Empire of Kingdoms Awakening

Chapter 18

The sticky green paste made Elaine's hands smell of mint as she covered Ivan's wounds. The injuries the king had inflicted on her brother were deep and infected. He had used magic to ensure they healed at a slower rate than usual for a black blood, to serve as a reminder as to why magic is forbidden.

She was thankful that was all he did. Charles felt powerful and joyous when tormenting others. A beast in that manner; a predator who played with its prey.

Her mind was snapped back into reality as the ice in the metal bucket crunched and echoed in the room as Ivan placed more onto a towel for his head. He winced as he put the ice against his hot and damaged skin. "I can't believe he would do this to you."

Elaine never understood how someone could be so cruel to their family. The family had been and would always be the most important thing to her. It didn't help her that she had a knack for trying to save those who had lost their way.

Ivan didn't care about the punishment he received for magic usage. All he cared about was whether or not he succeeded in his goal. Elaine had been pouting to him since she arrived over how he shouldn't have been so reckless. She wasn't angry with him, but she was disappointed.

A chuckle bounced from Michael's chest. "After everything he has done, this is a shock to you?" Charles had done some horrible things, from torturing and murdering the innocent to almost wiping out a whole species. They needed to accept that who their brother had become was who he was.

Michael preached time and time again that power was consuming, but he had taught it to the wrong person. That isn't how the king was when they met. There were centuries of love and peace and prosperity. Looking back now, it all seemed for nothing compared to what plagued the country.

Elaine huffed at him, for he was just as responsible for what had happened. "Quiet, you should have stopped him from performing the spell. It didn't even work!" Her heart ached for her family. They thought that it'd work. They were foolish in her eyes. They risked their wellbeing for nothing.

"You don't know that." Ivan snapped at her. He had hoped that it wasn't all for nothing. None of this would have happened if Ivan had joined the efforts on the king's power trip, he accepted that.

Ivan jumped in pain as Elaine began to rewrap one of his injuries. "Well, has she responded?" She did her best to empathize with her brother. She knew he chose to do it out of love and not logic.

The wind banged against the window as a slight breeze blew through the room. The snow had started to fall. Elaine shivered at the feeling. Unlike her sister, she hated the cold. There was nothing beautiful about it in her eyes. She only came to the Icelands when her brother was in need.

Ivan looked to his hands as he pouted. "No, she hasn't." His eyes glazed over as he grabbed the band placed on a chain around his neck. He couldn't bring himself to wear his golden ring. People asked him if he was married and where his wife was. It was too painful for him to endure.

Ashton leaned on the far wall as he took a drink from his cup. "We get it. You're both idiots." It amused him that Charles attacked Ivan. They had agreed to follow all of Charles's laws to the word. They didn't want to cause any more pain and suffering.

Ivan's brows deepened as he glared at his brother. "Why are you even here?" He knew Michael went to Ashton before he met with retribution. When they arrived, Michael claimed that he only went to him concerning the feeling they were having, along with some occurrences that had taken place.

After finding Ivan beaten, he had to tell them what they had done. He did his best to persuade them he was fine, but it didn't work. Ashton seemed not to care that they were trying to reach their sister, but Elaine has been lecturing them ever since.