Chapter 59: It's Time - Isolde

I feel like my body is on fire. This isn’t like the burning pain I felt from Fretez’s light. Even as painful as that was, there was a peacefulness that came with it, but there is no peace with this pain. I swear I can feel fire spreading through my veins, boiling me from the inside out. I’d give anything to just be able to lie down and close my eyes, but I still can’t will my body to move. I can’t even will my eyes to stay shut. All I can do is witness my vision become more blurry and feel the pain intensify. My heart could rival a hummingbird right now.

“This is truly a magnificent sight.”

The voice speaking these words is like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. Even the beauty of the French they are spoken in is soured by the person speaking them. I look up to see the woman I once called family, standing on the other side of the bars with a malicious smile on her face. The white of her hair and the white of her eyes and teeth shine in the torchlight of this cell, while her ebony ski