As quiet as a mouse, I pull back the tent flaps to the first of the small human settlement. They've made it into their own by pitching tents around dying campfires, the only light coming from the coals and ash left behind from the firewood. I take one final glance behind me to view the capital stretching beyond, the faint candlelight shifting in residences and shadows stretching across stone buildings.
I'm far enough away from the gate to the capital they won't hear the destruction, the king ordered the guards to not engage if they hear any screaming or pleading for help from the humans. I'm completely alone, I'm to do this without the knowledge of anyone else, especially Binx. He would disagree from the very beginning and order to complete the killings himself, only to try gaining the respect of his leader.
The king trusts me to do this and in return, every step I take must be silent. Shriveled and crinkled blankets cover the floor of the human's tent, they're hardly more than knapsacks brought over from the kingdom to the south. They could've told the truth and explained why they were here instead of lying in the first place. Either way, they die tonight.
Although I don't know the truth to their reasoning, it has something to do with involving themselves in the rebellion. They don't need more help; if it's true that Renit is working with them then we can't trust their forces.
Humans will only impede what witches need to do.
I stand over the human sleeping inside the tent. He lies on his back, his mouth open wide. These deaths can be swift and painless; they must be if I'm to kill all these humans without any of them waking to discover the truth of their loved ones.
Pressing the cold handle of a dagger into my hand, I don't give him another second of thought. I step through the tent and prepare myself to bring down the dagger with an impending force, directly into the throat. He won't wake, the death will be swift, but the bloodshed will be a mess.
Silent snores escape from his parted lips and I catch sight of a pillow in the corner. These deaths don't have to create a scene...careful not to disrupt his stretched out body, I bend across the tent and take the pillow in my hands, clutching tight to both ends. Without a second thought for the life I'm ending, I press the pillow against his face and transfer all my weight into my arms to suffocate him.
He begins to thrash, groaning underneath the pillow as his arms flail. They grab onto me, nails digging in through the leather armor, but I maintain my hold. My strength has grown over the past couple months and I've finally reached a level where I'm able to do something for the king without help. This is my moment to show him I can do this—I can stand, alone, at his side.
His muffled screams aren't loud enough to alert the rest of the human settlement. My arms go numb with the pressure, my nails burning from digging into the cloth pillow, but his attempts start to slow. His grip is weaker, his trashes are sluggish, and finally, he stops moving altogether. I add pressure for a few more seconds in case he's faking but rip the pillow away to find cold, empty blue eyes staring back at me.
"May you find safe harbor," I whisper before tossing the pillow back onto his face and departing the tent.
That's one down. Nearly two dozen tents are pitched throughout this area of the woods, a landscape I came through months ago with the prince at my side. They're distant memories I can hardly make out but they're there—to remind me of my mistakes. I will make a change starting tonight. With each human I kill, I'll throw another memory in the trash and push myself farther and farther away from the banished prince.
The next tent is smaller and I squat down, surveying the handsome face of the man laying on the ground. He has his head thrown back, and he tucks a pillow against his chest. The pulsing beat in his neck is prominent. I don't waste a second as with a quick slice, my knife cuts through flesh and down to the bone. Blood splatters and lands on my face and armor, but the man doesn't rise. His shallow breathing comes to a halt and the pillow that was once white now leaks a dark shade of red.
YOU ARE READING
Aligning the Forgotten ✓
Fantasy[Book 3 of the Grounding the Storm series] Renit's worst nightmare has come true. Roux isn't at his side, and he's banished from his throne and his crown, leaving him nameless and on the run. While trying to escape his father's cruel reign, he has t...
