Page 1 of Cold Heir

Chapter One

Thirst

“On the wind, hunger howls;

Dark intentions fill its tone.

From the depth of Hades bowels;

Greater evil never known.

In the dark, a call doth beckon;

Never quieting its groan.

Steals the breath, life’s final second;

As the foul beast seeks its bone.”

A passage from ‘Red Prose: A Collection of Cautionary Children’s Folksongs’

Origin: Postbellum North America

Year of publication: Unknown

Author: Unknown

Status: Banned from publication and distribution

***

Corina

The sound of a fist pummeling someone’s face made a very distinct noise. Specifically, the revolting crack when the jaw was broken. Levi had shattered Tomas’ on impact, but it wouldn’t take long to heal. In no time, he’d be on his feet, and on our trail with the rest of Aaric’s men.

This was the first thing that had gone right in weeks. However, I kept that to myself, for fear of jinxing this small bit of luck.

Before peering up at me, Levi patted Tomas down until finding a set of keys in the pocket of his jeans.

“Ready?”

The concern in Levi’s gaze when he asked was stifling, but there was no time for hesitation. No time for weighing whether this was a good or bad idea. We had a chance to run, and we were taking it.

“Let’s get out of here,” I said with a nod.

The coolness of Levi’s palm pressed to mine, and I only felt confident in our plan. Mostly, because I was certain Aaric would think twice about pursuing us once we made it back onto palace grounds. However, we would be fair game until then. Hence the reason Levi and I needed to get moving.

The hallways were dark and eerily quiet, considering I’d been to the other wing where hundreds congregated. The crumbling ceilings, and empty beds in the hospital’s open rooms, were yet another reminder of this place’s haunting history. We crept past what used to be a receptionists’ station, and stopped at a heavy, steel door.

“It’s locked?” There was desperation in my tone when I asked, staring as Levi rattled the knob. It felt like someone would sneak up at any moment, so I turned to peer over my shoulder.

“It is, but here’s hoping Tomas had the key to this one.”

With Levi’s words, my heart raced double-time. It felt like ages passed as he tried one key after the other, and with each failed attempt, my life flashed before my eyes. It wasn’t hard to imagine the delight that would gleam in Aaric’s eyes if given the chance to tear my throat out with his teeth.

There was a soft click and, suddenly, I could breathe.

“Got it,” Levi whispered, taking my hand again as we continued forward.

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