Shattered Blood

Prologue - Veytra

TW: graphic violence

Ghev gasped for breath, stopping for a moment. He pulled out his mirror. "Should we . . ."

I swatted his arm and pulled him along with us. "No, you idiot! The hall was taken over, you know that!"

Suddenly I heard a shriek. "Help! They— they captured—" I heard her voice become muffled as a sock was stuffed in her mouth.

"Lilliv!" Creusi screamed in an agonized voice. He started to run towards the army to save Lilliv.

"Creusi—" I said, my voice cracking. "It's not worth it. We'll lose you, too."

"I— I can't lose Lilliv," he sobbed, falling to the ground in defeat. He knew that he couldn't do anything to help— the army was too strong. But everyone knew he couldn't live without Lilliv, his girlfriend. The army approached and two soldiers lifted him up. "We have a boy and a girl," the captain shouted. "Kill the others."

"You could have just taken me and gone," said my genderfluid friend, Noct, as he pulled out his sword. "But I guess you asked for it." He spun into action and swung his sword, easily beheading three warriors with one strike. Their heads rolled in the ground in a pool of blood, their bodies collapsing on top of them. The warrior restraining Creusi growled in frustration and dug his knife into Creusi's arm, eliciting a strangled sob from Lilliv.

Noct quickly sheathed his sword and snapped someone's neck bones. The victim's lifeless body went limp and Noct unsheathed his sword again, beckoning for us to join him.

"Alright, I'm in," I conceded. "I'm all for bloodshed." My twin brother Vycth gave me a wide-eyed, concerned glance. I grabbed my machete and brandished it threateningly, mischief in my smile. Vycth backed away slowly, as he always does when I'm in a murderous mood.

"Just run," Lilliv grunted. She winced when the soldier holding her raised his knife and put it to her neck. "We'll . . . We'll figure it out."

"Retreat," the commander growled. "We have what we came for." The army started to walk away.

"Excuse me, sir?" one soldier asked, a glint of cruelty in her eyes. "Don't you think it would be better to get backup, sir? The girl does not seem like she will last long."

"Hmm, very well," he decided. His gaze fell upon Hvusha.

"Absolutely not," Noct hissed. "Anyone but her." He swung his sword through the air and pointed it at the woman who had suggested taking Hvusha. He had always been loyal and protective of his friends, but I have never seen this side of him.

"Noct," Hvusha whispered, gently placing her hand on Noct's arm. He flinched. "Don't worry. Just get away. Like Lilliv said, we'll figure it out. Trust us."

Noct nodded hesitantly. "I . . . I trust you. I just don't want to lose anyone else." I watched silently as a tear slipped down his cheek.

Hvusha had always been able to calm him down. He always had his guard up, even around us— we knew what the orphan had been through, we knew it was hard for him to trust. But with Hvusha, the trust had happened almost instantly. Hvusha took another step towards Noct and wrapped her arms around him. Noct whispered something to Hvusha that no one else could hear.

"I'll see you when we escape," Hvusha said, loud enough for us to hear, but not the army. She turned and walked to the army and they grabbed her wrists, forcing her into position. Hvusha gave Noct a knowing look and another tear slipped down his cheek.

This was probably goodbye.