Bilgewater Baptism

Delaeni felt a nauseating curl of fear unfurl in her belly at his words. Fight back? Resist? Such concepts were alien to her, counter to everything she had been taught as a Sidi. She was not designed to defy or stand up against authority. Her world revolved around obedience, trust, avoidance of confrontation - survival. Yet here was Caedes, demanding she fight, resist, and scream when the thought itself was enough to paralyze her with terror.

She looked at him horrified, her eyes reflecting the helplessness seeping into her very core. The world started spinning around her. His sneer etched into her mind while his words echoed in her ears, stirring up a whirlwind of doubts and fears. Her heart pounded hard against her chest as if it was trying to escape the confines of her feeble body. Her mouth was dry; she could scarcely swallow against the lump in her throat. She reached up a trembling hand to touch her cheek, attempting to wipe away the lingering sensation of his cruel grip. Her fingers came away smeared with warm blood, making her stomach churn with sickness.

"Fight?" she mumbled, a pitiful laugh escaping her lips, though it sounded more like a sob. "You’re t-trying to trick me …" She finally mustered- much more like an accusation than anything she had said in a very long time. Her voice was barely a whisper, a feeble echo against the walls of her terror. He wanted her to fight, to resist his authority; yet, he was an authority figure himself! It was a paradox that twisted her mind into knots, causing her to feel as though she were on the edge of some precipice. It was a trap. He was trying to proof her. That was the only explanation. “Please d-don’t do this.” Delaeni pleaded. Please.

"Delaeni Terblanche"