Light of Stars [2]

Chapter Thirty-Seven

♕ Tip of your Finger ♕

He sat on her throne, Nerezza standing by his side, a crown of bones of her own on her hair. Her eyes had turned blood red, her marking growing further up her arms as more marked fell under her grip. One by one she had cut their throats, sank stardust into their veins, let shadows travel inside them, their eyes turning black, their skin glass-like.

She had left the world burning behind her, had taken her time walking by the snow path, had taken her time, returning, an army of marked left behind to survive among the ashes.

He had watch her, return, stone carving onto her skin, eyes bloodshot, lips purple from the cold, had watched and had said nothing as he watch her turn them all, no kindness, mercy or doubt that its what they all deserve left inside her mind.

But he remained in the shadows, remained a messenger of death for the queen to keep an eye on her here. Make sure she followed her instructions exactly as she'd wanted. Nerezza had gone the extra step.

The queen had not cared to punish her for the fallen bay, and Nerezza could not know if she was aware of it at all, or if the more marked they could find where after all, more important than any city under their grip.

She could feel his shadows tracing over the edges of his stone, that he had so easily placed in her. Nerezza moved away, marked eyes following her everywhere she went. A pair in particular, stronger than the rest, a boy from her past, foolish enough to have tried to fight against her.

"Did I dismiss you?" The voice said behind her.

Nerezza stop dead in her tracks, turning her head the slightest bit towards the dark, eyes flashing in the darkness to meet her own.

"I'm sorry what exactly am I to do here?" She said, rolling her eyes.

"Stare" he said. And dragged her back to the sit of the throne.

Nerezza let him, did not make a sound as the thorns around the throne tore through her skin, through the fabric of her dress. Blackstone seemed to dislike her, or him, she was not sure.

The marked walked in and out Exilium, faces not recognizable to her, new faces, old ones too. None of them had been spared and yet she still felt, empty.

A low laugh caressed her mind.

"Look at them" he said. "So perfectly marked, so perfectly shaped for you to control." A hand touched the top of her head. The compliment made her lips curve upwards the slightest bit. "Not even Aleena mastered the marking so young, so fast" he continued, the touch atop of her head becoming harder with each word. "Look at them. Learn their faces sweet Nerezza."

His hand fell to her face, his fingers tracing their way across her cheeks until they settled on her throat. Nerezza's smile faded as he grabbed her, knocking the air out of her lungs.

"Reckless stupid idiotic child" he said. "You think Luxem will not hear about what you've done here" The grip tightened. "You did this so you could what exactly? Feel like one of us? Serve us? No." He said, dropping his hand. Letting her breathe again. Tears fell down her eyes. "You did this because you could not handle having lost. You couldn't handle coming here empty handed."

Nerezza held in her breath as his voice got louder.

"You, could not handle proving to all of us what we have been telling you all along, could you"

"Shut up" Nerezza said. Her stomach turning.

"You will never be better than Deirdre. Thats why she was chosen to leave and you to stay, and the second Aleena tried to give you a chance..." he laughed. "Well, it was not a disappointment, because we did not expect anything from you anyway"