A Throne of Death & Dreams

Chapter 3

The night was long and restless, with tossing and turning as my mind raced with thoughts of the blood war that had taken my stepfather's life. "I don't want to do it anymore" subconscious me was able to think while I slaughtered more men. And for what? So they may all be one kingdom by taking out the last king. My stepfather forcing others to do his bidding.

Waking up rustle up more and attempt to have no more lingering thoughts.

But amidst those memories, another war lingered in the back of my mind - one between monsters and witches. It was too traumatizing to even think about, so I pushed it away. Nor had it crossed my mind in a few hundred years.

As the sun rose, Violet emerged from the shadows. It was a rare sight to see her in daylight, but she still exuded an air of mystery and danger. Her black hair cascaded down her back, contrasting against her fair skin and tight black leather fighting clothes that hugged her curves just right.

"Well, you look like hell," Violet giggled at my disheveled appearance.

I couldn't muster up much emotion as I replied in a dull tone, "Thanks...I'm glad someone finds this amusing."

"Do I find this situation amusing?" Violet scoffed before answering her own question. "No no, I do not find this amusing. What I do find amusing is how you didn't get a wink of sleep and apparently don't own a hairbrush."

I rolled my eyes and asked if she had anything important to tell me or if she was just here to make fun of me.

Violet pulled up a chair next to where I sat on the library balcony - a place where I hadn't left all night after everyone else had gone.

"I must have fallen asleep out here," I apologized.

Violet's expression softened as she took in my exhausted state. "It's okay, we all cope with things differently."

While It might have been too early in the morning for her jokes I still had to let out a little laugh.

Softly, she spoke the words that brought a sense of calm to the tense air around us. "It's OK," she stated, her voice like a soothing balm over a wound. But then her tone shifted, and I could feel my stomach clench in anticipation. "I did find out something though, and you're not going to like it," she said, her eyes holding mine.

My heart raced as I waited for her to reveal whatever information she had uncovered. "What is it?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"I did some digging, went down into the underworld. I saw Celeste there, but she didn't seem too worried about anything." She paused before continuing, "Anyways, do you remember where I come from?"

I replied hesitantly, my mind racing with possibilities. "Yes."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, my brother took the book from Celeste a few hundred years ago. But he told me that about 200 years ago he noticed its disappearance "

I just stared at her in stunned silence. Violet's brother. A king who ruled not in these lands, but in the realm of nightmares. My mind couldn't even begin to comprehend the significance of this information.

"How did you find that out?" I finally managed to ask.

She looked at me with a mix of surprise and guilt on her face. "Well, I may have flashed over to my brother's kingdom."

My brows furrowed in confusion as she asked, "Are you mad?" I glanced at her, unsure of what to say. With a simple shake of my head, I let my silence speak for me.

Her voice was soft and gentle as she spoke again, "I think the first thing we need to do is visit him, or have him visit us."

My heart raced with fear at the suggestion. "Do you really think that's a good idea? Especially after what happened with this book?"