Page 112 of Down from the Tower

He snarls, leaping towards her again. One hand lifts, sending golden arrows whizzing towards her. It’s almost an exact replica of the trick my father used on Zarev, except the Queen vaporizes the gold with her red magic. I don’t know what magic she’s using, but it can’t be good.

She slashes out at him, the red energy slamming into his chest and opening a deep wound. Bleeding and off-balance, Midas cries out, and I swear in the distance I can hear the souls screaming too.

That’s odd, since the wall is a good distance away and it’s been a little while since I heard the agonizing screams. Tressa was eerily silent until we heard the Queen’s voice.

“If only you were the King you pretend to be,” she taunts, jumping at him again. “You wouldn’t need favors from everyone. You could fight Arthur. You could stand against me. But, oh no, you always choose a trickster's way out!”

Proving her point, Midas does exactly that. As his skin starts to turn a golden hue, he throws himself at her, catching the Mad Queen by surprise as the gold collides into her.

She screams, and finally the four silent men jump into action. Each grabs at their swords, the weapons seeming to bleed red like her magic, and together they charge.

Yet, despite all of the hate I have in me towards my father, watching someone else take his life just isn’t right. The only person who deserves to serve him Death is me. Without warning, I lunge forward, dragging Zarev with me, and we slam into the grass. I try to free myself from Zarev, from the shadows but they both refuse to let me go.

I can’t stop what’s next, no matter how desperately I want to.

The four guards move in tandem, like pieces of the same puzzle. They lunge as the Queen rightens herself, her lip split and dribbling blood from Midas’ attempt, and he is slow to react as he fights to push the gold back from stiffening his body.

As he straightens, there’s rage burning in his eyes. But the murderous look is cut short as four separate swords pierce his skin, sliding in at different angles to create a design across his torso.

Silence seizes the land. All I can do is lie there half beneath Zarev, his body crushing mine into the grass, as the four guards come to a standstill, my father’s body suspended between them as blood seeps through his clothes. It comes fast, drenching the cloth and his upper body in a matter of seconds as he chokes, eyes going wide.

The Queen chuckles, leaning in. The glow of death reflects in her gaze, giving her a morbidly gleeful look for someone so terrifying. “You’re quiet, Kingling. Your will is stronger than your daughter’s. Tossing her over the Field of Thorns is the best decision I made that day.”

Her words startle Zarev, and it’s enough for me to wiggle free. He isn’t fast enough to catch me, and the shadows vanish as I step from his protective shield.

Every head pivots towards me as I break into the clearing, and this is exactly what I told myself not to do. Midas looks briefly surprised that I am here, but his life is fading quickly from his eyes. There is too much between us, and I don’t know if I have it in me anymore to save my father from Death by another’s hand.

The Queen’s eyes widen with interest, and half a moment later I feel Zarev’s possessive presence at my back. She grins as she stares at us, clasping her hands together.

“Oh, look! Look there! How poetic. The girl of Life and the man of Death, come together to meet their final end.”

29 Zarev

It takes everything in me to not grab Rapunzel and try to shadow hop out of this clearing. I know the Queen’s tricks,however, and she could send that blood magic into the shadows with us, so Death would find us in another spot.

Even if I grab Rapunzel right now, too many seconds have passed. I let myself be distracted for one single second when she mentioned the Field of Thorns, and that might be the reason we both die here.

Midas is a testament to that. There will be nothing to reap when they finish with him, and it’s unfair compared to the torture he put his people through.

Rapunzel stiffens her shoulders, but I can tell it’s a show. Her voice isn’t as confident as it sometimes is when she confronts her fears. “So, you’re the Mad Queen.”

“My,” she replies, glancing at the dying King “Hair so bright but brain so dim. Is that any way to greet a royal guest?”

“When the guest kills the King and helps to murder an innocent baby, I’d say yes.”

“Oh, that baby is gone, gone, gone,” the Queen says dismissively, waving a hand. “Water under the bridge really. Or.” She chuckles to herself, pressing a hand over her lips. “A body in the thorns.”

Rapunzel snarls, moving to lunge at the Queen. But I use the shadows, shifting myself in front of her, and she crashes into my back. There’s a burning heat that hits at the top of my ribs, and I realize her hair must be glowing as brightly as her hands.

The Mad Queen tries to peer past me, her interest piqued. “Oh, Zarev! I haven’t seen you since you were flat under a rock.” She laughs to herself, but no one joins this time. “A princess with no family, and a man with no life. Perfect, perfect!”

“Is that all you can do? Make vague comparisons between us,” I snarl.

She shrugs, crossing her arms as she paces in front of us. Midas might as well be dead now for all the attention she pays him. “My, my, Zarev, you’ve changed since the last time I saw you. So handsome. Do you play like the last shadow man, maybe? I bet you do!”

He snarls. “Can’t say I have tested it out too much since we last met. Remember, when you were killing me?”

She waves a hand. “Oh, you don’t think that’s the last time I had an update, do you? That ice boy of yours, Ban? He can be bribed with some pretty coins and a bit of frost. Such a pretty, pretty boy!”

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