Into Darkness

f o u r

f o u r

THE KITCHEN IS bustling. The squeak of shoes cut through the air as people rush about in a hurry to get from one place to another. Ladles stirring boiling pots of stew have a soft consistent clanging like the beat of a drum and the smattering of knives ring out, all merging together to create the song of the kitchen. I listen to it as I work, using it as an anthem to continue my job as the delightful aroma of fresh fruit and vegetables dance through the air, overwhelming my senses.  It's a welcome distraction for the mundane job Carter and I have as we stand at a pine wood table off in the corner, kneading dough until it's soft enough to bake into bread.

The sudden chaos was caused only moments after the events in the hall. Lord Lumen insisted upon throwing celebratory feast in Erebos's honor, glorifying the servants that were taken away and celebrating the one that was killed. Disgust fills me at the thought, making me feel sick, and the normally aromatic smell of food makes my stomach churn.

The rest of the kitchen feels the same way despite the high energy. The mood is grim with few people talking and if they do, it's in whispers that are barely audible over the hustle and bustle. I feel the effect of this anger, even through the wonderful smells and beautiful dishes that are being created, as if it's an anchor on my heart and dragging me down to the darkest depths of the sea. I feel the vow I made sink into my souls, feeding an inferno of fury within my soul.

Erebos needs to die, and it's going to be by my hand.

That promise makes me feel stronger every time I think it, every time I see the servants girls blood on the marble floor in my mind. The conviction of it stabilizes me and gives me a sense of clarity, of purpose.

To my left, I can tell Carter lacks this stability. His lips are set into a fine line, and his brow is deeply furrowed, a wide range of emotions flying across his expression but his eyes glazed in deep thought. His hands kneed the dough with an unnecessary amount of strength, his knuckles turning white with the amount of force he's exerting, and his body slouches, the picture of misery. 

After a moment, he sighs, and turns towards me. "We need to leave tonight."

I freeze. "What?"

"When everyone is at the feast tonight, we could slip out when no one notices and-"

I hold up a hand and cut him off. "Slow down. Why would we leave?"

"Thea, the king is here. We got lucky the first time we were near him." He says, his voice rising, and he takes a deep calming breath before continuing. "If they ask us to serve him tonight and he recognizes us..."

"I know the risks, but you know we can't leave." I say softly. "It would be too suspicious."

The conflicted look on his expression gives away that he knows this, and he hangs his head slightly. "It's too dangerous to stay."

"I know." I say and put a hand over his reassuringly. "But we've gotten this far, right? We will last another day."

He shrugs his shoulders uncertainly and goes back to kneading the dough, but I know that we have to stay. I know the soldiers would find us in a heartbeat, the bloodlust for traitors created by Erebos's show earlier today spurring them to find us faster. We would never make it.

And you may never get a chance to kill Erebos like this again, a small part of my mind whispers and I shut it down.

It's simply to suspicious to leave. Leaving could have us get caught and Carter could get hurt. Staying here is not about that.