Reign of Embers

Chapter 31- Foot soldiers

Azula

Breath heavy, blood soaked paws pounding into the snow covered terrain, I fight against my emotions and listen to my instincts - get away from here, find help. I try to block out the unnatural darkness behind me getting closer every minute. Lysandra seems to fight against the demon working its way through her bloodstream with every step judging off the roars of pain, but it's not enough to stop the trails of shadow that nip at my heels all to often. I don't know where I'm going, or if anyone still lives for me to find, but I can't lead Lysandra straight to them and I can't be responsible for her death.

I try and form some kind of plan in my head, but they always lead back to someone dying, so I just keep running, trying to lead the shadows as far away from Icatha as possible.

The deeper I get into the mountains, the darker it gets, increasing the chances of demons finding me. My fears seem to attract what I'm most scared of in this moment, I round a corner and I'm surrounded by towering shadows - trapped in a ring of darkness. Turning round slowly, I scan for any way out, anyway to escape certain death - but there is only one, where my friend now prowls through, darkness rippling off her in waves, and a heavy limp from her injuries.

As she nears, she begins to speak, but its not her voice that rasps out.

"You know, It would have saved you a lot of trouble if you hadn't run away."

I force my voice to not tremble as I growl out a reply, "Oh yeah, why's that?"

The voice violating my friend laughs, "I'm sure you'll wish you could have died at the hands of Oskar, my lovely new toy, than your dear friend. But maybe she wont kill you, maybe she'll bestow her own fate upon you as well. We do love new recruits - especially leopards, they make excellent...foot soldiers." Lysandra lets out a growl, at first I think its in protest against the demon battling to gain full control, but then the shadows part around me.

Hundreds of growls sound in response as I take in what now surrounds me. Dark tendrils stream out of their maws, their blood runs dark in their veins - if they even have blood, I think as I take in the gaping wounds marring some of their now dark grey coats, now running with not blood, but shadows. I take in who surrounds me - everyone who has gone missing in the past few months, now forced into slavery by whoever the dark prince really is.

"No!" I roar.

"Oh yes, it's been quite a successful experiment actually, and now that I've got a shapeshifter to lead my army, your little friends in Terrasen don't stand a chance." Lysandra prowls towards me, my people closing the gap behind her. "It's such a shame my idiot Zraleski decided to kill those leopards instead of bring them back to me, but I suppose we can't give you too much hope for the war." She gives me a dark grin as she reaches only inches away from me.

"Why?" I whisper, trying to avoid looking into my friend's gazed over eyes.

"I have lots of grudges." She says, smirking again, "But you ask too many questions, and I think this war would be far too boring if no one knew what I was capable of - you see, the rulers of Erelia and their courts tend to think they are more powerful than everyone else. I intend to prove them wrong - starting with that little bitch in Terassen." She seems to pause for a moment as if contemplating what to do to me, before claws slash down my face, narrowly missing my eyes.

I roar in pain as I try and back away, only to find myself with leopards at my back and shadows restraining me - hope gutters from me as I accept there is no escape.

"Yes, I think torturing your friend with the knowledge that she caused you pain will be much more fun, and as she is still fighting me - I think we need to punish her, don't you?" The voice growls, and three leopards prowl forwards, claws and teeth sharp as blades displayed for me to see. I start to thrash at my restraints as their glazed over eyes flash with predatory intent. Without warning they leap on me as one, I roar as they shred through my flesh like paper. Blood pools around me as I fall to the ground with the force of their attack. I'm still unable to run due to the shadows restraining me, but within moments I'm too weak to move, and am flashing in and out of consciousness. I pant, trying to breath through the pain, but one of the leopards bites hard onto my leg. I hear bone crunching, and I writhe and thrash against the three fully grown leopards taking turns to brutalise me.