ANGUIS

Chapter 17

Septemdecim – Chapter XVII

"It's getting dark. We will camp here."

Taylor sets her things down as all of her soldiers let out a relieved sigh. The sun is setting, and even though they have been travelling all day to reach Lyrygul, the city where all Daark Anguis lived, Karlie included, they still are far from their goal. She stares at the huge ball of fire slowly begin to hide from them, giving space to the stars and the moon. A flaming anger is still coursing through her veins, but her love for Karlie is still there in her heart, making swalloing this bitter pill harder. The constant question was, as always, invading her mind: why did Karlie lie to her? Was all of this really necessary? If Karlie didn't tell her the truth, then, she has to have a valid motivation to justify her actions, because otherwise Taylor will go crazy. 

"Taylor?" 

Deris is looking up at her with concerned eyes and is wearing a worried frown. At first, the blonde ignores him, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes as she stares at the sun directly. He repeats her name, this time placing a hand on her tense shoulder blade and standing beside her. 

"What?" she snaps, her voice cold and hard. 

"What is going on? You never want to start a fight with other cities. Why would you want to attack Lyrygul tomorrow?" he asks, his tone calm despite Taylor's mean action.

The Queen sighs. "I don't want to talk about it."

"You know you can't attack cities randomly," he objects, disappointment present on his voice. 

"I'm the Queen. I can do whatever I want," she replies, glaring at him for the first time. Deris clenches his jaw tightly, not understanding the girl's behaviour. When Taylor realizes that the man isn't going to speak for a while, she redirects her gaze towards the gorgeous sunset before them, the sound of the soldiers' voices on the background. Taylor didn't even notice that they had started to build an encampment.

"Does this sudden attack," he begins, his voice low. "involve Karlie?"

The question catches her off guard, and her face is suddenly pale, her eyes wide. She tries to mask her feelings, swalloing with difficulty as she formulates a reply. "She lied to me. She has to pay for this," she says. It wasn't a lie, but she wasn't telling him the whole truth either.  

"Just because Karlie lied doesn't mean we have to attack an entire city," Deris affirms. "I think there's more to that, Taylor."

"What do you mean?" she asks defensively. 

"In these months I noticed that you were really happy when Karlie was here. When she had to go back to her city, you suddenly became dark. Distant. As if..."he pauses. "you two had something going on," he finishes. 

"What are you talking about?" Taylor chokes the words out, her cheeks reddening. Were her and Karlie so obvious about their little affair? Was what they were doing even an affair? 

"I think you have feelings for Karlie, and that's why you're so angry about her lying to you right now," Deris concludes. Taylor has never felt this exposed before, but she closes her eyes as she  desperately tries to hold in her emotions. 

She lets out a sigh, before turning around and saying, "Tomorrow is going to be a long day. Goodnight, Deris."

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She has never done something like this. The scene before her would terrify her if she was just a little bit younger.

The black armor she was wearing was her mother's, and she felt powerful in it. Her face was fully covered apart from her lips and chin, some blonde locks falling out at the side of her face. She pierces an old man blocking her way with a sharp blade that covered her left forearm, a pained whimper escaping from his chapped lips. Scarlet blood stains the tip of the silver sword, and some drops end up in some parts of the blonde's uncoverd  face, making her cringe as soon as she smells its particular scent. 

However, she looks up quickly and rubs the back of her right hand against her cheek, cleaning it. Everything around her is on fire; the sound of windows cracking and her soldiers' screams are the only things she hears right now. The starry night sky is looking down at the horrendous scene that is unfolding below it, and Taylor wonders what her parents must think of her now. They are surely watching her destroy a supposedly innocent city that did nothing bad to her, but she doesn't feel guilty. Not yet.

"M'lady!" the colonel calls out, moving closer to the Queen who is breathing heavily. "We don't know if it's true, but the girl you are looking for is supposed to be inside the castle,"

Taylor clenches her jaw, suddenly realizing that Karlie is closer than she thinks. "Let's go," she huffs, running towards the castle which is situated in the highest part of Lyrygul. Some of her soldiers follow her, some keep on fighting with their enemies, defending their Queen who is currently breaking through the castle's doors. A sheen line of sweat trickles down her temple, her eyes glossy and focused on looking for her prey.

"Look for her everywhere," she pants, finding herself out of breath. She doesn't know what she will do when she will face Karlie; will she be angry? Sad? Devasted? Or will all of her walls that she built in the last two days crumble like a house of cards?

"This way," the colonel affirms, leading the way to the staircase. They reach the second floor, Taylor ahead of everyone.

"Keep quiet," she orders.

"In this room, m'lady," the man behind her whispers. Taylor swallows, suddenly becoming nervous.; only these doors were separating her from the brunette. The girl she has dreamt of for the past months. The girl she has been dying to see and kiss and touch for months. She gulps, before thrusting the wooden doors open. However, as soon as she lets her eyes roam around the room, disappointment begins to course through her veins. 

Karlie was not there.