The Blood in Our Veins

Chapter Fifty Five - Sacrifices

- SINDRI'S POV -

I quietly moved to the corner, away from the center of attention. Marius and Michael, my comrades from camp, were at my side.They each took an arm, a hand at my elbows and clasped in each palm. Mason removed his sword from his belt.

"You ready, Sindri?" Marius asked.

"I hope so." I said quietly. Michael squeezed my hand.

"You can do it. You won't die." he reassured me. I would have rolled my eyes, had they not been fixed on the scene before me. Mason glanced at me worriedly, and I nodded, not wanting him to be punished. In a somewhat hesitant blow, he ran the High King through. I stifled a scream as white-hot pain tore through my chest. My knees buckled, but my two favorite guards kept me from falling.

Mason twisted the blade. A cold, heavy weight shifted in my chest, but the sword was nowhere near my body. It was still lodged inside my master. He stood tall, no evidence of agony showing on his face. Not a drop of his blood showed on the tip that protruded from his back, but my dress was soaked through.

Not a single tear escaped, for my eyes were squeezed shut. I felt the blade jerk upward, shattering my upper ribcage and tearing through my left lung. Sounds became muted and blurred, and I vaguely felt my body hit the tile. I heard a dim scream from one of the ladies in the crowd. Maybe it was my own. I couldn't tell.

I opened my eyes, barely able to see through my tears. I saw a plain red mask looking down at me. I recognized the bright hazel irises of Ryon. Mason was at his side. My husband lifted me into his arms and began to carry me to the exit. I struggled to cling to consciousness. I tried to speak, but all that emerged was a coppery-tasting gurgle.

Before I knew what was happening, a plush surface met my back. I winced, but no other sound escaped besides that. I felt a hand come to rest over my heart, and a cool tingling sensation spread from it. I shuddered a final time, then blinked. The pain was gone. I sat up. Only a dull ache remained.

Ryon sat in one chair and Mason in the other. Tara stood at my side. I thanked her, and she curtsied and left my chambers. The two men looked at eachother, then back to me. I slid off my mask. I wanted to catch every expression I could. Tension rippled the air.

"We both want to know what happened." Ryon said. I shrugged and leaned against the back board.

"A sacrifice. It's not the first I've given." I answered vaguely. I looked out the window. The moon was midway to its highest point. Mason followed my gaze and nodded, knowing what it meant. I slid off the bed and got to my feet. Ryon rushed to my side to support me, but I waved him away.

"What other things has he done to you?" he questioned. I ignored him and made my way to the door.

"The master calls me at this time of the night. I must follow his orders." I muttered. I stepped into the corridor and made my way to the throne room. The High King was always there at that time, waiting for me. I brushed off my friend's powerful onslaught of questions and continued to my destination. I pinned up stray hairs and knocked on the door.

"Enter." came High King Gallahein's voice. I opened the door a crack and slid inside. I strode up to the throne and sat on the step next to my King. Mason stood by the door, and Ryon stormed up to my master, fury in his eyes.

"You have no right to do this to Sindri!" he roared.

"I have every right. She belongs to me." my master replied coolly. He snatched my left arm and gestured to the thin white scar exposed there. My brow furrowed. What did that have to do with anything? I got it in an accident as a child.

"Sindri belongs to nobody." Ryon growled.

"She is loyal to me, Son of Gargarath. A slave to my will. Isn't that right, Princess?" he purred. I nodded once, but my eyes sparkled with defiance. High King Gallahein lifted his dagger. Knowing what he wanted me to do, I stood and sat on the throne's golden arm. I made no move to stop him as he once again slitted the back of my neck. I shivered as he thirstily gulped the blood.

Ryon looked on in complete horror. I swallowed a moan. Instead of the pain that usually followed,  a warm tingle spread through my body, like the summer sun sitting on your skin. This penetrated much deeper. It flowed through my veins, pulsed with the beat of my heart. I felt invincible. My master drew his mouth away from the small wound.

"I can do that all you want." he whispered in my ear, his beard tickling the tender place behind it. His breath had a sharp metallic scent, snapping me from my dazed stupor. I backed away.

"No. The blood in my veins isn't yours." I spat, being disobedient for the first time. My master shrugged.

"I guess I'll just have to convince you another way." he said off-handedly. The dagger in his hand flew away, turning end over end, before lodging in Mason's throat with a wet thump. He crumpled to the tile. I was immediately at his side, cradling his body against me. I rocked back and forth, weeping over him, demanding he wake up.

"How could you!" I cried between sobs. "He was a father!"

Gallahein watched me with a cruel indifference. "Unless you agree to stay with me forever, Prince Ryon meets the same fate." he threatened. I looked back and forth between the two. Mason was gone. I couldn't lose Ryon too. It didn't take long for me to come to a decision.

"Fine. I'll stay. Just... let him go." I said, with no choice but to give in. The High King grinned.

"Come, child. Let me mark you." he ordered triumphantly. I gently lay Mason down on the tile and tugged the dagger free. It clanged on the tile. I kissed him a last time, then closed his eyes with my thumb and forefinger. I stood and began walking to the throne. Marking was the process of intertwining two beings at the soul. He wanted complete control of me. Our minds would meld into one and we would eventually develop...feelings... for eachother. I hated him. There was no way anything could change that.

A rumbling met my feet. A slight commotion could be heard outside. I smiled softly. I was less than a meter to the throne when the doors flew open. A familiar dark-haired man was in the lead of a group of twenty. Tristan. Wolves poured into the room, snarling and exposing their fangs. Their fur stood on end. In Tristan's arms lay Lani, fast asleep. Ryon's arm wrapped around my waist as he swung me into his arms and carried me into the crowd. I understood his reasoning. With my limp, I would never be fast enough.

As the small party of Resistance fighters barrelled through the halls to the exit, any guard in the way swiftly bristled with crossbow bolts. In the midst of shouts and splattered blood, fresh air met my face as we met the outdoors. We bolted through the open gates, all trying not to trip over the scattered bodies.

Before the remaining guards could tail us, we climbed into a wagon, of which took off. My hands were bound and my eyes blindfolded. I was a servant of the High King, after all. Key word being was. And so I sat, mourning my loss, praying for Lani's future, and waiting for whatever terrible fate was in store for me. I sat and waited for the end.

- END OF BOOK ONE -

_______________________________________________________________________________________

The TITLE of the NEXT BOOK is What Lies in Our Hearts. You can look it up by Friday this week. It might be up earlier, depending on how difficult the first chapter is. I hope you all enjoyed my story! There are a lot of chapters, but that's only because they're kinda short. :p This is the last time I get to say this, *sniff sniff* because I don't think I'm going to do any more author's notes at the end of the chapters in my next book, so, here it is:

VOTE!

COMMENT!

FAN!

SAUSAGE! (ick)