The Fall of Vequera

Chapter sixty-two | Koa

LOCATION: SOHOR, VEQUERA, AIREDAL, HELELL

YEAR: 622 C.E

AN ORANGE HUE FELL ON SOHOR WHEN THEY ARRIVED IN THE SMALL FARMING VILLAGE.

Spring crept up slower in Vequera than it did in Helell. The litinae stood alone as he made his way out of the woods that surrounded the village on all ends but one. On the open end, the castle of Baerston could be seen in the distance, a few miles away. The village was quiet except for the sounds of the cattle. Valia walked past him without saying a word. Her knights followed behind her with vacant expressions. They followed her every word blindly, like dogs. As they broke from the woods, Valia turned to them, and all Koa saw in her eyes was a rage. The air around them grew hot as she began to speak, "Tonight, the war will begin, and I will give these words as I send you off to do my bidding." Koa tuned out her speech as he leaned against a tree far away from them. She refused to speak to him after he defied her by coming with her.

Ashfire hung low from her waist as she pointed toward Baerston and Sohor. "Bring me the entirety of House Whitlock." She ordered, and as quickly as the words left her lips, her knights were off. One by one, each member of House Whitlock was pushed to their knees in front of the high lady. She glared down at them with so much hate. It took seconds for her eyes to land on Lord Whitlock and his eldest son. A smile formed on her face, like she had realized something. Cries and screams broke through the air as they begged for their lives, but they fell on deaf eyes as Valia ignored them. One woman with her hands clasped together begged Valia, but she ignored her as well. She was the wife of Lord Whitlock.

"Leave these two alive. Kill the rest." Said the high lady as she lifted her hand, lazily, pointing at Lord Whitlock and his son. Two knights unsheathed their swords and began to kill the innocents. It was a horrifying sight to look upon, but he forced himself to look as they were slaughtered. Women and children were not spared. Koa counted over thirty members of the whole of House Whitlock.

"You demon." Shouted Lord Whitlock. As he thrashed against the hold of one of the knights, they held his face so he could watch as his family died. Koa stared blankly as he watched the older man cry. The younger man next to him cried silently, but then Koa noticed a small glimmer in his eyes. That made him curious.

"Turn them around," Valia said blankly as the last person fell to the ground. Her hands moved to the front of her, covering her stomach. The white tunic had a few drops of blood, but she didn't seem to mind it. "I want them to watch as they castle." As ordered, the knights holding them turned them to face Baerston, and within moments, it burst into flames.

"She shoul-"

"Yes, she should've, but she did not." Koa pushed himself away from the tree as the sun became dimmer as it welcomed the night. The flames from Baerston illuminated the night. "But now, I get to kill you." She gave him a sinister smile as she turned toward the village. Valia bent down to reach eye level with Lord Whitlock, and the man froze. Her eyes were feral, like an animal—like a dragon. Hatred is a powerful thing.

"Leave no one alive."

She turned back to the lord with a vacant expression as she lifted herself up from the ground. Koa could not figure out what she was thinking but he knew it wasn't good. She was on a rampage and bodies would follow after her. Everywhere she went and it seemed to take a lot in her not to mount Merlal and set Arcadios ablaze. The knights dragged the bodies of the deceased as they walked to the village. Screams erupted from Sohor as they entered. "What are you going to do with them?" Koa asked as he walked over to Valia but she didn't respond as her head lifted to the sky. A sigh escaped her.

Warmth entered him from her. She was keeping him warm as a chill grew in the night. Even though she was upset with him, she still made sure he was okay. His heart warmed at the thought. Koa did not care about these people or their lives. The lord's son stared at Valia with empty eyes, the glimmer long gone. A crash filled the air as Baerston collapsed on itself. A gasp left Zion. "My Lord, I suggest you pray to your God."

"Because he seems to be the only one that will give you mercy." Valia unsheathed Ashfire as she pointed the blade at the lord. Tears streamed down his face. He leaned his head down before he spat at Valia's feet. Valia glanced down at her feet before quickly looking back at him. Her foot connected to his face roughly. Whitlock screamed as Valia threw Ashfire to the ground and took out a small dagger. Lazarus's dagger. Her hand tightened around the handle.

"The king will seek justice. He will want your head if you kill my father." Zion blurted out breathlessly. Like he was gasping for air. The knight holding him tightened her grip, dropping her hand to his throat, shutting him up. The knights returned soaked in blood. Sohor was silent. Nothing had survived. Not even the animals. Koa let out a prayer to Oias for safety and to Yas to help Valia in her revenge.

Valia scoffed, shaking her head. She stared at Lazarus's dagger for a second before she lodged into Lord Whitlock's eye. The same eye as her golden one. Koa's eyes widened as the lord let a curdling scream of pain. Blood oozed violently from the injured eye. His son looked away from his father with empty eyes as Valia rip the dagger from the lord's eye. His body collapsed to the ground when the knight let him go. Koa could hear the faint sound of his heart struggling to beat. Valia wiped the blood from the dagger before turning to Zion Whitlock. "I will keep you alive." Valia stated as the flames that had consumed the castle slithered to the village, causing it to catch on fire. His face was turned to look up at Valia and she frowned. Her eyes became distant and emotionless.

The sound of her heart beating was the only thing that made her seem human to him. Valia Lamonia's humanity had faded before his eyes, and he did nothing. She did not see them as human anymore. The nobles of Vequera and their families had betrayed the crown by not making her the heir to the throne. Her mother had betrayed her entire house by making Nikolai the heir to the throne. Dooming all of them to painful deaths. She saw everyone under her brother as an enemy. The high lady grabbed Zion's hand before placing the dagger in his hand. A knight lifted his father's body and moved him in front of Zion. She leaned over and tapped a finger over to where his heart would be. "Kill your father, Zion or I will kill you." She threatened.

The bodies of his family were motionless as the knights began to pile them on top of each other. They were preparing them to be burned. Baerston's flames were dimmer as it became nothing but ruins and dust. His hand shook as he inched the dagger toward his father. Valia groaned lightly before grabbing his hand and slamming the dagger into the lord's heart, killing him. Blood soaked his entire body. A gasp left him as the light faded from his eyes, rolling back in his head. It took minutes until his heart came to a halt. Koa remembered the many lives that Lord Whitlock and the Koridar took when he was in Vequera. So many innocent lives. He thought. He shouldn't have had a quick death, but Koa would not speak his mind at that moment.

It smelled of death and blood. A sickening smell. His mother had once told him what it was like after the God's Land massacre. She and many others had visited the sight to collect the bodies of the fallen. A lot of their bodies were so deformed that she could barely recognize them or put a name to them. He imagined this was what it smelled like. He heard the flapping of wings before he saw them, and Merlal flew over the village. A deep roar escaped her as fire rained down on  Baerston and Sohor. Valia roughly removed Zion's hand from his father's chest. The she-dragon growled as she landed near the village. The ground shook slightly.

Valia pushed Lord Maverick's lifeless body to the ground. "I would like for you to relay a message to my brother." She went to her knees in front of Zion, dragging the dagger across his face. She began to carve a mark on his face. The first letter of her name. He screamed as she did it. When she was finished, her hands were covered in his blood. The fingers of her free hand dug into the wound as her lips opened to speak. She made sure her voice was heard over his screams of pain.

"Tell my brother...I'm coming for my throne and his head. He will not be able to hide from me." Zion Whitlock was now the lord of the ruins of Baerston, and his screams filled the night.

fin.

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A/N: I would like to thank all of you for reading The Fall of Vequera. It means the world to me.

- andy, the prince.