Heart Thief

Chapter 6: Bonded Through Trauma

The prince flipped a table in frustration.

"EVERY DAMN TIME WE SEND GUARDS, THEY ALL DIE!!! THEIR REMAINS APPEAR IN THE GARDENS, FOUNTAINS, AND EVEN THE PALACE DOORSTEP!!!" The young man shouted.

He pointed a finger at Ire.

"Clean this up. That is my request for you. You go, you kill him, and I will give you whatever you want." The prince shouted.

Ire raised an eyebrow and pulled out her dagger, throwing it at the ground. The guards in the room were surprised at her sudden unsheathing of her weapon, lowering their guard. Yet her eyes trailed around the room, noting their reactions. Then she bolted at the prince, pressing her dagger to his chest.

The guards immediately unsheathed their swords, but before they could rush at the girl, a golden glow crossed the room. Ire kept a straight face but her heart beating was evident enough that she didn't know what would happen. Then the guards began to collapse one by one, some coughing up blood. A surprised expression spread across the prince's features before becoming one of a pleased grin.

"You never miss a chance to prove that you could kill me if you wanted. You're so cold," he smirked, a faint red hue lingering on his cheeks, "But there was no reason to use that. You know I'd never let them lay a finger on you."

"Cruel," she stated, "Don't treat him like that."

"Him?" the young man chuckled, "You mean the murderer, the traitor, the savage - "

"Enough," Ire said, her eyes narrowing, showing anger for the first time, "You know full well this slaughter is your fault. Why would you push him like that? For someone so smart, you're a massive imbecile."

"How cruel," he blushed, "Well, if you get him back, I'll apologize officially. It's only for you, though. I couldn't care less about the murderer."

Ire left with that promise, and soon located Caleb in an estate near the palace. The nobles living in the estate were the first to be killed, and she figured Caleb would be hiding where everything had started. Or, maybe she was wrong, and he was hiding elsewhere. Either way, she needed to come here to start her search.

When she arrived in the main house, she discovered a couple's body, and they were dressed like the prince and that odd noblewoman that Ire had met a few days ago. She went further into the estate and drew her knives when she heard heavy footfalls in the nearby hallway.

Caleb stepped into the moonlight streaming through the windows, and Ire saw that he looked unhealthy. She felt a twinge of concern when she saw Caleb's cold, dead eyes. He drew his sword, and leveled it at her chest. In an instant, Ire had the boy laying on his back, with her knives at his throat. Caleb didn't seem to care.

"It would be easy to kill you." she stated.

"Go ahead. If you'd like to try, you're welcome to." Caleb replied, monotonically.

Caleb's apathy confused Ire, as she knew that this was, in part, her fault. She didn't show it, though, and instead rammed a knife into his heart. He gasped softly, then went completely limp underneath the girl. Ire felt like a part of her died with the boy as she stood and left. She knew he wouldn't die, but felt as though he needed to return to his old self. Leaving her dagger, as a sign of respect for him, she pressed her forehead against his before giving him time to process.

The next morning, Ire went back to the estate to see how Caleb was doing. She was going to pay her respects to the boy she had considered a friend, and the boy who had spared her life time and time again. When she entered the house, as Ire had expected, there was no body. There was simply a message, painted in blood.