Shadows of Avarice - Book #1 (BxB)

Chapter 53

Upon reaching the palace, the air felt thicker than ever before. Dark clouds hung over the palace, as though a storm was ready to brew. Something wasn't right and as they neared the palace gates, Xia could feel a darkness. The darkness threatened to swallow them whole, and the companions felt the strength in their bodies fade. If this was all due to Osiris' curse, then Xia underestimated its power. He thought the curse only affected the sultan, but that didn't seem to be the case. All of Rasea was under its influence.

Dariya could barely continue as she fell to her knees, her legs giving out beneath her. "Xia, is this the curse? But how . . . ?"

He didn't have the answer to this question. He had a feeling this was the curses doing, but he didn't know why or how. Elvira didn't warn them that it would get this bad either. Even if they wanted to find another way to save Osiris, they didn't have any more time. If they searched for another way, then Rasea would fall before they found the answer. Soraya's divine magic wasn't enough to fight the curse.

Xia struggled to stay standing as he felt the influence of the curse try to overtake him. He shook his head, trying to fight it off. He couldn't stop here. He was so close to Osiris. If he could reach him, then he could save him. He wouldn't give up just yet.

He looked back at Dariya, who couldn't get back to her feet. She wasn't the only one, though. All around them, they could see the soldiers and servants on the ground as well. Unlike Dariya, they had lost consciousness. All of Rasea must have fallen asleep due to the curse. That would explain why there was no one around as they walked through the city.

"Dariya, stay here. I'll face Osiris on my own." Xia was feeling weak as well as he struggled to stay on his feet. As much as he wanted Dariya by his side, she couldn't come with him. He wouldn't have the strength to carry her to where Osiris waited.

She nodded, unable to argue with him. If she closed her eyes, then she would end up like the soldiers and servants around her. Before she lost consciousness, she looked Xia in the eyes. She tried to memorize his face as she said, "Come back to us, Xia. You can't die here."

She didn't want this to be their last meeting. Once he lifted the curse, she wanted to see him walking out of the palace and back to her. Xia needed to survive this. She wouldn't accept any other outcome.

Xia gave her a sad smile. "I will."

It was a promise he couldn't keep. Without knowing any other way to save the sultan, Xia was destined to die. His sacrifice would be worth it if it meant saving the whole kingdom. All of the citizens, even the ones who were awful to him, didn't deserve to suffer like this. Xia would save all of them.

Before Xia collapsed as well, he ran inside of the palace in search of Osiris. He was breathing heavily as the air around him got thicker. The harder it got, the closer he must have come to the sultan. He followed this feeling even though it was difficult, until he was standing outside of the throne room. With a deep breath, Xia pushed through the doors.

He wasn't ready for the horror that awaited him on the other side. Xia knew that Osiris killed people because of his curse, but this was his first time seeing death. There was blood and bodies lying on the ground of the throne room, some of whom he recognized as servants or members of the court. Xia could hardly tear his eyes away from the scene.

At the center of it all stood Osiris, who held a bloody sword in his hand. Soraya sat on one of the thrones as tears streamed down her face. Her powers weren't enough to stop this destruction, and the curse didn't affect her. She was unable to fight back and do anything to stop Osiris' wrath.

They weren't the only ones alive in this room. One other man knelt in front of Osiris, his clothes torn and bloody, but he was still breathing. Xia recognized him as the noble who had him captured. He was still alive and saved for last. Osiris raised his sword, ready to strike down at the man. None of them realized that Xia was in the room with them.

"Osiris, stop!" Xia shouted. It might have been a stupid move, but Xia ran forward and stopped between Osiris and the nobleman. He held his arms out in an attempt to protect the nobleman.

For a moment, Osiris faltered as he looked at Xia. The beast looked the man up and down, feeling a dark desire start to take over. He lowered his sword to his side. Even the beast wasn't willing to hurt Xia. When Xia looked Osiris in the eyes, none of his humanity remained. He was completely gone. He hoped he would be able to save him, even in this state. Monster or not, he was still Osiris. He was still the person Xia loved.

As carefully and as calmly as he could, Xia said, "Osiris . . . come back to me. This isn't you. Fight the curse. I know you can do it."

He gave him a smile, but Xia was shaking. He had never been this scared in his whole life. When he almost died in the desert, he wasn't as scared then as he was now. Maybe it was because Osiris was unpredictable in this state, or it could have been because of the death and destruction around them. Either way, he had no intention of backing down. With one hand, he slowly reached to his waist where the dagger was hidden.

"Xia . . ." Osiris reached out with one hand, caressing Xia's face.

For a moment, Xia believed his words reached the sultan. He faltered for a moment while reaching for the dagger. If his words were enough, then maybe he didn't have to risk his life to save him. If he could calm the beast without such extreme measures, then they could work on finding another way to get rid of the curse together.

But as Xia thought this, Osiris roughly gripped Xia's chin and with the other hand, he grabbed Xia's waist and forced him closer. Xia put his hands against Osiris' chest to keep some distance between them. The sultan's grasp on him hurt.

"I told you to stay away from me. You should have listened, you stupid fucking thief." Without giving Xia the chance to get away from him, Osiris closed the distance between them and roughly kissed Xia's lips.

The kiss was painful and when Osiris bit his bottom lip, Xia could taste blood. Xia tried to push Osiris away from him, but the sultan had an iron grip on him. Xia felt the sword press up against his back. If Xia kept pushing away, then he would end up getting cut. Though the kiss was painful, Xia stopped fighting it until the sultan was done. When Osiris was finished kissing him, Xia saw the blood on the sultan's lips. The monster licked away the blood, seeming to enjoy the taste of it.

Osiris chuckled. "I missed you so much, Xia. Now that you're with me again, I'll never let you leave. We're going to have so much fun."

His words made a shiver run down Xia's spine. Whatever 'fun' this monster referred to couldn't be good. Xia dreaded to think about the possibilities. He needed to do something before he didn't have the chance to escape.

Xia wouldn't fight to get away from him anymore. If he was going to solve this issue, then he would do the same as he'd always done. He put on a fake smile and said, "I-I missed you, too, Osiris. That's why I had to come back here. I know you told me to leave, but I couldn't leave you for long."

It was true. He tried to act as though he wasn't scared, but his words were not pretend. He did miss Osiris and wanted to be with him. However, he wanted to be with the real Osiris, not some monster that wore his face. Xia reached up and kissed Osiris once more. This was the distraction Xia needed as he carefully reached down once more to grip the dagger. Osiris seemed none the wiser as he focused on kissing Xia.

Osiris didn't stop him as Xia pulled away from his lips. Xia looked him in the eyes, sadness tugging at his heartstrings. With a deep breath, Xia finally said the words he wanted to tell Osiris for so long.

"Osiris . . . I love you."

Then, he plunged the dagger into the sultan's chest.