Page 6 of Thorns of Deceit: The Beast Within

Skylar noticed the Gryphon turn its gaze upon the assembled crowd, regarding them with an alien intelligence that was at once ancient and terrifyingly aware. Through their shared consciousness, she sensed it bow its head to the Clawbornes, a gesture of fealty that felt almost mocking in its grace.

King Lyinell stepped forward, his voice steady but strained. Skylar, attuned to the subtleties of court politics, sensed the tension in his words, a hint of fear he couldn’t quite mask. “Divine Beast, protector of Regalclaw,” he intoned across the battlefield. “Obey our pact and fulfill your duty!”

Inside her mind, Skylar screamed. She was still there, trapped within her own body yet connected to the beast, disoriented and afraid. The thoughts pounded in her head, a relentless drumbeat that drowned out all reason.

Protect the kingdom.

Destroy the enemies.

Kill them all.

Skylar struggled against the tide of bloodlust, desperately trying to hold onto her humanity. Her thoughts. Her personality. But they slipped away like sand through her fingers. Reality seemed to pulse and throb, colors becoming more vivid, scents more intense. Everything was too much, too loud, too bright.

The Gryphon’s head snapped towards the battlefield, nostrils flaring as it scented the air. With an ear-splitting shriek that shook the very ground, it launched itself into the sky—taking Skylar’s consciousness with it. Powerful wings carried it aloft, each beat stirring up clouds of dust and debris.

Suddenly, Skylar saw the world from high above the battlefield, through the Gryphon’s eyes. Everything sharpened, gained definition. She picked out individual soldiers in the writhing mass below, smelling their fear, hearing the frantic beating of their little mortal hearts.

The Divine Beast reveled in their terror. It whispered dark possibilities, painting vivid pictures of carnage and destruction. Why stop at the enemy? After all, even the most loyal soldier could turn traitor. But the true danger might lie much closer to the throne—a blazing flame that is waiting to devour everything. Wouldn’t it be safer to annihilate everyone but the King?

No!

Skylar railed against these thoughts, horrified by their brutality. This wasn’t her. She wasn’t a monster, a mindless killing machine. She was…

Who was she?

The question echoed in her mind, unanswered. She couldn’t remember. Everything was slipping away, consumed by the Divine Beast’s overwhelming presence.

Maybe the Gryphon was right. Humans were all the same. None of them were special. It didn’t matter if all of them were killed, as long as the Regalclaw and the Clawbornes were safe. That was the pact. All that mattered. Power to protect. Wouldn’t a kingdom without people guarantee safety?

Yes. That makes sense.

“Skylar!”

A voice. Familiar. Important. It sliced through the cloud of bloodlust, anchoring her for a brief moment.

“Sky, don’t lose yourself. Find your way back to me.”

Arye. It was Arye calling to her. Not commanding, not ordering, but asking. Pleading. His voice carried a rare vulnerability.

For a heartbeat, Skylar’s mind cleared. She saw Arye below, kneeling beside her own motionless body, shaking her shoulder. His face was a mask of concern and determination. Then, as if sensing her presence, Arye looked up, his eyes locking onto the Gryphon’s high above. There was no fear in his gaze. Only a fierce, unwavering trust that made her heart ache with longing.

In that moment of clarity, Skylar seized control. Her awareness snapped back to her own body. With every ounce of willpower she possessed, she forced the Gryphon to obey her will. The effort was monumental, like trying to redirect a river with her bare hands.

“Destroy the enemy who crossed our borders,” she ordered, her voice a guttural roar that barely resembled human speech. The words tore at her throat, leaving it raw and aching. “But don’t you dare harm a single Regalclaw soldier.”

The Gryphon shrieked in acknowledgment, the sound piercing Skylar’s ears like daggers. The beast wheeled in the air before diving towards the Thorncrest lines. Divine talons ripped through armor and bodies alike, the screech of tearing metal indistinguishable from the agonized screams of the dying. That cruel beak crushed skulls and tore limbs from bodies, the sickening crack of bones and wet squelch of sundered flesh turning Skylar’s stomach. Blood and gore rained from the sky, painting the battlefield a glistening crimson.

Carrion birds dove between the Gryphon’s attacks, pecking at the eyes of the fallen and feasting on the entrails of the disemboweled, their raucous cries decorating their feast. The sight sickened Skylar, yet she couldn’t look away. It was as ifshe was watching the carnage through two sets of eyes—her own horror-struck gaze and the Gryphon’s predatory vision.

Skylar felt every death, every scream of agony. Tears streamed down the Gryphon’s face—her face—a bizarre sensation that only added to her disorientation.

Through the chaos, she heard Captain Knox’s voice, unusually high. “By the roots, look! Thorncrest’s breaking!” The awe in his tone was palpable, even through Skylar’s fog of anguish.

“Push forward!” King Lyinell’s triumphant command rang out. “Victory is within our grasp!” Skylar could almost feel the surge of renewed energy in the troops around her.

The battle raged on, time losing all meaning. With each life the Gryphon took, Skylar felt herself slipping further away. The beast’s bloodlust was overwhelming, drowning her humanity in primal violence.

The sensations overwhelmed her. She tasted blood. Torn cloth caught under her fingernails. The crack of breaking bones echoed in her ears. The disgusting smell of voided bowels burned in her nostrils. And everywhere, shocked gazes met her own.

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