Page 119 of A Kingdom so Crimson

He kept moving forward, trudging through the debris, flames, and thick clumps of ash that fell like soft rain.

"Cal, stop," I pleaded, my voice barely above a whisper. "We have to find Lev—"

"It doesn't matter anymore! None of it does," he snapped, his tone sharp and final, muffled through the cloth he wore. I wheezed, the pain biting into my skull like a hammer.

"What…are you talking about?" I demanded, anger sweltering within my disoriented mind.

Calum's grip tightened, sending pain rippling through my burnt flesh as he shook his head with hatred carved into his eyes. He picked up his pace, and I coughed into his chest, blinking away the fog right as he tripped forward, throwing me from his arms.

We both crashed to the ground in a tangled heap, and I cried out as sharp rocks bit into my burned arms and legs. Thicksmoke stirred, and I shrieked out in pain, coughing for Calum. I tried to lift myself, sinking into my seared forearms when I saw Kaizen's silhouette, his tattered leather cloak billowing behind him.

The smoke swirled around Kaizen's movements as he swiftly dragged Calum away from me and pinned him to the fiery dirt road.

Calum yelled in defiance, throwing a punch at Kaizen's face that snapped his head to the side, his untied hair following with the impact. Calum reached for a dagger in his boot, but Kaizen was quicker and began raining punch after punch on Calum with vicious ferocity. Each blow landed with a sickening thud, splattering blood onto the dirt.

Calum yelled, squirming under his hold, his arms flailing in a desperate attempt to defend himself and attack simultaneously. But Kaizen was a relentless force, a different breed that kept attacking, his eyes burning with a savage intensity.

I struggled to find my voice amidst the ringing in my ears, the acrid smell of smoke stinging my nostrils.

"Stop!" I rasped out, scarcely above a whisper, and crawled towards them. Each movement sent jolts of pain through my body, but I pushed on, the sight of Calum's battered face spurring me forward. "Stop!"

Calum managed to knee Kaizen in the groin, eliciting a small groan from him, but barely shifting enough for Calum to crawl out from his hold. Calum's face was a mess of blood and bruises, his eyes swollen and barely open. He scrambled towards me, his hand outstretched in a plea. Just as I touched the tip of his fingers, Kaizen's boot connected with his face, the impact sending a spray of blood splattering into the air and my face. Calum crumpled to the ground, unconscious, his body limp and lifeless on the burning dirt, his face now unrecognizable.

Kaizen sucked in a rasping breath, coughing deeply before he turned his attention to me; his amber eyes were burning, and his face was grimy with sweat, blood, and ash. Blood oozed from a more extensive cut at his hairline. His hair stuck against his face, while his cloak barely hung on, flowing in tatters against the roaring flames that threatened to overtake us.

Anger ignited within me, and a fierce snarl escaped my lips."WHAT DID YOU DO?"I screamed, hearing my voice echo throughout the dense forest.

He moved swiftly, grabbing my face and wrapped a cloth around my mouth as I jerked back, trying to free myself. I threw a punch to his side and kicked against him frantically, desperate to escape.

"Eliah, stop!" he growled, his grip tightening around my jaw.

"What did you do?!" I screamed again, my voice muffled by the cloth, as he hoisted me over his shoulder. I pounded and clawed at his back, my legs kicking weakly. The pain from my burnt skin was overwhelming but not compared to the anger surging through me that was on the brink of eruption.

He cursed under his breath, coughing as the smoke thickened around us. He ran through the choking air, stopping several times to spin in frantic circles before pressing on.

Each movement was agonizing, every jolt sending fresh waves of pain through my body. He pivoted and lunged forward, coming to an abrupt halt before swiftly crouching down to grab a brown satchel that he put over his shoulder before continuing.

He coughed again, and I felt it rumble through his strong body as he skidded to a sudden stop. Crouching down, he let out a gasp of dismay, his grip on me loosening, and I slipped from his grasp, hitting the ground before coughs overtook my frame.

I twisted toward where Kaizen was looking to see Levon sprawled out beside a more significant part of the carriage that hadn't been obliterated in the explosion.

"Levon!" I screamed, the smoke choking down my cry. Kaizen gripped my hand, holding me back. I clawed at his hold, my nails digging into his flesh as I saw the haunting sorrow fill his eyes. I turned back, taking in Levon's bloodied body, charred and broken.

Horror flooded my soul as I sunk to my burnt knees and clasped my hand over my clothed mouth. A sharp, jagged fragment of the carriage impaled Levon's chest, and his blood pooled around him, glistening dark and ominous in the firelight.

"LEVON!" I wailed, my voice cracking as hot tears spilled freely down my bloodied face. I pushed free of Kaizen's hold, trying to reach him.

Kaizen quickly pulled me back and hoisted me over his shoulder again, his grip unyielding. He was up and running before I could save Levon, before I could even touch him one last time. The sight of Levon's lifeless eyes haunted me, frozen in my mind and sending hot tears rolling down my cheeks.

I kicked and punched and clawed at Kaizen, my heart shattering with every step he took away from Levon and Calum.

"I'll kill you!" I rasped, coughing out tendrils of smoke that burned my lungs. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

I pounded on his back, my fists weak but relentless, driven by a fury and sorrow I had never known. My screams turned to sobs, and exhaustion overtook me, leaving me hanging limply over his shoulder. "I'll kill you," I rasped out with a cough.

Shouts and voices echoed through the dense forest that now wrapped us in its deadly grasp, while the world around me turned into a blur of tears, smoke, and despair.

"Geisha, bless us," Kaizen heaved, gently setting me down beside Levon's horse with bits of its flesh burnt and bubbling. Kaizen stooped down to grab his bow and arrows before slinging them over his back.

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