emotions, pushing her closer to the edge of despair. His grip on reality seemed to slip further. He was high on the power he had over her, the power to decide whether she lived or died.

"You always work better when you're pushed to do what you dare not do. Let's not change the habit of a lifetime."

"I am not afraid of you!" She shouted with all the strength she could muster. "You are a coward, Aldric!"

"Well, this coward will stand his ground for you. I've said it before, the time for fine words is over; now is the time for action between us."

With a wicked smile, he walked towards her fast then pretended to give in to her threat, pushing her toward the edge with a cruel shove of the air around her.

Adela's cry pierced the air as she teetered on the edge of falling, but in the nick of time, Aldric's elemental powers came to the fore, shoving her from behind, this time to support her balance. He manipulated the very earth below her feet, shaping it perfectly around her so she would stand more stably against the wind.

He bent down, leaving a space of a finger's width between the two of them.

"This is a lesson, one that would make you more dependent on me. Call it madness if you wish. What we have is a connection that transcends reason."

Her tears fell down, "It's not a connection. It's...It's an obsession."

Sparks flared in his eyes, a brilliant smile below them. "So what if it was?" He threw his head back and laughed, then looked down at her with determination. "Just embrace it, become as enamored with me and the power I possess! I can move mountains, and I'll do whatever it takes to show you that we're meant to be together."

She shook her head, her lips twisted in anguish. "Your wife is inside! She loves you! I saw it in her eyes... It's how I feel about Egon!"

"Shut up!" His voice thundered, closing off any hope of reaching him through words.

"...Love can't be forced, and what you're doing... it's tearing apart any chance you had with your wife. As for me? I'd prefer to endure a thousand trials than surrender control to you. You can't keep me under constant surveillance, and you'll ultimately lose me."

Aldric's concern for her momentarily overpowered him; he couldn't bear the thought of her harming herself.

He clicked his tongue, "You won't do this to me. You're too kind to."

She squeezed her eyes shut; he knew just where it hurt. She couldn't do this to Egon, to her father, or her people. Her life wasn't hers alone to squander.

He let out a relieved laugh, a sound she heard but couldn't bear to see. "You see? I told you that you care for me."

No.

If she didn't act on her earlier threat right now, all of this would be in vain. She had to regain control of her life, and it infuriated her that she could only do it because she knew he would save her.

She opened her eyes and pushed him away with all her strength. In his surprise, he leaned back, giving her a brief moment to turn around and leap off the cliff.

Weightless, she fell through the open air, her body buffeted by the wind, her hair and nightgown whipping around her. The world rushed past in a chaotic blur of rocks, the crashing waves of the ocean below growing ever nearer.

She had gambled with her life and lost; Aldric wasn't coming for her.

The faces of her beloved ones rushed through her mind, the final image being that of a beautiful, scarred man riding his horse.

Live well, my love.

If only she had wings to spread like the majestic falcon of House de Lanark and soar through the open sky. That was her last thought before the inevitable plunge into the freezing waters.

"Adela!"

Her name hung in the air around her. Aldric had thrown himself, reaching her just in time to embrace her tightly. Then, with a swift and powerful conjuration of wind, he slowed down their freefall until he stopped it, creating a barrier that felt as solid as the ground beneath their feet.

They hung suspended in the air just above the waves crashing against Aldric's barrier, their chests heaving against each other.

Aldric's voice took on a strangely compassionate tone. "You can't die anymore, not without my permission, all right?"

His embrace around her tightened, becoming turbulent as he shook from head to toe. He buried his forehead on her shoulder, and a few sobs escaped him.

Too weak to resist, she shivered in her torn nightgown, the cold wind cutting through her. He released her, removed his thick coat, and wrapped it around her trembling form.

Desperation drove her to find her voice. "My father and my husband will come for me, you'll see," she managed to whisper.

Aldric's face and bare torso twisted with frustration as he clenched his fists.

"No, you will see. I'll break you, and then you'll have no choice but to love me."

His words hung in the air like a dark omen. Her struggle for freedom and sanity seemed far from over.

His torso moved, his arm extending behind her, and then she felt a sharp, searing pain in her neck. Her vision blurred as darkness closed in around her. Her last conscious sight was the vacant, unsettling eyes of Aldric, and then everything faded into a different kind of darkness, one that was less cold and all-encompassing.

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