Page 31 of Reign of Betrayal

My eyes are closed, my hands extended out in front of me. Before I closed them there was a tiny flame hovering over my palms.

“Now, feel that power. Follow it down further and further. Feel for the sensation and will the power into your hand,” Kylo instructs, his voice calm.

I feel for it. It’s there. A fiery pit of burning hell, wrapped in broken promises and lost time—dipped in feral rage and speckled with grief. It’s just sitting in the pit of my stomach. I follow the feeling down, down, down. Tugging on it, I feel a surge of heat—so intense I clench my eyes tighter. When I adjust, I open them to see my tiny flame transformed into a large, blazing inferno. Goddesses above, I did it! I suppress a squeal of excitement.

Kylo claps me on the shoulder. “See! I knew you could do it. Now all we have to do is see what you can do with it. But that will have to wait for another day.”

With training concluded, everyone heads to the healer with their guards. Since I don’t need healing, and Lukene left, I slip away, wandering down a different palace corridor. I just want to explore a bit before returning to my room.

As I approach a hall, I hear yelling. Curiosity gets the best of me, overpowering my sense of caution. I follow the sound until I am near the front of the palace. I peer around a pillar at the wide-open front doors, and see two royal guards, Prince Lukene, and a man in tattered rags. The man’s voice is desperate, raw.

“Please! Please! I know they are in there. I know you have them!” the man begs, his voice cracking with anguish.

“Sir, you need to leave now. We don’t have your children. And don’t come back again with this foolishness, or you will meet the end of my sword,” Lukene commands, his voice thunderous and merciless.

The man collapses to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. “Two precious little children… they are all I have left, after my wife died. The royals came and took them!” His grief echoes through the grand hall.

“My men would do no such thing!” Lukene roars, his voice cold and unforgiving.

I creep closer to the entrance, my ears straining to hear. Then, in a flash, the man stands and lunges at Lukene with a dagger. But before the blade even comes close, Lukene unsheathes his short sword and drives it into the man’s gut. The movement is swift, practiced, lethal.

With the sword still buried in the man’s belly, Prince Lukene leans in, his voice low. “May the Mother,” he murmurs, and with one brutal pull, he rips the man’s abdomen open. Entrails and blood pour out of him, a waterfall of crimson and gore. He drops to his knees and looks down as his insides spill out, splashing on the ground. Then, he crumples into the mess in front of him. His eyes are wide open, yet seeing nothing.

Tears prick my eyes as a strangled gasp escapes me. Realizing my mistake, I clamp my hands over my mouth, my heart hammering. I pray to the Mother that the Prince doesn’t hear me.

But he does. Prince Lukene turns around and faces me. His eyes darken and narrow. He looks like the ruler of the double hells himself with blood splattered all over his face. He’s a monster—a real monster. The devil, alive and well, now faces me.

He stalks toward me. Slowly, I back away, eyes wide, mouth on the floor. Is he going to kill me? He still has his bloody sword in his hand as he gets closer and closer to me. I back up until my back hits the pillar and he’s in front of me.

I can’t breathe, my heart is punching my ribcage as if trying to escape. I feel terror like I have never felt before. He places both hands on either side of my head, effectively boxing me in with his sword still in hand, blood dripping from it. The metallic tang of blood fills my nose as we stare at each other. My chest rises and drops raggedly as my legs threaten to give out.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, Reckless. You were supposed to go to the healer,” he says, his voice disturbingly gentle. His piercing eyes search mine as if reading every thought, every fear. I squirm under his menacing green-eyed stare. His dark aura is bleeding into me, enveloping me in its evil embrace. How can someone be so dangerous yet so beautiful? He is hauntingly formidable.

“I uh… I uh…” I can’t breathe, all the air from my lungs is caught in my throat. I look past Lukene and watch as two guards lift the dead man off the ground, more of his insides falling out. I think I’m going to be sick, but I can’t tear my eyes away.

A strong, warm hand cups my face, and Lukene tilts my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Reckless,” he murmurs, “I need you to go to your room now. A healer will be there soon. Go. Now.” His voice is soft, too soft for a man that just ripped open another man’s stomach.

I nod. He removes his arm, and I slip out, never taking my eyes off him until I reach the corridor. My legs are like jelly, and my vision blurs as the world tilts. Oh, Gods, I am going to pass out. I can’t breathe. My body tingles, and darkness creeps into the edges of my mind. I’m falling, and the last thing I feel is a pair of strong hands catching me before everything goes black.

* * *

I wakein my room to find Sasha sitting next to my bed. “Oh good, you’re awake! The healer just left and said you should be up soon.”

I sit up, and she hands me a glass of water. Greedily, I take it, drinking the entirety of the glass. “Why was the healer here?”

“Well… You passed out. Plus, she healed your wrist and ribs.”

I grunt in frustration and rub a hand down my face. That arrogant, know-it-all bastard.

“Come on. Let’s get you bathed and dressed. Lilyana should be here soon. She wants you to go to the market with her.”

“Why?” I ask, scrunching my face in confusion.

“I don’t know. All she said is to get you ready when you wake.”

Sighing, I make my way to the washroom and wash up as usual. When I emerge wrapped in a drying cloth, Sasha has laid out a beautiful cream-colored dress. She helps me slip it on and expertly pulls my hair into a bun at the nape of my neck.

* * *

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