Ashes of Revenge

Chapter 18: The Art of the Sword

Raven flattened the map out on the table in the library, and the small group glanced down at it.

Thankfully, Fernando and Victor hadn't told anyone about the fight, meaning they were allowed back.

Raven crossed out the last village they had burned down.

"So," Colt began, "this is an assassination." It wasn't a question, and the statement slowly sunk into everyone like a rock sinking into a dark, watery abyss. Now at a Castle – with the King set to return soon – their plan was moving faster than anticipated.

Raven had waited years to kill the King, and now that it was just around the corner, it didn't feel real.

"Where are we gonna regroup?" Raven asked. "It can't be here."

"Walk me through it," Richard said. "Give me various locations." He pressed his hands to the small of his back, allowing the other two to logically think it through.

Colt squatted on top of a chair. "How long will it take to reach tha Monstro Kingdom?"

She shrugged. "If we rotate nights sleepin' and movin' an' spend oll day travelin' . . . a week maybe. If we sleep every night though then around two, maybe"

"An' goin' through tha Monstro Kingdom?"

Raven stared at the map and rubbed her hand against her nose. "Two . . . three weeks maybe for us. Tha little short cut we took with tha Mountains allowed us to skip these villages." Her finger circled them. "Here's tha thing though," Raven continued, "if we stop in every village because we need food, then that is what will take us so long. Tha travel for tha Royals doesn't take as long because they have food carts an' tha Knights only stop when tha Royals want to."

"Why don't we meet in tha Monstro Kingdom?" Colt asked. "It's halfway from tha Farians an' Mundus'."

"What are we gonna do at night?" Richard finally spoke. "A Siren almost killed yeh, an' Raven was nearly killed by another Monstro. Also, we saw how well Ash worked out for us."

Everyone was silent for a few seconds.

"We'll stop on tha Mundus border village," Raven said.

She flinched when a loud bang shot throughout the room, but neither Colt nor Richard moved.

"You aren't going anywhere!" Death said. He was standing at the other end of the table, his hands against it. "You are staying here and doing what you agreed to do!" A black dagger extended from his hand, and his eyes turned into a sickly onyx. "Or I can kill them now and make you watch." A smile spread across his face. "Or they can meet my Pets."

Raven had never seen him this mad, and as for his Pets, he hadn't mentioned them, but she was not keen on allowing Richard and Colt to meet them.

Colt ran his fingers through his hair, and when he removed it, his knife extended. This time, it wasn't in anger but nervousness. He left his crouched position in the chair and made his way to the table, sitting crisscrossed.

"He needs instructions. If we were still in tha Monstro Kingdom, then we would be fine, but we are not." Richard allowed his wings to come out, like Colt, this was an anxious move despite his body still being stiff.

Raven's pointer finger began to rub against her thumb, forgetting that her precious ring was gone.

"I think I'll start by cutting the boy's knives out of his body," Death calmly remarked, now balancing the tip of the twisted murky gray blade on his finger.

"How about I stay here?" Raven asked, wanting Richard and Colt gone when she completed the deal. A new headache washed over her at the front of her head, shooting directly back as if an arrow was going through her.