A Kingdom of Bloodshed (A Crimson Court Series)

*¬*Chapter Nine*¬*

          Flickering lights rattle just beyond the front door. The brewing storm that's appeared in the sky only adds to the atmosphere of the fight. Kaz and Augustus are facing each other, both males with a point to prove. The words I spoke to Kaz have turned bitter, feeling like ash upon my tongue. I didn't mean them. I just didn't want them to fight.

I wanted to avoid this confrontation. Arrow grips my hand as we stare at the males. Kaz's back is to us, yet I can tell by the lazy tilt of his head and his hands buried within his pockets that he's not worried about the outcome.

Maybe he should be.

Lightning splits the sky far above and thunder rolls in, sending deep vibrations into the earth. Nausea pools in my belly.

"I can't watch this." I whisper. Arrow only squeezes my hand and pulls me away from the door. Before slipping away, I glance back just once.

I wish I hadn't. Kaz and Augustus have magic sparking at their fingertips and are launching for each other. One of the girls steps in the way, blocking my view but it allows me to slip away upstairs unnoticed.

"Am I a coward for hiding?"

"No. I couldn't handle it at first either. But you get used to it." They do this a lot? By the gods... "It's been a morning and I don't think this fight will resolve anytime soon. I can fetch you when it's over?"

Not knowing what else to say, I nod numbly while sinking onto the bed and staring at the wall as Arrow exits my room. The distant booming thunder sounds vaguely like screaming.

⤗

         Chaos. It's everywhere. The sounds of screams and pleas for mercy surround me. I'm not in the same cellar as before. Open battlefields spread far before me, soldiers marching row by row; endless. Their dark uniforms are a symbol of the court they represent. I'm standing by a large white tent with a black panther with horns emblazoned upon the flap.

Turning away from the tent I see the field before me, it's coated with blood, dead bodies. Mud and cannon dust cover the ground. Blasts of magic rip through the air, scenting it with electricity and static.

What the hell is happening? Where am I?

Two soldiers approach the tent, entering the open flaps, oblivious to me standing next to it. Deciding the tent cannot be the worst thing here, I slip inside it following the soldiers. Inside there's a full cot, with blankets and pillows, a small desk filled with papers and books. A carpet to cover the ground and a full sized tub in the far corner. This must be the High Lord's tent, it's too lavish to be anyone else's.

At the center of the room is Myra. Her wrists are freed of the chains, the skin chafed and scarring. She's standing with her back to us but there, dangling from her fingertips is the Blood Crown I saw carved into her skin. The soldiers demand that she drops the crown.

She ignores them.

The two soldiers move toward her, each of them diving at a different angle but she dodges both of them. Myra rolls over her shoulder, landing smoothly on her feet and rises. Her eyes flashing with power.

"Tell your High Lord that I have dealt with worse than him and that if he ever wants to see this crown again, he'll have to take it from my dead body." Then she dashes out the door and flees into the early morning of dawn.

Following her, I try to keep up, the sounds of battle far behind us. Myra keeps running, she doesn't stop for a long time until she comes across an old building of sorts. Like a catacomb, the entrance is above ground but there's more hiding beneath.