The Archer: Lost Omegas Book 1

Traitor

CYRENE

She glared at the King. The man had ordered the assassination of children! So the Serpe would attack, and the Raposo would accept the terms of a needed alliance with barbarians! This was the King she served?! This man was a murderer. A traitor to his own.

"Traitor," she accused. "You let our people die! Hundred of them- innocents!"

The King motioned for the guards to seize her with a simple wave of his hand. "I do not need to explain anything to you, I am king. And I did what I needed to do."

"By killing children?! Knowing hundreds of your people would be slaughtered?!" Cyrene did not struggle as the two guards grabbed her upper arms. The moment they touched her, Lord Deimos took a threatening step forward and growled. She did not even spare him a glance, her eyes never leaving her king. "You knew your people would not accept the Lobo's terms! You planned to sell our women like slaves!"

"Ah, but now, the tribes will gladly give up their daughters and sisters. To repay a great ally for helping us defeat our mortal enemy." The King smiled cruelly. "It's not as though we don't have plenty of people to spare."

Cyrene sucked back a breath then hurled spit onto the man's face. "You're disgusting. A murderer. A traitor to your own!"

Wiping her spit from his face he glared at her, "And you're a corpse." He walked forward and slapped her face, her face jerking to the side from the force. She did not make a sound. She had been hit harder in training. The man was weak. His rule was weak. He cared not for the people she defended.

Breaking her gaze from the man for the first time, she looked to her Commander. The man she had served under for twelve years, since she started training at eleven years old. "You knew about this, Commander? Did you condone this?" Seeing his face, the slight look of shame overcome his features for just a moment gave her the answer. The betrayal felt like ice in her veins.

"Lead," the Commander started, "we need the resources of the Serpe land. Our people would starve within a year or two. This was the best way."

"The best way!" she said incredulously. "You failed your duty to protect the Raposo. You failed your duty to the Skulk. You failed all of us."

"Enough of this," the King interjected. "Kill her."

One of the guards holding her arms pulled his sword from the sheath on his hip. Before he could even pull it free, a squelching noise came from his chest, and the end of a sword was visible from his chest. Lord Deimos was behind the man, hilt in hand, and pulled his sword from the man's back. Blood poured from the wound, the man instantly falling to his knees. His body twitching as he died. King Brone gasped in shock. No one moved for a few moments, time seemed to slow, then rapidly speed up as the other guard attempted to pull his sword. Lord Deimos swung his blade into the man's neck, decapitating him. Blood sprayed from the neck stump, covering Lord Deimos' face and upper body and spraying Cyrene's left side. The head landed with a dull thud a few feet away. The body simply fell over, Cyrene stepping out of its path. Lord Deimos grabbed her arm, yanking her into his side, sword still in his other hand. She could see his red eyes as he slowly raised the tip to rest against King Brone's throat.

"What the hell are you doing?!" King Brone squealed, the sudden high pitch to his voice showing his fear. The Commander was only a few feet behind his king, with his hand on the hilt of his own sword, but he made no further moves.

King Laran stepped forward, alongside Lord Deimos, and stated cheerfully, as if two men had not just been killed brutally, "Well, I do not believe my second likes your plan to kill this woman. Perhaps we can think of an alternative."