Chapter 104

• Ayla POV
• I felt paralysed; fear had taken hold of my body, and I was unable to move. The room was dark, so dark I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face, but I could see his eyes; they peered out from the darkness burning into my soul. His raspy breathing echoed all around me, and my heart pounded hard against my chest. I could hear the sound of his bones creaking as he stepped out of the darkness, the ceiling stretched up or I shrunk in size, because Runduc looked like a giant now; his face was gaunt and his skin a deathly white, but his eyes glowed brightly, like searchlights seeking me out. His bony fingers reached out toward me; they moved like vines as they weaved their way toward me. All I could do was watch as his vine-like fingers coiled around my feet, tightening as they moved up my body, engulfing me.
• “Hey, it’s ok. It was just a bad dream. I’m here.”