Blood Inked

Chapter 5.. The Lost Princess

The dark is coming.

She ran as quickly as her feet could carry her. It was coming and it wouldn't stop until she was in the light. She couldn't tell where she was, but all she knew was that it was cold, dark and dangerous. She needed to get out as quickly as possible before it found her. The sound of a child humming caused her to stop. The sound echoed through the dark passage, loud and beautiful.She tried to follow the sound of the child's humming. It was a dark, cruel song.

" My heart beats and blood flows,

My heart breaks and tears flows,

you that cause pain I would hold,

I will cut and cut till your blood flows.

Then your tears would surely flow."

It was a dark song that shouldn't be sung by any child. She found the child curled in a corner, dirty and bloody. It was a boy not more than 7 years old. His head had been shaved and he held a roughly made dagger.

"Why are you here?" She asked. The child stopped singing and stared at her. "Come with me, we need to leave here quickly."

"Miss, you should hide quickly, they are coming for you." He said.

"Who?"

"The darkness is seeking to claim you, to gobble you up." He said with a smirk. "be quick to hide, it has found you."

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Her eyes snapped open, but she shut them quickly. The light was too bright. She had to make out time to visit the physicians. The dreams she had been getting were driving her crazy, she groaned as she realized how long she had slept in. The sun was at its peak. The Chief-maid would have her head, it was probably past Yurla's breakfast time. There was no avoiding the lashes that would be coming to her today. For a moment, she allowed herself to be cuddled in by the soft blankets and warm feather bed. They had finally listened and changed the rocks they had for beds because of their slave station. She opened her eyes once more and saw the silken sheets she was wrapped in.

"Eloah save me!" She cried as she sprang out of the bed.

Everything was wrong. She had been lying on one of the palace beds made for royal dignitaries. The room was just as exquisite as Princess Yurla's room. It was fitted for a Princess. Golden hues accentuated the purpose of the room. Adria squeezed her eyes and tried to remember how she had gotten to this room. Had she been cleaning the room and had fallen asleep on the bed. She tried to think of all the different possibilities that could have brought her to the room.

"I do not think you should be standing yet, Princess." Adria turned to see a small slave bowed to her. She had seen the slave around, but had been to busy to know her name or where she had come from.

"What are you doing?" Adria said horrified by the slave bowing to her. "you will get me killed, stand up right, we are of the same station."

The slave looked up at her, her eyes wide in shock and disbelief. "I need to get the Royal Physician." the slave moved backwards still bowed over to the door and hurried off.

Adria held her head. Her head was pounding terribly.  Perhaps she had finally gotten the ailment that turned people mad. Gradually, she remembered all that had happened; Lord Iah, Paliken, The Oracle had proclaimed her to be the lost princess she had been looking for.