Page 57 of A Kingdom of Death & Darkness
There’s no need for me to rush. My approach is inevitable. I move toward the castle gate, my steps strangely cathartic as my bare feet crunch across burned grass. Every movement feels like fate. Every breath I take feels like an announcement.
I am here. I am coming. I will finish this.
There’s little to no struggle to get inside the castle. The few vampires the Dead don’t take out are quickly dispatched by my men. Many of them don’t even raise their weapons to Christian, their fear dictating they can’t attack the Prince. It’s almost too easy to walk inside now. Like we could have done it before, but Christian will never be able to raise his sword to his own father. His bloodline dictates it. But me? I don’t have any lineage fighting against me. I don’t falter as I track his scent to the throne room. He’s there.
He holes up inside of it, the doors barricaded, Promised lined up on the inside like cannon fodder. Sacrifices, nothing more.
“Be careful of the Promised,” I say, my voice echoing again. “They’re just inside the door.”
“Is there enough room to kick it open?” Rorrick asks, trusting my instincts over his own.
I nod, and that’s all the affirmation he needs. He rears back, and with a powerful kick at the wood, slams his boot as hard as possible into it. Splinters fly through the night. The doors burst open with a bang that would scare even the bravest of men. The Promised barely whimper, and I realize Boris has drugged many of them to keep them quiet.
The moment the doors open, I step inside, my eyes searching for the vampire I seek. I find him standing on the raised dais before his throne, his stance powerful even as I can see the slight shaking of his shoulders. His ego dictates he stand there and face me, and when he sees it’s me leading the charge, he actually laughs.
The fool.
The old men of his council flee the room, running and screaming. And the Dead warriors we brought with us... they follow after them.
Thorn growls and goes to take a step forward, but my hand on his arm stops him.
“He’s mine to kill,” I tell him. “It has to be me.”
They’ve all earned the right to kill this man, but I won’t place that burden at their feet. I’m different now because of them, for them, and it’s my duty to perform. I’ll save them the blood on their hands.
There are a few vampire warriors before him, their weapons out. They shake with fear, swallowing thickly when they see the Dead start to pour in.
“Not the Promised,” I say, nodding to Rorrick to help them out of the way. “They remain intact.”
The Dead surround us. “And the rest?”
I raise my brow at Boris. “The rest are fair game.”
The massacre that happens will stick with me forever. The screams echo off the gilded walls like a grotesque symphony that somehow makes me vibrate with pride. This is what theywanted. This is their legacy. Blood, carnage, fear. I’m only giving them what they asked for.
When only Boris remains on the dais, I step forward, and the Dead bow down, readying themselves. This is it. This is everything I’m made for. This is my role here in this realm.
Boris seems to realize he has nowhere to go and that we overpower him. But when he sees the Queen of the Dead, his eyes widen further, and there’s this strange craze that appears in his eyes. He may be outgunned, but true to his fashion, his ego won’t allow him to remain silent.
He bares his fangs at the Dead Queen. “I should have burned you at the stake,” he snarls at her.
She grins maniacally. “Yes,” she replies. “You should have.”
So many months ago, this vampire scared me. I was human and weak and afraid. Now, I don’t even twitch as he looks at me, as he readies himself for a fight he thinks he can win. He thinks I’m still weak. I can see it in his eyes. Unlike his son, he’s not very perceptive.
Once a pretty pet, always a pretty pet.
Except I’m no one’s pet. Not anymore. Not ever again.
I smile. And the Blood King rushes me.
FORTY
Thorn
Everything moves so quickly,I almost can’t follow the events that transpire. My instincts don’t scream at me to leap in between Boris and Crymson when he lurches forward, ready to kill. Crymson can hold her own, that much I know. I would have been worried before, but now, her power feels greater than even I can comprehend. Conjoined with the training we’d done while in the Thorn Kingdom, I’m certain she’ll be able to take out the Blood King now easily.
Strange, considering we weren’t able to before.
