Page 101 of Kingdom of Rot & Ruin
Oh shit.
Nisar was still alive.
Sucks for him.
I felt around the edges of the hole, an idea in my mind. These old mine shafts were once functional; and that meant there couldn’t just be random holes in tunnels. The sides of this hole were smooth, meaning it was intentional. That meant there should be?—
“Yes!”
A rough rope ladder lay attached to the hole about halfway around the circle. The rope was thick and abrasive against my palm. It should be enough to hold my weight.
Hell of a gamble.
Less of one than tripping into an abyss, however.
Cautiously, I gripped the rope ladder and put one leg on the rung. It was massive and sturdy. Hopefully, it went the whole way down.
Into darkness.
That was putting it mildly. I lost all concept of time and space in the inky dark, focused only on continuing my descent. My blood pounded in my ears, anxiety and excitement turning my stomach.
Excitement? Excitement for what?
If he’s already dying, what’s a little experiment for the sake of knowledge? You wouldn’t even have to lie about how he died …
Not lying? That would be something novel.
I shouldn’t be excited Nisar was bleeding out on the ground below me. That’s not how people normally reacted, was it? Sure, I’d been excited about seeing my enemies get their comeuppance in the past—M, the queen, stupid Nobles who’d sneered at me. What exactly had Nisar done that was so terrible? He was an idiot, sure, but had that always been a death sentence?
Yes.
I shook away the niggling thought. It wasn’t normal. It wasn’t right.
And yet, I wasn’t bothered by it.
“H-help …”
My foot hit hard rock instead of another rung on the ladder. I let go, and weighed my options. The knife felt heavy at my waist, my bloodmagick flaring and giving away my position.
And Nisar’s.
It wasn’t pretty. He lay prone on his back, his left arm and leg bent awkwardly underneath him. His head lay angled to the side, eyes staring straight ahead and away from me.
He wouldn’t even see it coming.
I thought about what I’d planned to do with the Fireguard; what my bloodmagick had wanted me to do. It was one thing when it was a nameless guard I didn’t know—could I do it to Nisar? Sure he was irritating, but to finish him in cold blood for my own purposes?
We’re all dead anyhow.
I unsheathed my knife and moved forward. He wouldn’t even see me coming.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
Adopey grin plastered itself on my face. Each step back out of the cavern felt like walking on air. I barely felt the climb up the ladder, and I didn’t need a torch; my bloodmagick glowed with renewed strength and vigor, lighting the path for me.
I didn’t even mind the mess of Nisar’s blood all over my hands. The knife had gone through his neck like butter, severing his windpipe and?—
