Purest Corruption - The Darkling [General Kirigan]

• Chapter 20 •

TW: Thoughts of suicide

**

I pulled my hands up and summoned light to blind him, but he was too quick. He threw something at me, and then my arms were tied down at my waist. I struggled against the restraints, but it was no use. I couldn't believe it; even after Elijah had given his life for mine, I was going to die.

I did the only thing I could at that point, and I screamed as loud as I could for as long as my lungs would allow. The Fjerdan had made the mistake of leaving the door ajar, so I knew that someone was bound to hear me. I just hoped that it was Kirigan.

The Fjerdan man ran towards me and covered my mouth, "Shhh, we wouldn't want anyone to come save you now, would we?"

His actions made me cry harder than I had been because if no one had heard my first scream, then I wouldn't be saved. The man drug me down the dimly lit corridor, and I fought in every way I could.

If I had just stayed put like Kirigan had told me to in the first place, then this wouldn't be happening.

Elijah might still be alive.

"Where are you taking me?" I spat out, even though I knew he probably wouldn't answer me. And I was right. We continued on in silence until we made it to another door, and I was able to tell this one lead outside because of the light draft that could be felt.

As he pushed open the door, sunlight flooded the darkness we'd once been in, and I had to shut my eyes because of how bright it was. That's when I heard the Fjerdan beside me gasp, which caused me to open my eyes abruptly.

Kirigan was standing there will Ivan and Fedyor, the latter two causing the Fjerdan's heart to stop. Before they could finish, though, Kirigan held up his hand, signaling them to stop. Once they did, he questioned the man who had taken me.

"Who let you into the palace?" His tone was stern and commanding, but I knew he wouldn't get any answers. The Fjerdan laughed, which did nothing to quell the anger I saw in the general's eyes.

He summoned The Cut before asking again, "Who let you into the palace?" Of course, his scare tactic didn't work, and it only caused the Fjerdan to laugh harder in the face of death.

"If only you knew, but you never-" He never got to finish his sentence because the dark shadowy blade tore through him. As his body dropped to the ground, I didn't feel a single emotion for the man.

He had killed Elijah.

I looked down at the body, numbness taking me over from the inside out. It was almost a relief, almost. I felt large hands on my shoulders and a muffled voice near my ear, so I turned my face and found it inches from Kirigan's. Only then did I begin to hear what he was saying to me.

"Ana, I'm going to undo the rope holding your arms down, okay?" I finally snapped back to reality and nodded. As soon as I was untied, I rubbed my arms and looked down at my hands.

I forgot there was blood on them.

The world blurred around me, and I just stared at my red-stained skin. It didn't feel real, and how I was processing this now was a far cry from how I did earlier.

I feel nothing.

"...your blood?" Kirigan's voice broke through again, and I looked up at him.

"What?"

"Is this your blood?" He asked again, taking my hands in his. I shook my head and furrowed my brows.

Whose blood was this again?

"Not mine...Elijah's," I slowly said as the realization dawned on me.