Page 42 of A Kingdom so Crimson

He looked down and away, shaking his head. "I don't know. But I have much to do today, so let's hurry with our run."

He began jogging away, leaving me with the sinking feeling that he wasn't telling the truth.

16

Isat alone in my room during lunch, hoping the sunlight streaming through the tall pines outside would offer me the same tranquility cascading through my windows. Yet, my mind was anything but calm, swirling with relentless questions and uncertainties. I reached for a book from the stack Levon had given me, hoping to find solace in its pages. But no matter how hard I tried, my thoughts kept gravitating back to the impending Match, the mysterious Spellcasters, and Levon's cryptic mentions of thekeyI was to him and the stranger who had intruded on my training.

I let out a grunt of irritation, slamming the book closed and feeling the soft, worn spine against my calloused fingers. I had less than an hour before I was scheduled for supper prepping duty with Elise and Saasha, and I silently welcomed the prospect of their company.

Setting the book back on the side table, I grabbed my plate and took it down to the main hall, where I put it on a table before the library.

I peeked into the immaculate room, noticing that Madam Hannel wasn't in her usual place behind her desk. Quietly, I hurried to the back corner she had initially directed me to on my first day here. I never had the opportunity to explore these shelves alone, even after spending much of my free time in the library, assisting her in sorting through books and papers in hopes of uncovering anything related to the Spellcasters. Yet, my efforts always fell short.

I trailed my fingers along the rows of leather-bound books in varying shades. Starting from the far left end, I searched for any title of King Leonard, but nothing immediately caught my eye. Disheartened, I selected a few volumes and leafed through their pages, but my search seemed hopeless. Returning the books to their places, I repeated the process with several more, only uncovering details about historical dates, royal lineages, conquered territories, and military campaigns. With each passing book, my enthusiasm wilted, worn down by the tiny print on every page, until I found an old leather-worn book that looked like it was barely holding together. I leafed through the worn yellow pages to see creatures—terrifying monsters, scribbled throughout.

I turned the page to reveal a grotesque creature, its deformed body towering over the page. It looked as though it had been pieced together from shards of bone and sinew that hadn't fused correctly. The head was lopsided, with eyes of different sizes and rows of jagged teeth dripping with saliva. I shivered as I took in the unsettling image, then glanced down to read the description.

Rankhor

Creation:Unknown.

Inhabits:Unknown.

Claws are able to instantaneously inject poison and has acidic saliva. Eye shots stun them enough to get away.

I turned another few pages, each revealing more grotesque monsters that would undoubtedly haunt my nightmares. One in particular made my skin crawl: Skinners. They appeared almost human but were skeletal and unnaturally elongated, with arms that were disturbingly long and twisted. Their bodies were a patchwork of misshapen skin, bubbling grotesquely over their thin, bony frames. Obsidian eyes stared out from its hollow-like sockets, and a gaping mouth stretched wide in an expression of pure horror. A black, tattered cloak billowed behind their lanky forms, and a sharp dagger gleamed menacingly at their sides. The sight of them was enough to make my blood run cold.

Dark Magics known as Skinners

Creation:Xaldruk—The Forebear of Zepharims

Inhabits:Unmarked Territory, Premthiam, and more unknown regions.

Skinners are dark Magics who delved too deeply into dangerous anomalies from Xaldruk, transforming them into the living dead. They earned their name for their gruesome practice of skinning their victims alive and sewing the skin onto themselves. According to legend, Skinners skin their victims in a desperate attempt to feel whole again.

Approaching footsteps echoed on the polished floors, snapping me out of the horrifying trance as I slammed the book shut, feeling like I might summon them just by reading it. I swiftly shoved the worn leather book back in place and took it as my signal to retreat to the kitchen.

I began rounding the corner, trying to clear my mind of the horrid images of the monsters. Gently touching the cool surface of one of the shelves, I became aware of Levon and Kaizen's voices resonating within the library. Standing rigidly, I held my breath as their quiet voices grew louder as they walked near. I quickly returned to the opposite shelf, hoping to conceal myself.

"This is—"

"Insane?" Kaizen interjected, his annoyance palpable. "I fail to seeanysilver lining in this situation, Levon.She's isn't doing it," he spat.

"What other choice do I have?" Levon hissed through clenched teeth. "If we pull her out, the king's eyes will be on us—onher.Jesri will demand her back and take her straight to the Onyx Mar—"

Their voices abruptly ceased as another pair of shoes clicked across the floor.

"Oh! Pardon me," Madame Hannel's voice interrupted.

"No need to apologize, Katherine; we were just leaving," Levon responded warmly.

As Kaizen and Levon's footsteps faded into the main hall, I realized I had been clenching my fists.

Why was Kaizen so desperate to control what I did? And where would Jesri take me?

With my teeth clenched, I slipped out of the library. Fortunately, Madame Hannel was preoccupied with some documents, averting her attention and allowing me to slip by unnoticed. I swiftly grabbed my plate off the table and descended the spiral stairs into the kitchen.

My hands dripped with soapy water as I struggled to push back my hair while scrubbing the last ceramic plate from lunch. Wiping my wet hands on a nearby towel, I glanced over to see Saasha and Elise diligently at work. In muscle memory,their hands quickly dried and chopped ingredients in dinner preparation.

---