Bloody Curse | Book Two of Blood Trilogy

Chapter 39

Asher 

A group of guards were huddled around a table of men playing cards and as I approached closer, I saw them playing poker. The faces of five men were straight and held absolutely no emotion, which came easily with the role of a guard. Nobody noticed that I stood behind and watched them. 

Caleb snuck up beside me not too long after and observed the game with his arms crossed. 

"Any special requests before I grab everyone's attention?" He whispered beside me. I thought for a second then shook my head. 

"You're just planning on layouts and the agenda for the next week, am I correct?" I asked. He nodded to my question then cleared his throat loud enough so everyone turned their heads our way. The game stopped immediately and the men sitting stood to our attention. 

"Despite the fact that there have been no sightings of Shadows recently, I still want you all to be focused and on your hyper senses for anything peculiar. I just want to make sure that everyone coming in and out of this castle gets accounted for and I don't want anyone getting hurt." He paused then turned his head to a man who held his hand up. 

"Should we be patrolling outside the castle walls?" He asked. I wasn't quite sure of that question, but Caleb was the captain and as captain, it was his decision to make.

"You must let someone else know before going out, and always make sure that you travel in a group. You'd especially want to have the highest focus out in the woods since there are so many places for darkness to hide. Are there anymore questions?" The crowd was shaking their heads until another hand shot up. 

"What if one of us gets possessed and we don't know it?" Someone else asked. He sighed at the question and looked over to me for assistance. This was obviously a sensitive subject for him since he and his wife had been affected by it, so I stepped forward from my spot. 

"You will know something is wrong immediately, even without the red eyes and the smell. Just keep a good lookout for the behavior of others and if they're acting unusual, then try to get help." I announced and stood for anything more, but the fear in the group was evident and I didn't blame them. I was scared myself and I was scared for this family. 

I knew that deep down my son was still possessed and that scared me, of course, but I tried not to show anything to be strong for this kingdom. I wanted to assure them all that there was nothing to fear and that we would always be stronger than them in the end. 

Caleb patted my shoulder and walked over to the poker table to lay out some blueprints of the castle that he held onto the entire time. He began assigning the patrolling stations as well as the schedules for guards. 

Cameron and Derek stood on the opposite side of the table and Aidan stood not too far away from them. My brother caught my eye then gave a wave. I waved back with a small smile and listened to Caleb give orders. 

I stepped forward behind the captain and was about to suggest an option when sharp pain shot in my back between the shoulder blades. 

I fell back a step and rubbed the tension in my shoulders. I dismissed it as stress, but that pain traveled down the length of my spine causing chills to grow in every part of my body. I blanked on everything I meant to tell Caleb, so I stepped back and past the crowd that gathered and walked out the room. 

A headache surged and grew more powerful. I had no idea what was happening to me as I clutched onto my temples and leaned against the wall for support. My vision blurred and black blotches appeared everywhere I tried to look. I shut my eyes tight and wished for it to all go away. I hoped that nothing was wrong with my health, but I continued to stay hunched against the wall since nothing was getting better.