THE MONARCH

CHAPTER ONE

Makiya woke with a start. She squinted her eyes as she looked around her room trying to find what it was that jerked her from sleep. She strained her ears as she heard faint sounds in the distance. Suddenly, an ear-splitting scream seared the silence of night. It was followed by another and another until they were all she could hear.

She jumped off her raffia palm bed and ran to the mat that served as her window and pulled it aside. The sight that greeted her was one that shook her to the core. Houses were on fire, the air was thick with smoke. Makiya squinted at the figures on the ground and gasped when she realised what they were. Corpses littered the streets, the ground stained by the unmistakable dark pigment of blood.

It was a massacre!

She turned away, cringing, eyes shut tightly. She took a heavy breath in an attempt to calm herself but choked on smoke instead. She let out a cough and put a hand over her nose. Eyes watering, she returned her gaze outside. Makiya could see women and children running, chased and cut down by men in clothing so black she could barely see them in the dark of night. Her hands trembled as she stood there watching as her people were slaughtered ruthlessly. Her legs felt heavy, she froze unable to pry her eyes from the carnage before her.

A loud bang brought her out of her frozen state. Her blood ran cold, heart pounding in her chest.

Had they breached the fort?

She forced her legs to move and turned. Swiftly, Makiya ran back to her bed and flipped it over revealing a gift her father had had made for her. She grabbed it and headed for the door. Opening it a Crack, she peeked into the hallway. It was clear of all persons. Gingerly, Makiya pushed the door open wider. It creaked a bit and she stiffened and listened for a moment, when she was sure no one was near, she dashed out.

Kàshágàr in hand, she ran as fast as her feet could carry her. She turned a corner and quickly doubled back after seeing two figures up ahead. She snuck a glance and was almost spotted as one of them turned. Makiya crawled back the way she came, careful not to let her blade scrape the floor. She felt irritated at herself for having forgotten to bring a fáðò kàshágàrrè to hold her weapon.

It's too late now, she thought. As soon as she was out of hearing distance, she stood and broke into a run taking a different route from before. It would take her longer to get to the tunnel.

Her father had built those tunnels for this very reason, it had taken years to complete, now, it would serve its purpose. She peeked over the next corner, before she sprinted towards the door leading to the kitchens. She placed her ears onto the door and listened for any movement before pushing it open. Her breath caught and she stumbled back, eyes widened in shock. Her maiden, seytu was dead on the floor and beside her was one of the old détə who prepare the food. Makiya stood motionless awhile before realising she was exposed standing in the hallway. She covered her nose with her hand against the acrid smell of blood and stepped inside. She walked around the bodies and kept her eyes forward,making sure to be careful not to step on the blood, leaving footsteps could prove perilous. She let out a heavy breath as soon as she was out of the kitchen. Makiya squatted by the exit and listened, she heard no voices nor footsteps. She hesitated before the door. So far, she'd been lucky to not have encountered any obstacles in her path but beyond that door was the soldiers eating hall and she'd have no walls to hide behind.

Makiya took a deep breath ignoring the smell of blood still lingering in the air. She pushed the door open a crack and scanned the area. She was relieved to find it empty though, it seemed from the destruction, a fight had taken place there. She straightened and paused only long enough to take a breath before dashing inside. Beyond the eating area was a long corridor that led straight to the armory, inside, there was a secret door in the walls that only a few knew about, the door led down into the tunnels. She was among the few.

Almost there, she thought. She was sprinting, her feet moving on reflex, body knowing what needed to be done until...

"No, it can't be" she choked out.

She skidded to a stop. On the floor just a few inches short of the door was her father's weapon, his favourite kàshágàr. The one his father had gifted him when he'd come of age. A sinking feeling overcame her, bile threatened to rise from her stomach. She swallowed and stepped forward. Her fingers had barely brushed the hilt when she heard footsteps approaching. Voices had her ducking into the shadows of a fallen mud brick wall. She pressed her body flat against the floor as she heard them approach.

"Is it done? " one of them asked.

" Yes, we have handled him, the woman as well, she was the first to go" the second man answered.

"And the child? "

" We haven't found her yet but she's most likely a goner as well. Either way, the fort is ours"

Makiya waited until the voices faded before she peeked over the rubble. Seeing the coast clear, she was quick to stand. There was a piece of cloth by the weapon that she'd missed before. Her eyes widened and she gasped as she realised what it was. She ran to it and fell to her knees, her father's kàshágár lay before her covered in blood and beside it was a piece of his barmus. She picked up the cloth, clutched it in her hand and hugged it close as tears ran down her face. A sob escaped her and then another until she could hold them back no longer.

A hand was placed on her shoulder so gently she almost didn't notice. She relaxed a bit when she saw who it was, Yuram, her assigned royal guard and a good friend of her fathers.

"Mâiràm, I cannot begin to imagine what you must be feeling, I know it pains but you must stay strong." Yuram spoke as he went on his knees before her. "We must leave this place, this fort is no longer an abode. You must survive. Retreat today, live to fight another. Now come we must leave at once"

Makiya wiped the tears off her face. Yuram was right, she needed to stay strong. She picked up her father's blade and tied the cloth to the hilt.

" I will avenge you mother, father, your deaths will not be in vain, this I vow. "

With that, she stood and quickly followed after Yuram and together they headed for the tunnels again.

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Hey guys! I'm back! I know i promised an update but here's a re-written version of chap one. I'll be updating once a week now that the book is back on schedule. I hope you like it.
Once again, thanks for checking out my book.

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