Iron of the Innocent: The Dark Judge (Vol 1)

Chapter 16: The Blood

274 I.C.
Sacren
Dark Vale
Black Shield Castle
Caverns of Mourning

The twelve-year old boy trembled violently. It was the middle of the night and he had woken up freezing. He was laying on a carpet, but it provided no warmth. He wished he could dig under it to perhaps warm himself just a little. Kaedres sobbed as the pain in his ribs sent its spidery claws scraping across the hurting bones. His body ached, was bruised all over, and he could not stop trembling from the cold.

"I hate you."

The boy sobbed again, remembering the words that were screamed in his face. He did not know what he had done, or why his father was so angry at him. He had been dragged into his room and thrown on the floor by his hair. His scalp hurt and he did his best not to lay any weight on that side.

"I swear you had better not move from that spot!" his angry father yelled with tremendous force. The boy lay there terrified as the huge man hovered over him, his bloodshot eyes boring into him. He tried not to look into them. The heavy smell of ale hung about the man. The door slammed, rattling its frame and the boy was left in complete darkness except for the dim glow coming under the door.

He listened to the yelling and screaming as his parents argued passionately. His mother had cried out in pain, and the boy drifted off into sleep as she wept. He was drained, exhausted, and confused. Deep down the boy hurt with her once his own tears dried. He felt something inside as well that he did not understand.

Waking up freezing, he was terrified to go to his bed. So he clung to the floor and shivered uncontrollably. His small teeth chattered in the silence. He was veiled in complete darkness as the light coming in from under the door was gone. He wondered what time it was, and he closed his eyes, trying to go back to sleep. He whimpered as he was so cold.

"It's okay," a gentle voice whispered in his ear. The words came slowly. It was not his mother or his sister. The voice sounded like a girl his age he had seen the previous day at the market. He met her when his nanny took him to buy a few things. The elf girl came up to him and told him her name while he was looking at the fruit.

"Hi," she said, "I'm Nim." The girl had shiny brown hair with reddish highlights. Her brown eyes were bright and friendly. Like other girls his age, she had already begun developing into a woman.

He turned to her, startled by the sudden closeness. She smiled and shook his hand.

"I'm Kae," he stammered awkwardly in response to her introduction.

She smiled at him, picked up a pinkish apple from the fruit stand, and moved passed him. She started skipping as she moved away humming. Suddenly she stopped, looked back, and waved at him.

Kae lifted his hand in reply.

In the dark he felt her. She drew close to his back and curved her body to his. One of her arms flowed over him and pulled herself closer. The other slipped under his neck.

"Nim?" he whispered. "I'm so cold," he said to her there in the darkness.

"I know," she said softly. The warmth of her body felt so good to him, and her heat surrounded him like a blanket.

"I'm so scared," he whispered.

"Don't be. I'm with you," she said her voice tender and compassionate. "You never have to be scared again."

Kae pressed himself further into her, and he felt her hand caress his cheek and then his hair. She was so very warm, and he felt a slight pressure in the middle of his back. It increased slightly and then it released suddenly. He could feel her heat flowing into him to somewhere inside. She started humming her gentle song he heard the day before and it soothed him.