Anlai didn’t sleep that night. His dreams were plagued with nightmares, memories that were not inherently bad, but so tragically good that they made him wake gasping for air and trying hard to choke back the tears that threatened to fall.
By the time that the sun had begun to peek up from behind the mountains, painting the world he was already up and dressed in his armour, more than ready to let all the godsdamned useless courtiers feel his anger.
He stormed through the corridors of the palace—the place that was once his home—before stopping at the doors to the throne rooms. He took a steeling breath, wiping his face free of emotions except that insufferable smirk of boredom before he pushed the doors open and beheld the scene before him.
A man, on his knees before the Emperor, looking like he could drop dead of sheer terror.
He knew the desperate look in the man's eyes—hell, he saw that look in his eyes everytime he looked in the mirror. It was the look of someone who was buried so deeply in trouble and was still trying to find their way out of it even when all hope was gone. He was still fighting his way out—still trying to find that tiny piece of hope that would meant he found the answer and be completely free.
The man on his knees cringed when he turned around and beheld the him, not seeing a man terrified for the life of his kingdom, rather the man that was the Emperor’s chosen General, the man that had turned his back on his own family in his pursuit of power, the man that had ended more lives than he had saved, the man who would not hesitate to end his own life at the order of the Emperor. He steps echoed through the too-silent hall.
“Ah!” the Emperor exclaimed, “Just the man I was looking for.”
Anlai cocked his head. “And why exactly were you?” He moved his hands so that his sword and knives were within easy reach. Something about the gleam in the Emperor’s eyes told him that he would need them.
“Because this man is responsible for letting the defected general and false queen escape.”
Anlai’s smile became softer, deadlier—so much more lethal and alarming than his usual arrogant smirk. “Is that so?” he asked with deadly quiet, even though his heart leapt in his chest. They’re alive, his thoughts screamed. I only have to stay alive and everything will work out. I get out of here alive and then I get out of the capital and to Luisaidh, and we are all one step closer to freedom. Just survive this.
The man whimpered as he took a slow, menacing step towards him. He mouthed something, but no noise escaped his mouth.
“What was that?” he crooned softly, not taking his eyes off of the Emperor’s own dark ones.
The man shuddered. “I—I didn’t mean to let them go, I s-swear. We had them cornered.” He was practically whining, his high-pitched and shaking words grating his ears.
He shook him by the shoulders, effectively shutting the man up. Addressing the Emperor directly, he dared to ask, “What do you want done with him?” Anlai jerked his head towards the man—an effective tracker, apparently—for emphasis.
The Emperor smiled, a cruel twisted thing that was effectively a death sentence in itself. “Do your worst, General,” he said slowly. The man made a small noise at the back of his throat, the noise of an animal that had been caged and was about to face the fight of its life.
Anlai smiled, the god of death reborn in it. “Any special request, Vai Velechvetika?”
“Make it painful,” he said, before lazily gesturing for him to leave.
“Of course,” he said, because he had no choice. “It would be my pleasure.” His stomach churned and it took all of his willpower to not show his sheer disgust.
YOU ARE READING
The Gathering of the Hunt
Fantasy"No," she whispered. "No." The silence that followed was all consuming, the steady trickle of blood from the cooling corpse that lay on the floor echoing loudly through the cave. Their words echoed through he head; do not forget us, child of the as...
