Page 8 of The Fifth Soul

He points his index finger at my forehead and then looks at someone behind him. “Is this her?” He asks with something close to a sneer.

The small woman Matias and I encountered at the nursery is standing there with a swollen eye that has started to turn purple. Her eyes stay glued to the ground while she nods in confirmation.

“That is Isabel.” The man points over his shoulder. “You assaulted her.”

“Simple case of wrong place, wrong time.” I try to look over his shoulder, but he blocks my view. “I did say I wish I didn’t have to. There was no other option.”

“There wasn’t?” He is so full of rage that spit flies to my face with his question.

“She saw us. It’s not like she was going to sit there quietly if I asked her nicely.”

His fury only increases with my excuses. I should shut up before I dig myself further in this hole.

Looking at her, I feel some guilt. She doesn’t look up to meet my eyes. Her hands tremble slightly as she clasps them in front of her. I don’t pick on the weak. This is all a misunderstanding. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In a desperate attempt, I try to explain myself. “Well, magic spell books are expensive, they are few and hard to find where I’m from.”

The man takes a step back and straightens. I can’t get over how tall he is. Looking at him standing straight, I can see him fully. His beard is a few weeks old, covering part of a scar peeking from his left cheek. He brushes his long hair back as he breathes. Attempting to calm his anger that is seconds from exploding. His caramel skin glows beautifully in this candlelight, almost distracting me from his words.

“My name is Roman Oscuro. I’m the Royal Force General. I’m a man of honor, and I abide by laws and procedures. But you ran into the wrong person.”

His name causes a rock to sink deep into my stomach. His appearance fits him perfectly. He is known as the God of War, a man who has seen death in the eye and walked away. Roman Oscuro is the oldest brother of the chosen heir to the crown.

“For what it’s worth.” He pauses, then adds in a completely insincere high-pitched tone, “I’m sorry.”

I would have appreciated the karma of those being my last words to the girl when his fist connects with the side of my head. An explosion of pain erupts in my temple. My world tilts sideways, which must be because Santiago’s spell finally let me go. My body hits the ground, but I feel nothing as everything fades into darkness.

CHAPTER 2

BIANCA

Awhistling sound is the first thing I notice as I come to. I open my eyes and then quickly shut them. My head is pounding. I touch the side that seems to palpitate with pain. It’s the side that was hit, I recall. A trickle of blood runs down my chin from my temple.

I decide to stay put for a minute and breathe. I focus on the smells and sounds around me first. The air smells clean. The sound of a slimy mop moving side to side mixes with a whistling tune.

I open one eye slowly before the other one, and take inventory of my surroundings. I'm lying on the floor of a cell. I sit up and rest the back of my head against the opposite wall, spotting three more empty cells in the room. My amulet is on a desk atop some papers. The whistling stops, making me look toward the sound.

A hunched old man peers at me from a distance. “Ah.” He nods in obvious relief. “You are alive. That is good. Good. I dislike my space being dirty or smelly. It would be bad if you died. Too messy.”

I point at the desk. “My amulet.”

“The rabbit’s leg?” The old man asks.

Oh, here we go again.

“It’s an amulet for good luck.”

My words ring half-heartedly. I’m tired and hurt. I don’t know where Matias is, and the head hit took all my energy.

The old man nods in agreement. “It sure is.”

“You believe me?” I ask, surprised.

“No one who has ever angered General Roman Oscuro as you have has lived to tell the tale.”

I roll my eyes. I didn’t mean to hurt his girlfriend. Before I can say anything, the old man goes back to mopping the clean floors.

I try to ask him a few questions, but he ignores me. After a few attempts, I give up and close my eyes. Someone will come for me soon. I must be awaiting a trial or something. They can’t plan on keeping me here forever.

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