The Eating Woods, #2
Eldritch
by Keri Lake
Contents
Chapter 43
Overview
In a past timeline, Zevander is broken by imprisonment and starvation. General Loyce orders him cleaned and force-fed despite his refusal, emphasizing her control and his helplessness. During the ordeal, Zevander hallucinates the midnight-haired girl, anchoring his fixation on her. The scene underscores Loyce’s brutality and Zevander’s lingering survival.
Summary
In the darkness of his cell, a deteriorating Zevander mutters defiance against the gods, convinced a slumbering beast and scorpion crawl within him. General Loyce visits, learns he has refused food, and coldly orders him bathed and force-fed. Her command asserts authority while leaving Zevander to his despair.
Guards drag Zevander to an icy stone bath, dunking and scrubbing him until his wounds open and the water reddens. Submerged and near drowning, he hallucinates the midnight-haired, storm-eyed girl gazing at him with warmth, a fleeting comfort against the pain and cold before he is hauled up again.
Weakened, Zevander is strapped to a chair. A mouth contraption and funnel are fixed in place, and a zephromyte soldier helps restrain him. Oat slop is poured down his throat as he gags and fights the bindings, panic surging while the force-feeding continues despite his protests.
Overwhelmed, Zevander’s body relents and darkness closes in. The episode cements General Loyce’s cruelty, the guards’ relentless enforcement, and Zevander’s fractured mind clinging to the image of the mysterious girl as his last thread of solace.
Who Appears
- Zevander (Zev)Imprisoned, delirious, and starving; bathed and force-fed; hallucinates the midnight-haired girl before blacking out.
- General LoyceVisits Zevander’s cell and orders him bathed and force-fed despite his refusal, asserting ruthless control.
- Zephromyte soldierStands guard and physically restrains Zevander during the force-feeding procedure.
- GuardsDrag, scrub, dunk, strap, and force-feed Zevander under Loyce’s orders.
- Midnight-haired girlAppears as a comforting hallucination to Zevander while submerged in the bath.