The Nutcracker King (Coming From Darkness #1)

Chapter 5 Part 2: Nutcracker

"What do you mean?" I shook my uncle's motionless body. I'd only meant to scare him into answering, not this. "Drosselmeier, answer your Prince!"

There was no response. One eye was closed, and if I looked under the eye patch, I bet the other would have been as well. If there even was an eye remaining; who knew what the Master of Arcana had given up in the years of dirty service to that despicable family.

I shook Drosselmeier's body one last time, but still there was no response. Everything went red. How like him, to deliver a cryptic message before leaving.

Well, I was going to wake him up and get a response out of him. I unsheathed my sword, and cut him. Even though blood, red human blood, oozed out, Drosselmeier didn't stir.

"Wake up!"

I made another cut, this one a little deeper than the first. He still didn't stir.

The old goat probably enchanted himself to sleep just to keep me from knowing the secrets he held. I looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was almost nightfall, and I didn't have much time if I did not want to be late for dear Marie. I would just have to trust in the blood of the Master of Arcana. I drew my sword to stab him. Despite the fact that I'd already cut him, the first stab was the hardest. The weak part of me did not want to kill my uncle, but the more I persisted, the easier it became.

Stab.

This is for my kingdom.

Stab.

This is for Marie.

Stab.

This is what traitors deserve.

By the time the red in front of my eyes had subsided, Uncle Drosselmeier had already stopped breathing. Blood pooled all around him. My sword was stained red. Even if I wanted to, it was too late to bring him to the garden. The old man had gotten his wish after all.

Looking at the pool of blood, I hesitantly dipped my hands in it. It was warm. Warm and comforting. It smelt vaguely human but not quite. The human stench of iron and sweat was there, but beneath it were tones of candy and caramel. Could it be that the blood of my uncle, who belonged to both worlds, would be the key that made me human again?

Slowly, I rubbed some of the blood on me. As I got used to the overpowering human stench, I started splashing myself in it. The more I washed myself in blood, the more human I felt. It was warm, and as long as the blood was on me, I felt like the curse was broken. A few times, I even felt my heart beat.

But once the blood cooled and I stepped back to examine myself, I found that I was still wooden.

I sat down and cried. I had killed my uncle, but I still wasn't human.

*******

By the time I had stopped crying, the room was cold. I made my way to the door and pushed. The scent of the cool night air wafted in.

Night!

I was late to pick up Demoiselle Marie!

I briefly considered going back to the castle to wash the bloodstains off, but thought better of it. My jacket was so deeply stained that it could not be cleaned in the short time I had. Instead, I decided to go straight to Demoiselle Marie, and trust her love would overlook my sorry state. After all, if she could accept the need for Pirlipat's death, she would be able to accept the need for Drosselmeier's death. Who was he to her?

I do not believe today is Friday. But the calendar says otherwise (and it's possible my sense of timing is messed up because I'm working tomorrow) so here's Part 2! It's really short, so as you can guess, there's one more part, which will be out next Tuesday! Do let me know what you thought of this!