Page 91 of Fractured Shadows

I bare my teeth. “Kill the king, of course.”

ChapterForty-Six

More halflings come after the call, and I watch with great pleasure as they rush from cell to cell, causing chaos as they open each one.

The halflings who had been imprisoned, those the king continued to work on, swarm outward to join their brethren and reap their revenge.

They surge through the outer door the moment alarms begin to sound, barely letting the guards get a word out before they are cut down by the halflings. Their monstrous abilities the king deemed monstrosities make them excellent soldiers in this war—angry soldiers who aren’t afraid of death.

After all, this is what it is—a war against the gilded king.

I spare my men one more look before turning and hardening my heart, knowing that before the night is through, I will be a killer.

The king’s blood will stain my hands and soul forever, but it’s a price I’m willing to pay to free my sister and save our lands.

After all, the hero always pays the price, and I suppose, in this case, I’m the hero, even if it makes me a monster as well.

I hurry past the dead guards, follow the flow of halflings up the many stairs, and burst out into the gilded castle above, where madness reigns. Soldiers rush the halflings as servants hide and run, screaming at the sight of their monstrous appearance. Blood splatters the gilded floors, and yells and shouts sound from the soldiers who haven’t been cut down yet. They are horrified by the halflings, but they run when I appear with my monsters surrounding me.

It’s just the distraction I need, but for a moment, I hesitate, unsure where to go.

Until I feel the magic.

It pulls me, like a vice around my heart, telling me where to go, and in it, I feel its purpose and determination. I feel how long the magic has been waiting for this moment, waiting for me, the one to free it.

In turn, that determination fills me as I let magic flow through my body, lifting me up above the stairs, even as my monsters thunder up them. Razcorr flies by my side as I land on the golden banister and tilt my head, my eyes closed as I let the magic fuel me.

My eyes snap open when I find what I’m looking for. I turn my head and leap off the railing as if I’ve always been so acrobatic. I land on soft, silent feet and follow the pull.

My destiny.

I know it will lead me where I need to go.

I’m here, use me, I tell it.Let us end this. Let us bring peace back to the land.

The resounding warmth that spreads through me lets me know it hears me, it sees me, and it’s with me. The magic gathered from all four corners of our world surges through me. I am merely a weapon, one meant to carve the rot from our lands.

After all, there must always be a price paid, and magic requires sacrifice—death.

Just as I was sacrificed to the monsters, so shall the king be.

The magic was reborn with me, but with him, it will be free.

Our tale was told before our birth. I feel it in the air and the collapsing of time, as if every moment has come together to create this single event. Along the way, I made choices that led me here. I could have given in.

I could have stopped fighting to survive.

I could have let my sister be sacrificed.

I chose to fight though. I chose this path, and now I must see it through to the end.

Ignoring the paintings and decorations littering the castle, the soldiers rush toward us, determined to stop our progress, but my monsters easily deal with them. I hurry along the corridor on silent feet, following the magic that pulls me, knowing I have a duty to the realms. When the soldiers spot me, I have no doubt I glow with the power in my veins. Despite the fear in their eyes, a few try to get in my way and stop me.

With a simple flick of my fingers, they are out of my path, nothing more than a temporary hindrance.

With each step, I hasten more, feeling this all-powerful knowing that if I miss this chance, it will be the end for all of us—monsters and humans alike.

I turn to the right sharply, taking some curving steps higher into the castle, into the tower and turret beyond, until I end before a simple golden door. Despite the humble design, I feel him hiding behind it.

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