Walking With Darkness

Chapter 9

Time had passed.
I did not know how much of it, nor did I care. I stopped crying a while ago. The pain had long since faded but my ego still hurt. The cell now smelled like pee. Or maybe I should say I smelled like pee, it was my pants after all. Awkward how Tattoo just watched me the whole time. The nervous looks completely erased from his face. The Darkness was no longer there so Tattoo sat alone in the dark. The light still on. Things seemed grim. Even the annoying voice in my head was silenced. A small blessing. My eyes were barely open, as if held together by the strength of dry tears.

How was I going to get out of this?

____

I sat on my throne. Waiting.
And I hated every second of it. It had already been ten seconds. They were late. Not only did I need this progress report as soon as possible, but this was not the first time this had happened. It had been weeks. The personal guard of the highers who had been sent to supervise seemed to think they did not need to respect me. And after weeks of killing my own soldiers as examples, nothing had changed. But I would not tolerate this blatant display of disrespect. Not today of all days. Today one of them would die, no matter what the higher ups thought. I relished the image of their silent faces displaying an anger they couldn't do anything about. So maybe it was okay that they were late this time. Time was money, and they were definitely going to pay.

Twenty seconds now.

I shifted in the dark brown, ebony gold blend that was my throne. I felt a shift in the Shadow-Zone.

"Finally" I thought.

There were five this time. All of them personal guard.
Perfect. A stronger message will be sent today.

"You're late" I said, my voice layered with distaste.

"Only by seconds, and it would displease our masters of the job was left unfinished" a female said, her monotone voice emotionless. I looked around the room. Each of them radiated loyalty. The problem is, that loyalty is not to me.

Shame.

"We reached a hitch in the plan," she continued. "The Shadows seem to think that they are better suited to keep the prodigy than we are. They claim he will not need nourishment while in their containment. Unfortunately that was not the agreement, action had to be taken.
Many died during the extraction of the package"

There was a silence after she finished. Silence so fragile, yet heavy as the implications of her words weighed down on me.

"In addition to this, the rookie is fully contained and will be moved around midnight by a combined team. All other efforts go into containing the birther, who continues to overpower any bonds put on her. " she finished.
I was barely listening. My head was spinning.

These were the remainder of the extraction team. All my minions dispatched did not make it. Not all the personal guard made it either. It seemed cruel to end one of their lives after they had already lost so many.

But they should not have been late.

I stood. Breathing heavily as I walked, I eyed my target, his death written in my grin. I walked to him and put my hand on his shoulder, feeling the it in my hand-

-fell back into my throne with a bang. My head slammed against it, a miracle I did not have whiplash.

How dare they!

I looked up and each one of them had a hand on a sword. I had no doubt that they could draw them faster than I could move.

"This meeting is over" one of them said. The voice shaking, as if from rage.

Then they were gone.

How dare they do this to me, a Red-Knight of the high order. To even lay a hand on me was punishable by death, and they had walked on scot free.
My fists shook as I walked out of the throne room and into the courtyard.

Donovan Red-Knight would not take disrespect. Not on the anniversary of his family disowning. His induction into the order.

I trudged through the gates, leaving the brightness of my castle behind, into the night towards a little town a couple of miles away. All the while naming my targets.
Those I was killing.
A few randoms, a minister, and that entire death squad.
Who was first did not matter because either way,

Many more would die tonight.

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