hung heavy overhead. She backed away from
the open window, bumping against the soft motionless curtain at her
side. It stood suspended in the air staring back at the queen’s
widening gaze.
A scream tore through the unnatural silence,
sending Evanna crumpling to her knees. A nightmare was unraveling
before her eyes. She clutched at her golden hair, fighting the urge
to become ill.
“Knock, knock!” A familiar voice echoed in
the still bed chamber. Evanna looked up to see a cloak slip into
the room.
“Lestel! What is happening? Tell me! ”
She rushed for his embrace, longing for his comfort. She looked up
into his face and felt her insides turn to ice. “Your face! Who
are you? ” She struggled against the stranger’s grasp. Poisonous
laughter seeped from his withered lips.
“ Lestel, my dear, save me! Save me! Ha! Stupid girl. Your ignorance makes this far too easy. Like
ripping petals from a flower.” He gripped a fistful of golden curls
and ripped it from her scalp. Evanna howled, hot tears pouring from
her eyes. Blood dripped onto her reddening face and dotted the
white stone.
“Let me introduce myself,” he said, shoving
her into the floor, “I am Luthen, son of Elothen, bastard
king .” He spat the words as he kneeled to the floor, dipping a
boney finger into the small freckles of blood. He smiled, rolling
the red onto his craggy lips and tasting it with his tongue. “How
delicious! I simply must have more.”
A low moan floated toward Evanna, draining
her face of color.
“Mama, what’s happening?” Anya stood with her
doll held tight to her chest, her eyes blurry with sleep.
Luthen rose from his crouch and strode over
to Anya. She stood, staring up at him and squinting her eyes to
better see his face. “ Sleep ,” he said, his willowy hand
stroking her round cheek. Anya’s head nodded to her chin. She
stumbled back to the bed. However instead of climbing back in she
grasped at the blanket and crumpled onto the floor.
Evanna felt the scream welling inside her
before she heard it muffled in her ears. “ What have you done to
her?! ” She lunged from the floor but before she could reach
Anya, Luthen yanked her back by her hair to his boney embrace.
“Now, now,” he said, stroking her bloody hair
as she struggled against his grasp, “there’s no need to use such a
tone with me. After all, she is merely sleeping. And when she wakes
up, she’ll have a new family, a better family. She’ll have me.”
Evanna sobbed, the tears burning in her eyes.
Her mouth hung open, too pained to scream. “ Why… why are you
doing this? ”
Luthen laughed tickled in her ear. She could
feel his wormy tongue dip into the blood trickling from her head.
“Some say it would be for power,” he said, caressing her cheek,
“others would say it would because of revenge. But it is so much
more. Revenge is a simple thing. Once its quenched, your fire is
spent. But my fire needs more—it yearns to consume the world. What
drives me is my hatred. To put it simply, I do want revenge of a
sort. Not for one person or even a handful of persons, but for
every bastard that draws breath. I want everyone dead, and
what better place to start than with you.”
Evanna felt her neck explode with pain. Teeth
dug into her flesh, ripping it away like paper. Blood filled her
throat, drowning her screams. She watched as Luthen lapped up her
blood as it sprayed from her flesh, his eyes reflecting Hell
itself.
***
Merrick lay silent in the mud straining his
eyes in the shadow of Alainia’s underbelly. Amaeya was drawn up
tight against him, her hands cold as a corpse. He could see the
shadows of a handful of Phooka gathered around a sickly fire. He
thought he had seen a group of the mercenaries slip in the inky
water of the lake, but the darkness was keen to playing tricks on
his eyes. Usually, he would ignore such a ruse, but tonight had an
air about it that reeked of old magic. It intermingled with the
damp of
the open window, bumping against the soft motionless curtain at her
side. It stood suspended in the air staring back at the queen’s
widening gaze.
A scream tore through the unnatural silence,
sending Evanna crumpling to her knees. A nightmare was unraveling
before her eyes. She clutched at her golden hair, fighting the urge
to become ill.
“Knock, knock!” A familiar voice echoed in
the still bed chamber. Evanna looked up to see a cloak slip into
the room.
“Lestel! What is happening? Tell me! ”
She rushed for his embrace, longing for his comfort. She looked up
into his face and felt her insides turn to ice. “Your face! Who
are you? ” She struggled against the stranger’s grasp. Poisonous
laughter seeped from his withered lips.
“ Lestel, my dear, save me! Save me! Ha! Stupid girl. Your ignorance makes this far too easy. Like
ripping petals from a flower.” He gripped a fistful of golden curls
and ripped it from her scalp. Evanna howled, hot tears pouring from
her eyes. Blood dripped onto her reddening face and dotted the
white stone.
“Let me introduce myself,” he said, shoving
her into the floor, “I am Luthen, son of Elothen, bastard
king .” He spat the words as he kneeled to the floor, dipping a
boney finger into the small freckles of blood. He smiled, rolling
the red onto his craggy lips and tasting it with his tongue. “How
delicious! I simply must have more.”
A low moan floated toward Evanna, draining
her face of color.
“Mama, what’s happening?” Anya stood with her
doll held tight to her chest, her eyes blurry with sleep.
Luthen rose from his crouch and strode over
to Anya. She stood, staring up at him and squinting her eyes to
better see his face. “ Sleep ,” he said, his willowy hand
stroking her round cheek. Anya’s head nodded to her chin. She
stumbled back to the bed. However instead of climbing back in she
grasped at the blanket and crumpled onto the floor.
Evanna felt the scream welling inside her
before she heard it muffled in her ears. “ What have you done to
her?! ” She lunged from the floor but before she could reach
Anya, Luthen yanked her back by her hair to his boney embrace.
“Now, now,” he said, stroking her bloody hair
as she struggled against his grasp, “there’s no need to use such a
tone with me. After all, she is merely sleeping. And when she wakes
up, she’ll have a new family, a better family. She’ll have me.”
Evanna sobbed, the tears burning in her eyes.
Her mouth hung open, too pained to scream. “ Why… why are you
doing this? ”
Luthen laughed tickled in her ear. She could
feel his wormy tongue dip into the blood trickling from her head.
“Some say it would be for power,” he said, caressing her cheek,
“others would say it would because of revenge. But it is so much
more. Revenge is a simple thing. Once its quenched, your fire is
spent. But my fire needs more—it yearns to consume the world. What
drives me is my hatred. To put it simply, I do want revenge of a
sort. Not for one person or even a handful of persons, but for
every bastard that draws breath. I want everyone dead, and
what better place to start than with you.”
Evanna felt her neck explode with pain. Teeth
dug into her flesh, ripping it away like paper. Blood filled her
throat, drowning her screams. She watched as Luthen lapped up her
blood as it sprayed from her flesh, his eyes reflecting Hell
itself.
***
Merrick lay silent in the mud straining his
eyes in the shadow of Alainia’s underbelly. Amaeya was drawn up
tight against him, her hands cold as a corpse. He could see the
shadows of a handful of Phooka gathered around a sickly fire. He
thought he had seen a group of the mercenaries slip in the inky
water of the lake, but the darkness was keen to playing tricks on
his eyes. Usually, he would ignore such a ruse, but tonight had an
air about it that reeked of old magic. It intermingled with the
damp of
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