“Emerald? Is something the matter?” I watch her walk over to the open window. She usually never moves. Something’s not right... I feel a shiver crawl down my spine. This feeling... I touch the Stone on my neck.
“Emerald?”
“Is something wrong?” Ammi asks me. She's right there, half an arm away, yet her voice feels so distant... My body moves for me.
“Zarri?”
“What is it?”
“Enemy.”
“What? Where?”
“Bandits. Balli. The report just came in...”
A tremble. “The same?”
“Don’t know. Can’t tell.”
What do I do? If they are the same ones... But. If not. I'll just be... No. Wait. It's not my call to make.
“What do you want to do?” I touch Emerald's neck.
A single word reaches my mind, echoing in the emptiness of the pit, somewhere deep inside my heart.
“Kill.”
I jump on Emerald and we fly out the window.
“ZAAARRIII!!!”
“STAY HERE!!” I answer the single shriek behind me and grab tight of Emerald's fur.
“Do you know which way?”
“General direction. I'll track them down!”
“What if it's not them!”
“Then you have nothing to fear for, Child. No harm will come to you.” Was I imagining it? Her growl, just now, it's an opposite from the one a minute ago. That one froze my blood.. This one warms my soul.. I tighten my grip.
“Then. Just go. No time to waste.”
“Are you sure?” She dashes through the Palace grounds, leaving the yells and calls to stop in the dust.
“They'll only try to stop us. We'll make do with I have on me.” Which ain’t much, considering it was our last day off before graduating from the Army. It's merely a formality, but it serves as proof that I too was part of Public Service. I rustle in my pockets one handed. A few vials here and there. One knife. Less than I expected from me... Lucky I have claws for hands. We'll make do.
Zarri has jumped out the window... I follow their shadow with my panicked eyes till I can no longer see them. Only then it clicks to me to run after her! I bump into Crile in the doorway. The glasses and the tray smash to the ground.
“What happened?”
“Zarri..left..” I point to the window. “With Emerald..”
“With? What she tell you?” Crile asks sharp. I hesitate.
“Star! What she tell you?”
“To stay here..”
“Then stay here.”
“Why! I need to go with her!” I stop him. He shakes me off.
“She said to stay here, so stay here. Do it for her. I'll see what's going on.” He leaves me standing with the shards and a puddle beneath my feet.
“Oh no. Those can hurt her... I need to...” I pick up the shards back on the metal tray. I cut myself, but bear no mind to it. Why? Why stay here? Why not follow me? Am I that much of a drag for you? I set the tray down on a shelf and use a piece of my robe to soak up the spilled liquid... Why did I freeze?
“Star! You here?” Crile runs in again.
I stand up from the bed.
“I’m not sure if that's where she's going, but she might be going after some Balli Bandits, the report just got in, so...”
“The same ones?”
“We don’t know...”
“I have to help!” I move, but Crile stops me.
“Stay here, just like she said. It might be nothing. If so - she'll be back before you know it.”
“And if not! What if she gets hurt! I have to help her!” I struggle.
“You won’t catch up with Emerald. Just stay here. Please. Wait for her.” He says. I scuffle with him a moment longer and give up.
“I'll see what I can find out more. So be a good girl.” Crile runs out again. I pace around the room biting my nails off. The doors open again and the Priestess walks in. I freeze. Oh no.
“Where is she?” I don’t answer.
“Amana. I asked you a question. Do not make me repeat myself.” Zarri's Mother says. I clench my lips and fists. What do I do? Do I lie? Do I betray Zarri? Will she punish Zarri? Or will she send help?
“So be it.” The Priestess walks out, as soon as I open my mouth... I shut it back up again and look out the window.
“Why did we have to be here today of all days?” I grit my teeth unable to help her… Yet again...
The bandits had the audacity to set up camp right on our border. Arrogant much? Emerald slows down. I do have to commend them for choosing a nice spot. You can barely see them down there in the valley. Then again. They are sitting ducks there. That is... If you know where to look... A strange and an unfamiliar feeling stirs me. Now I kinda want them to be the ones... I feel myself grin. Huh? What is this? I have no time to ponder the new and unexplored, as Emerald hits the breaks.
“Well?” I ask her jumping down.
“Not yet.”
I see the concentration she has on her face. I don’t say anything else, just shift and wait. What a mess. The tents are all over the place. There is no order there. No guards stationed either... Like I said - arrogant. They think that nobody would be this stupid to attack that many. We'll see. Although. The shape of the valley. As much as cover as it provides, it does make a nice trap at the same time too. Maybe it's the training or, what Ira once called, potential, is speaking to me, but somehow I can see fighters spilling down the valley walls.
“There. That one. Older now. But I remember. He was one of the ones that got away.” Emerald's fur stands on its ends'.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. That scar is from my claws.” Such intensity.
“Lead the way.” I tell her and she moves. We circle one third, or maybe a good half of the wall and descend. It's pitch black, except for the scattered fires. How lucky are we with our night vision. I follow Emerald's lead. We sneak past a few tents.
“That one.” Emerald nods to one. I sneak in first. Emerald follows me.
The old Balli puts his drink down and looks inside the bottle through the tiny neck. “I ain't even half way in...?” I shift back.
“Hoooo. Well now. How lovely of them to send me entertainment." He grins. You wish. "To what do I owe the pleas... Wait." He stares me down again, this time paying close attention to my face... "I know you.” I flinch from the words.
“No. That was... You can’t be alive. I saw YOU DIE!” He grabs his axe and Emerald pounces him, biting into his shoulder. He screams out, but then I jump him and cover his mouth. Emerald does not let go.
“Scream again and it'll be the last thing you do in this life. Got it?” I hiss in his face. A slow nod. I step back.
“Let him go. Don’t make another move. For now.” I tell Emerald and wait. I know it's a gamble... She's not pleased, but does as told. For now.
“What do I look like to you? Or should I say who?” I lock glares with the Thug.
“A man. From 20 years ago. But.. no.” He hesitates. “Even if you are a woman. I see it. Those eyes. That stance.” He throws me a quick smirk and takes a shot of his drink.
“So. What are you? His twin?" He tries to mock me. "Took you long enough...”
“His child.” I answer. Never have I heard myself sound so cold. The man stares me down. Those marks on his face. Emerald said that she injured him, but those are...burns? Claw mark burns...
“If that is true. Then that would make you the Heir. If that man really was a King.”
“I am and He was.” And you took him from me.
He roars with laughter. “Did ya favor there, sugar! The man was an idiot, after all, who in their right might stands alone against 16.” He laughs again.
“Yet he managed to withstand that alone still.” My palms curl up into fists.
“That he did.” The man stares into nothing in front of him. “I remember the monster that did this to me too.” He hovers his hand over his face.
“Your luck runs out tonight, old man. Those marks were too shallow last time. That's why you lived. But these.” I flex my paws at him, releasing the nails. “Will finish the job.”
“Hooooo. That so?” He steals a glance at Emerald on his side. “Come and get me. Release me from the nightmare! That night has brought me nothing but misery! Killing the King, no THAT FOOL has been the one mistake of my entire damned life! Killing him released a monster like no other!” He grabs his chest.
“Nothing ever changed! No matter where I went or what I did! That Beast has been haunting me every waking moment!!! The only reason why we are here now is because I cannot stand it anymore!!! All these years I spent collecting the fools all so I could die!!! I figured that eventually you people would sent someone for us, all I had to do was make us big enough to taunt you with..." He gathered them on purpose?
"No amount of pain and torture can compare to the images inside my head from that wrenched night 20 years ago!!" He glares at me again.
"So go ahead! Do your worst, kitten.” He spreads his arms. I walk to him and sink my claws right into his shoulder wound, lifting him off the ground to my eye level. I feel a dark desire stirring me. My blood boils with rage and disgust. Emerald freezes mid attack mode too. Her eyes burn, her body vibrates. Her claws dig into the ground and her jaws open half way. Her entire aura screams: Murder.
“That fool, you say...” Emerald takes a single step forward. Something broke inside of me a second ago. I hook my other claw around his head, straight into his jaw and slowly start to tear...
"That fool worked day and night to stop the bloodshed!" A voice echoes inside my mind. The words growl out of my throat by themselves. "That fool sacrificed himself for his land and his people when nobody else wanted to!!!" My own body begins to tremble. I don't know if it's rage or excitement...
"That fool put his wants and needs aside to SOLVE YOUR DAMNED PROBLEMS! HE WAS and STILL IS THE SOLE REASON WHY YOU PEOPLE HAVEN'T GONE EXTINCT YET!!!" This sorrow... I feel it... It's not mine...
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
"THAT FOOL, as you so brazenly call him, did what none of you moronoids ever could AND FOR WHAT!!!!" She moves another step. Emerald. How long have you... The rage continues to flood out of me.
"ALL SO HE COULD BE CALLED A FOOL BY THE LIKES OF YOU!!!!" That's right. Father and Mother worked hard to extinguish the massacres of the past all for the sake of making a future where their children wouldn't be afraid to live in... Emerald takes another step closer. I feel her. The pain. The rage. All of it. I let them in...
“WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO CALL OUR KING A FOOL!!” We roar together again. I hear it. The skin. The muscles. Even the bones - breaking. I feel the taste of flesh and blood inside my mouth. I feel the joy it brings me. The grin it puts on my face. So this is Bloodlust? Interesting... I grin wider. Images flash inside my mind. Blades swinging. Shouting. Blood. Red skin. No. One's different. Taller. Bluer... This figure.. This pain. Sorrow. Rage. Father! I blink again and the images disappear... It burns. Something burns. Is it me? No... This feeling... There’s more to it… I close my eyes and focus on it, drowning out the world around me...
“Breeze!” A voice... “Damn...” A light touch on my face. My head turns to it.
“Crile?”
“Yeah. It's me, hun." He hugs me to him. "I'm here now..."
“Nothing...”
“Mh?”
“It didn’t change anything...” I finally snap out of my daze... “I’m empty still... It didn’t do anything...”
“Hun. I’m more than happy to fill you up, but can we get out of this bloody hell first? Please?” He gently presses his forehead to mine.
“Mm.” I let go of something and put my hands on Crile's back. Two splashing thuds land by my feet...
“Get her out of here.” Crile pushes me off him and gives me to Emerald. He's covered in blood. No. I am. I look at my hands. The things by my feet are a severed head and body, with the blood soaked into my shoes... That's right. I tore him apart. A red fountain splashes in front of me again. The after image... Crile and Emerald team up to get me back onto her.
“Sorry. I got blood all over you...” I whisper in a dead-and-buried voice...
“No. I got blood all over me.” Crile reaches for me and kisses me. “Now get lost.” He hangs a canteen around my neck. “You did your part now it's our turn.”
“Our? No! You didn’t!”
“Star's back home.” Thank the Stars... He holds the tent open for us. Emerald carries the now lifeless me out on her back. Blood and screams everywhere come into my view. Pure carnage. Emerald slowly makes her way through it all.
“How did you know?” I mumble… They didn’t wait for me to come out…
“Blood. Well, first of all we couldn’t see you two anywhere, so I figured you must’ve gone inside one of the tents, otherwise we would have met you on the way here. Next – the scent of blood.” He smiles at me. He knows me so well…
“That simple, huh?”
“That simple.” He answers and takes in more air into his lungs.
“LEAVE NO SOUL ALIVE! SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!” Crile calls out. Our fighters roar through the fighting in response. He continues to escort us through the field.
“SHOW THEM THE TRUE NOXIAN STRENGTH! LET YOUR PAIN RUN FREE! BECAUSE TONIGHT! WE FEAST ON THE FLESH AND BLOOD OF OUR REVENGE!!” More roaring...
“SHOW THE WORTHLESS ONES THAT NO-ONE GETS TO LIVE THROUGH A NOXIAN SORROW AND TELL ABOUT IT TWICE IN A LIFETIME!!” Crile finishes. The roaring of our soldiers ripples along the site in soaring waves...
“The Assassin raised him well.” Emerald growls inside my mind.
“Take her as far from here as you can. We'll catch up.”
“No. Come with me.” I grab his hand.
“I will. Over and over again. As soon we clean up here.” He answers with a grin. “Now go!” He tells Emerald more than me and runs away into the Carnage.
“He'll be fine. There are more of you than them. This is nothing like the last time.”
“Doesn’t make me breathe any easier...” I answer as Emerald carries me away through what seems to be a cloak of dark, empty, nothing...
“Stop. Please.” I mutter. Emerald breaks and slides sides ways.
“Child?” I fall down and crawl away. I throw up. It finally dawns on me. I killed tonight. My first kill... My body trembles. The shivers scare me. This chill... I've never felt this way before... Why? Why do I feel so light? I should be more disgusted with myself for taking a life. So why aren’t I? I touch my face. Am I smiling?
“Emerald... What's wrong with me?” I turn to her. “I just killed someone and I'm smiling? Why?”
Emerald sits down next to me. “I do not know. I’m sorry, Child.”
“Was Father like this too? Did he smile when killing too? Tell me. Hey. Tell me.” I crawl over to her and grasp her fur.
“If you are asking me whether or not your Father enjoyed killing - then no. He did not take pride in taking lives.”
“Then why...”
“He did however, take pride in knowing that a life taken is a life saved. That was why he killed beautifully.”
“Beautifully?”
“Your Father did not enjoy taunting his enemies, nor did he enjoy inflicting pain on others. For that, he made sure to end it quickly and strongly, so that there would be no doubt if the person is dead. He made sure they were dead before the pieces of the bodies hit the ground.”
I remember the stories she told me. The short sword and the double sided axe... A diagonal, parallel cut, slicing the body into three... Nice and clean... Yet I... Another vomit attack. I had it all wrong... Father didn’t kill. He ended them. I killed. Tonight. For the first time. I made sure to inflict as much pain and slow torture as I possibly could into that rip... I went against my Father's beliefs...
“He'd be disappointed with me, wouldn’t he?” I brush my mouth off with the back of my hand and crawl back to Emerald.
“No.” She says, laying down next to me. “He would have done worse than that. He never had the capacity to go easy on anyone who'd hurt his loved ones.”
“Honest?”
“Yes. I do believe he wouldn't have wanted for you to do the killing though...” Her tail jiggles the water canteen on the ground. I take the hint and take a few gulps to rinse out the foul taste.
“Why do you say that?” I spit the water out. I wish this was booze...
“You are his Child. No parent wishes that upon their Child.”
“Tell that to Ira.” I chuckle nervously.
“The Assassin is no exception, Child. Neither is the boy. Killing is never easy. The difference is who you kill for. Yourself or another.”
“That so...” I remember my mini toothbrush tucked away in the pocket of my leggings and wash out the last of the nasty taste out of my mouth. Ah... I even got Emerald all dirty... I splash a little water in my palm and pat the blood stains that I can reach... She turns around for me and I finish cleaning her up. We move to the side a bit more and wait...
The Queen was merciless. To say that she passed down judgement is an understatement... I got off easy. Between Crile's Underground Maze, the Dungeon for the troops and Zarri's 100-Day punishment, my 30-Days of home arrest seems a joke... Not to mention that Emerald got locked up all alone too... Time has never felt so slow or painful...
“Star...” Hm...
“Staaar-dear... Hey. Oh come on.” A rough nudge.
“Wha... AH!” Crile shuts me up with his hand.
“Easy now. I come in Peace.” He smiles in the dark. “Breeze says hi.”
My eyes widen and he moves his hand away.
“I just got out. I wasn’t sure which one of you to see first. I'll go to Emerald next...”
“How is she?”
“It's only been 10 days. She's still good. For how long - I don't know.” Crile says, but something bothers me about it.
“You’re breathing funny. And why are you here! There are guards!”
“Yeah. To keep you in, not me out.” He staggers a bit.
“How far a jump did you make? Did you injure yourself in the maze? Eat anything gross?” I get out of bed and rustle in my drawers.
“Why? Worried?” He sways again. I kick him and he sits down by the bed.
“As much as I hate you, I do realize that keeping you alive is in my best interest too. Make no mistake. I only do it for her.” I kneel next to him and check his forehead.
“I know. And I appreciate it. And to answer your other questions: not far, a little here and there and no, I did not put anything weird in my mouth.”
“Then you’re simply exhausted. You don’t have a fever, but you are sweating, and your rate's a bit rushed too, tho you're breathing kinda shallow. Here. Take these. One at a time, about 10 minutes apart. Wait 30 minutes before jumping again.” I leave the potions in his lap and climb back into bed.
“How was it?” I ask quietly.
“Which part?”
“The killing…” We got separated before I ever got to ask...
Crile sighs. The silence begins to annoy me.
“It was easy. We outnumbered them and the fighters that went with me were leftovers from the old generation mostly. The new ones just wanted in on the action...”
“Not what I asked...”
“It was different for Breeze. She got what she thought she needed to get, but it didn’t really solve her problem... Emerald's weight probably didn’t lessen either.”
“Why do you say that?”
He takes the next vial too soon. “Cause. If she had killed them herself, she'd be avenging her dear Master, the King. But Breeze was the one to do it. In a way - Emerald is like a guardian for Breeze too, so...” I hate it how he calls my Zarri Breeze...
“Yet there was no other way to do it...”
“Yeah...” Crile gulps down the next vial. I smack him on the back of the head. “Ouch!”
“You're taking them to fast.”
“Sorry. Wanna make sure everyone is ok.”
“Wait. You'll be seeing Zarri again?”
“Yes. Every night.”
I climb out of the bed and give Crile a few more vials.
“Give those to her. I'll make more. Tons.”
“Heals?” He inspects the vials.
“Nutrition. They aren’t meant to replace food, but they can help ease hunger pains and restore strength. I'm still working on them, but I'll get better at it. She'll need them, so you can give them to her, right? And...what?” I finally notice the stupid grin.
“You're cute when you rant.” He says and I kick him in the shoulder. “I'll take whatever you have for her. Just keep 'em comin'.” He says in my dialect. I kick him again.
“See ya.” He says and vanishes.
“Dumbass... Guess he can be useful tho…” Sometimes...
Crile has been my lifeline these days, as I carry out my punishment. Star has been packing me potions to help me through this. Even some of the new recruits, as well as Palace people, have been sneaking in with snacks and vials. I decided that they left the Cells empty for a reason. As currently, I am the sole resident here... Even though I am supposed to be punished, although not confined, I haven’t received this much sincere attention since Ira, Crile and Star combined... As much as I appreciate the sentiment I always turn the others down. For some reason it has only increased their curiosity. I have to admit. I did think that Mother was behind this, but no. I don’t know why, but the people that sneak in to visit me or casually approach me during training seem genuinely concerned for me... Perhaps I managed to do something right somewhere along the way, after all... A shiver slithers across my body.
“Crile.”
“Breeze..” He crouches down by the bed-ish and kisses me. I’m so dead tired that I can barely enjoy the kiss.
“Can you move?” He asks. I make sound... “Right. Come 'er.” He hovers over me, flips me on my side. Sits down himself first and takes me into his lap and arms. My back leans against his chest. I tilt my head back and end up nuzzling his neck. This scent... I missed it...
“How long has it been?”
“Day 63 and counting. Emerald is not happy, but she sits still. Skipping meals sometimes, but, yeah... Laira wanted to come see you, but she made the mistake of asking the Priestess for permission, so that was shot down instantly... She tried asking me to take her, but I told her that the Shadows are a no place for her yet. She got hung up on the “yet” part and that was my mistake." He says and I giggle silently.
“Here. Star put in an extra punch in this one. Take it slow now.” He puts a vial under my nose. My hand staggers a bit and flops back down. A sigh.
“Excuse me.” Crile says and feeds me the potion. Instant relief. Yet I can’t move still. He corks the vial back up and puts it in the bag, taking out another vial. Same procedure. I take small sips and finish two more potions...
“Kiss me...” I let out a whisper. Crile connects in an instant. Slow, gentle, soft... My body moves just enough to brush my fingertips across his jaw and down the neck. He catches my hand and presses it to his shoulder.
“Anything else, mistress?” He whispers on my lips, grinning.
“Surprise me.” I answer. Crile locks lips with me again and his fingers move to my chest piece, undoing it, just a gap. His fingers brush along the exposed skin only and yet that somehow riles me up more than anything... He moves lower, to my pants. He takes his time undoing the laces and the buttons. Purposely teasing me with the pauses in between. I let out a growl and he chuckles on the next kiss.
“Impatient, are we?”
“Verrrrryyy...” Another growl of mine. Crile slides under the inner-wear and slowly brushes down. Mmmm... His fingers tease and trace me. Up, down, circle, inside, in, out, repeat. He gently bites my lower lip, pulling on it softly. I like it. I love it how he matches himself to my pace. Whether it's rough and wild or slow and slower... Crile picks up speed rubbing me back and forth unrushed.
“Mh.” I feel the desire rising up inside me. My legs writhe on their own. Tiny gasps mixed up with moans escape from within my throat. Crile’s other hand slithers in between the opening on my chest and grasps my breast. This is too much. I'm too weak... The writhing moves up the body, I cling to any part of Crile that I can reach. A muffled chuckle. He's enjoying my torment... Just you wait... He speeds up more and...
“Uuuhhhh.…” I break away and pant, scratching his neck... “Your little friend is stabbing me...”
“How rude. He's not little...” Crile smiles and kisses me again... “He's simply easily excitable...” He licks his fingers off and adjusts it in his pants. “How’s that.”
“Excruciating. It'll suffocate...” I tease the bulge.
Crile laughs. “As much as I'd love to take it out to play, we're good.” He says and adjusts himself and me in his lap a little again. “I'm not as vicious as to devour you in your current condition.” Another short kiss. “I'd rather wait and enjoy you at full power. It's more fun that way.”
“Exactly what I love you for...”
“Oh?”
“You know what you want, but you consider my position in it all too and compromise between us both...”
“Why thank you, I try.” He smiles again.
“Oh and don’t worry, I'll pay you back double time once I can move again.” I tease his jaw and neck with my fingertips. Crile's shoulders twitch, moving me with him.
“Looking forward to day 101 then.” We kiss again and Crile buttons me back up. “I should go now... Don’t wanna cause you more grief...”
“Stay. Please..”
Crile sighs. “Just till you fall asleep.”
“Deal.” I cozy up against him and let his scent carry me into my slumber...
The next morning I wake up with Crile's shirt wrapped around me. I smile. No wonder I slept so good... I take it off and fold it nicely under the pillow. Day 64 and counting...