Once Betrayed Never Forgotten

Chapter 51: Burning

Wha… what’s going on? Where the hell am I?

I struggle to open my eyes, and my entire face feels like it’s on fire. There’s a sharp, intense throbbing pain on the side of my head. My left ch*ek feels inflamed and tender, and one of my eyes is refusing to open – swollen shut, maybe. I also have a god awful headache, more agonising than anything I’ve ever experienced.

I manage to force one eye open, and I peer out at the gathered crowd, a big blur of bodies and firellight floating in the darkness all around. Everything is hazy and a bit fuzzy, like I’m seeing double.

Do I have a concussion? Someone must have hurled a stone at my head, or hit me with the blunt end of some weapon. My legs and arms feel strangely numb. I gingerly try to move my fingers, and realise that I’m standing with my back against the wooden stake, and my hands are tied behind my back, bound together with rope. I’m barefoot – someone must have removed my fur–lined boots- and the dry kindling and twisted wood that I stand upon feels rough beneath my feet.

The deep, resonant tolling of church bells reverberates through the air, calling the final stragglers of Father Codrin’s flock to come gather and witness the execution. Each toll is a sonic wave, a forceful blow that sends shockwaves ripping through my ears and my brain like wildfire, igniting a terrible pain. The sound is deafening, and it’s making my already agonising headache feel about a hundred times worse. I strain my eyes, trying to make out individual faces in the crowd. There are all sorts of people young and old, even children.

–

I can’t believe anyone would bring a child to watch someone getting burned alive. What the hell is wrong with these people?

A small girl clutching a ragdoll stands clutching her mother’s skirts, staring at me with wide eyed curiosity. When she sees me looking at her and our eyes connect, the little face crinkles up in a sneer of disgust, and she spits in my direction.

I continue scanning the crowd, and I can barely make out the faint shape of Mircea, on her knees now, her face blondy and battered. Luka is still in his wolf form, maybe too weak to shift. He’s pinned down on the ground, the heavy silver collar and chains keeping him restrained. They muzzled him while I was passed out – a rigid, unforgiving silver cage that encases his snout.

Still, the moment our eyes meet he begins to twitch, fighting against his restraints. I try to link with his mind, but the mate bond feels weak, muted. I can hear some vague fragments of what he is trying to say, ghostly echoes as if he is shouting desperately at me from very, very far away, across a vast distance,

All I can make out is a jumble of soundi.

“INV—T–HIM | N!!! SUM—N ALEKS–||| INVIT–|–

1 strain to hear the words, but the clanging of the church bells drowns out Luka’s frantic voke.

Finally, Father Codrin steps forward, the silver crucifix glinting in the moonlight, contrasting with the black of his robes. He turns his back to me, addressing his congregation. He raises one hand in the air and the raucous shouting and jeering of the crowd falls suddenly silent.

“My children,” he begins, his voice solemn and booming through the hushed stillness. “We gather here tonight in the name of The Highest, to protect our community from the forces of darkness. As the Keepers of the Light, it is our divine burden to carry out this holy duty. This harlot before you – this golden–haired temptress – she has a beautiful face, the visage of an angel – but do not be deceived! Lucifer himself was once an angel, the most beautiful and devout in all of Heaven! This whore has the visage of her master, She has made a pact with the Devil, warming the bed of the Accursed One himself!”

At the mention of “The Accursed One“, a current of hushed whispers and gasps runs through the crowd, and many of the villagers raise their hands to make the sign of the cross over their hearts.

“The Lord commands us to purge the evil from our midst!” Father Codrip bellows. “And we shall follow His divine will. Let this be a warning to all who would seek to harm our community through consorting with the Lords of Darkness atop the mountain! May God have mercy on us all, and may this act cleanse our town of the vampire bride’s malevolent influence. Let the flames purify her! God is our guide and our protectar in this dark hour,”

Then his voice softens, as he turns to gaze down at Mircea, who is huddled on the ground.

“Mircea, watch and listen carefully,” he says. “Up until this point, you have been steadfast in your refusal to repent. But perhaps the sound of your harlot friend’s screams and the stench of her burning flesh will convince you. There is still a place for you amongst us, if you confess your sins before

the Lord

Then he makes a signal to an old man in chainmail and armour standing beside the pyre. The man ambles forward, holding his flaming torch aloft.

He lowers it slowly into the kindling a few feet away from me… and it catches immediately, the golden flames licking at the twisted branches. The sound of crackling and the smell of smoke grows stronger as the fire spreads, and the flames creep up closer and closer to my feet.

Breathe. Breathe. Stay calm. Think

I try to clear my mind, push back my panic, as the heat grows, and I feel the twigs beneath my feet growing wam.

I can hear Luka screaming through our mental bond, howling in anguish, as the mob jeers and shouts in anticipation

The air is filled with acrid smoke now. The flames are close enough to singe my hair, and my skin feels so hot, growing hotter…

As the fire draws nearer, my life literally flashes before my eyes. I think of my golden childhood growing up in California, idyllic carefree days spent in the surf and sun. I think of my mother – my brave, beautiful, wonderful mother, who I ran away from when she chose a life of immortality. I regret leaving her. I can see now how cruel and selfish I was for leaving without even saying goodbye. I left without telling her that I forgive her and I still love her, and now I’ll never get the chance. I think of my father, who died before I was born. I always regretted not getting to meet him.

Seems like I’ll be meeting him soon though.

The Ere finally reaches my exposed feet, and for a moment there is intense, blinding pain, a sensation of extreme heat. The stake I am tied to catches Ere, and I begin to scream, my mind going blank except for the awareness of overwhelming agony. The fire creeps up my legs, burning the clothes right off my body. I look down in horror as my woolen clothing disintegrates in the golden flames, and then my skin- MY ACTUAL F*CKING SKIN – peels off in curling, fiery flakes, melting away in the intense heat. The sound of fizzing and bubbling blood is accompanied by the stench of burning flesh, hair,

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My entire body is now engulfed in flames. My flesh is turning black, charred, and I’m shrieking, writhing, fighting against the inevitable as the fire consumes me. My sight begins to fade, and there’s a cold, icy, numb sensation as my face burns away, my vision enveloped in flames,

At this point, death would be a welcome release.

am on the precipice, the brink of death, when my half fried brain trapped inside of my burning skull remembers something. I see Aleksandr’s beautiful pale face hovering before me, his hair dark as the night, the piercing blue eyes gazing into mine. And I hear Luka’s voice, clearly inside my head. The words he said to me when he saved me in the forest.

He said. “Should you find yourself in the fire, you need only invite him in.”

That’s what I need to do….

I try to speak, but my throat and voice is gone, burned away. I don’t think I have lips anymore, or a tongue. My body is nothing more than a charred, burning husk. It’s a miracle that my brain hasn’t shut down yet, but it definitely will within the next few seconds. So in my mind, I call out to him. I concentrate on the words, sending them out into the night with my dying breath

ALEKSANDRI INVITE YOU IN.