The King's Remorse

Keep Your Eyes Peeled? Sounds Painful

I whirl around. Ky's never acted like this before. His eyes are wide with fear as he trembles, much like Ice. I quickly see why: blood drips from the corners of his mouth. Phoenix snarls before breaking away from his chase with Cotton Candy. The flash in his eyes shows just how much he hates it.

Until he notices his brother.

It's like a switch flips within him, and Phoenix sprints over to his brother

"What happened? Who did this? Who do I have to kill? Whose life is about to end for what they di-"

"No one did this. It... It just started. And I don't know why."

"Then what the hell? Why are you still bleeding?" Phoenix growls.

"I-I don't know. I was just sitting with Ice and making sure no one was around us. And then it started." Blood is now streaming from his mouth in thickening rivulets, falling to the ground faster than it was before.

"So what caused this? I'm no doctor, but I'd guess this wasn't just your blood being like 'hey, you know what I'd just love to do today? I'd love to start gushing from Ky's mouth!' So what was it? Was it some injury you got in the fight earlier?"

"No. They were a new regiment of Guard and Soldiers, so I could get by mostly just casting illusions. Not-. Not much effort."

I rack my brain for any guesses as to what this could be. If he didn't sustain any injuries in the battle earlier, what could've caused it?

I chew on my lip, watching droplets of blood run down his chin and splatter onto the ground and soak into the stone. He was watching Ice, and I know he didn't do it. What's different from, say, a week ago?

One by one, the drops of scarlet fall to the ground, like a ticking clock.

"I don't know what it was, Phoenix. Just-just... Can you do something? It isn't stopping." Ky's voice trembles.

And just when we need to be moving the most. The Guard and Soldiers are going to be back, and we need to find Wolf. But Ky needs help and I've gotta believe Wolf can hold her own, wherever she is.

"How am I supposed to help if I don't know what the hell caused this? What am I supposed to tear the life from if I don't know what did this to you?"

"Tearing the life from something is your definition of helping?"

"Yeah! 'Course it is! I'm not a doctor, and I'm good at inflicting suffering on others. So who did this? They won't be living much longer after I track them down."

"For the last time, Phoenix, no one did this to me! It just star-." Ky's words break off as he stumbles, coughing. His legs splay to the sides as he struggles to keep himself upright. Scarlet stains the tan fur on his neck and chest.

Ice studies Ky with a calculating gaze, eyes narrowed in thought.

"Well," Phoenix growls. "How do we make it stop?"

"D-Dove, do you know?" Ky asks.

"No, I don't." My voice sounds distant as I speak.

"We need to get moving," Ky says.

"Not until you're better. I'll burn everything around us if I have to. I'll rip the life from every Guard and Soldier who so much as looks in our near vicinity."

"Can you walk?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"He's not moving," Phoenix growls, shooting me a death glare.