Peloquin's eyes flew open at the sharp pain in his chest, panic racing through his veins. Metal ripped through his ribs, his muscles, into his heart. He blinked at the figure above him. How could she? She pressed her left hand over his mouth, right hand still twisting the knife. He shook his head like an animal, trying to bite her hand. He rolled, kicked, punched, but she held him down. Why? He knew the answer, but pain replaced his thoughts. White-hot.
His blood. It was flowing in the wrong direction. He punched harder to no avail. But his blood was flowing out. And he was losing focus. Losing strength.
It hurt. It all hurt. He gasped for breath, tasting salt on her palm as it pressed harder, into his mouth.
He pushed weakly at her chest. it hurt so much. He was going to die and all he could think was that his chest hurt. And he was scared. The world was spotty. Dimming. He could barely make out here face. Power corrupts. Roo said that. Darkness enveloped him, warm and painful. Blood draining. He wasn't ready to die.
She pushed the knife deeper. Through. It hurt so much. He couldn't go black yet. He couldn't. Not yet. He would not die thinking about her or power or pain. He squeezed his eyes shut and saw Elvior. Smiling at him. I love you he said. You were the best sister. Where was she? She was gone somewhere. And Mara was gone to. Mara. I never stopped missing you. And Roo. His chest hurt so much. Roo was gone away.
The pain got fuzzier, farther away. Peloquin didn't want to leave. There was no light, no loved ones awaiting him. The world had never seemed further away. Peloquin had never been more afraid. He was too scared. He couldn't breathe. The fear was going to kill him before he bled to death.
He let his thoughts drift away. Away from his imminent death to happier places. To Roo and Elvior and a castle now destroyed. His fingers twitched, reaching for a poster folded in his pocket.
He couldn't make his hands move.
The poster was gory. Mad. Peloquin remembered the day Roo hung it up. He had been so mad that day. Peloquin smiled as he died. He had been so mad.
YOU ARE READING
Why Do Bubbles Go Down?
FantasyPeloquin is a Palerth prince in a world where powerful Palerthean kingdoms have colonized swaths of the Zanerth's under-water-world. A resistance movement, accidentally started by three scientists who are way over their heads, threatens Palerth rul...
