37 – Iris
The next day was the same, if not worse, and the day expecting me.
by afterd
that. But today, after breakfast, I made my way to the library where Zahila was already
“You mist tired of the same old routine by now,” she said, causally inspecting the dirt under her nail. “We will now have that history lesson”
The anvil that weighed me down lightened a bit at the news.
She cast amber eyes on me and narrowed them. I could tell that she had quite a lesson up her sleeve. And I had a horrible inkling that I would find it anything but pleasing.
“Bow first I will ask a question,” She said as she got up on her feet. I fraze for a second, expecting the cane again, but it did not come.
She smiled at the fear that she had instilled in me before her face morphed back into severity once again. “You must answer the question correctly.
or clic…”
She did not need to complete the sentence. I knew that would happen. The welts on my body from the cane were enough proof.
“Who are the villains! Werewolves or Lyems? She asked.
I gulped so I tried to please her. The werewolves” I answered, the words tasting bitter in my mouth. “The werewolves are the villains.”
“So you agree that your kind is the bad race, and you deserve to be wiped clean off from the earth? She asked, looking at me expectantly.
I gulped again, the uncomfortable tension making my throat grow dry. “Yes,” that was what she wanted to hear, so I would tell her just that.
“But we can’t wipe you off now, can we? We are not monster like you maggots are. You can live and exist” Her expression turned cruel, and her eyes twinkled with sinister intent. “But you should be punished for your crimes, right?” Zahil asked, but it was not a question, when there was only one
desired answer.
“Yes.” I replied, my heart crashing against my rib cage.
“You are a maggot, are you not?” She asked. With each question, the tension rose. Soon, it felt like a living breathing thing
“Tam.” Laffinned.
Zahila cupped her ear with her hand, as though attempting to hear me better, but everything about the gesture was mocking “Tamamaggot,” I
obryed
Her grin widened. “So you deserve to be punished” she said. “And I will be responsible for your punishment. It will be today in this very library. where the tyranny and cruelty of your maggot anceston are recorded.”
I nodded, already dreading what was to come. Over the days that she had been my teacher, I knew that she had something horrible planned.
“Loosen your corset and open the back of your dress she ordered
With much trepidation, I did as she asked. And soon my back was bare.
“Kneel,” She commanded.
I did as she ordered and got on my knees. Then she picked up a big dusty book that even she, a Lycan, had to carry with both hands and dropped it on the floor, barely missing my fingers.
This is the History Codex. It will be your study material for today’s class Open it.
I did as she asked and flipped through the opening and then the pages.
“Stop,” she made me freeze. “Read this chapter. It’s my favorite. And each time the atrocities that your people did to us Lycans is mentioned, you ger one Lash of my case.
I gulped again before nodding, bracing myself for the pain.
“Begin‘ She ordered. From the top.”
I read the title of the chapter, “The slaughter and exile of the Lycans by Werewoles,”
I read the title of the chapter. “The slaughter and exile of the Lycans by Werewolves,” Thegan, my voice trembling
The cane came down on my back with a force that made my vision blur for a moment. I clenched my teeth and continued reading. “In the Year of the Curse, the werewolves were victions of the sinister cure of the Lunaris Pack. After which, werewolves began to succumb to a strange illness that transformed them. The Alphas kept the cure while the civilians of the packs suffered. Many died, from dozens to scores, in droves, but the Alphas hid behind their castle walls
Anocher lash.
Soon, a miracle occurred and those who had been on the precipice of death would awaken Yet, now, they were not the way that they once were. They were stronger, taller and more powerful. They became Lycans. Creatures that the werewolves feared because of the power bestowed upon them, so they sought to destroy diein.
Another lash. The pain seared through my back, but I forced myself to keep reading. “The werewolves believed the Lycans to be a threat to their dominance and sought to eradicate them completely.”
Lash. The tears were threatening to spill, but I swallowed them down. The Lycans were no survivors but traitors for letting the curse transform them. They became the hunted. Their neighbors and family wanted them gone.”
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Lash. Each word felt like a weight in my mouth, each lash a branding iron on my skin. “They were slaughtered like animals after being pulled our of Their home. Entire families were eradicated at a time.”
Lash The room started to spin, but I kept going. The survivors, the few who escaped the initial massacre, were driven into hiding. They found refuge in the darkest corners of the forests and the most desolate mountains, places where none werewolf would dare to tread.”
Lash. “The werewolves organized hunting parties to track down these remaining Lycans, treating them as little more than animals to be culled.” Lash. “Despite the overwhelming odds, the Lycans fought back, using their newfound strength and resilience to survive the relentless persecution.” At this point, with each sentence, I received a lash. The rules did not matter to Zabila.
Lash. The pain was unbearable, but I forced myself to keep going, “Over time, the werewolves‘ fear turned to hatred, and the atrocities committed against the Lycans became more brutal and merciless.”
Lash. “Entire Lycan communities were wiped out in a single night, their homes humed to the ground, and their bodies left to rot as a warning to
others.”
sey vowed to survive, to remember the injustices done to them, and to one day reclaim their place in the
Lash. “But the Lycans did not give up. They
world.”
Lash. “The hatred between werewolves and Lycans became a blood feud, passed down through generations, with each side seeking revenge for past
atrocities.”
Lash. “And so, the cycle of violence continued, with no end in sight, fueled by the memories of the horrors each har inflicted upon the other.” I finished the chapter, my voice barely more than a whisper. Zahila looked at me with a satisfied expression, the cane still in her hand. “Good,” she said, her voice cold. “Now you understand the pain and suffering your kind have caused. This is why you must be punished, why you must stone for the sins of your ancestors.”
I nodded, unable to speak, my back throbbing with pain. Zahila put the cane down and walked over to me, lifting my chin with her hand.
“Remember this lesson,” she said, her eyes boring into mine. “Remember the pain you feel now, and know that it is nothing compared to the pain we Lycans have endured.”
She released me and stepped back. “You may go,” she said. “Take the Codex with you. You will read it until you can recite every word by heart. Tomorrow you will recite it, all by heart.”
I gasped, I could barely move without every part of me being on fire, and she wanted me to memorize a chapter of a book within the night. I would be flogged again. I bit back the urge to cry.
protest. I left the library, hoping that Cassian would
But then I nodded again, clutching the book to my chest as I stood up, my body screaming in pr
not be in the room by the time I got there.
