The Angel of Death (18+)

Chapter 29: Winter

I hear a faint chirping of a morning bird in the distance, so it seems I did survive the night.

I open my eyes and bring up my stiff arm to block the blinding light hitting me square in the eye. I inhale deeply, getting all the oxygen I can to circulate though my system, hoping to loosen up my stiff joints.

Something soft hits my head, and I feel a wet spot where it was hit. I look up and see flakes of white coming down, it was snowing. I do a mental calculation of the seasons and come up with Autumn, but if it were Autumn, why would it be snowing?

I look around more, being sure to tuck away the small details and spot frost coated grass and plants. As I'm looking up though the trees with no leaves blocking the sky it hits me, there are no leaves.

As if it weren't Autumn but Winter was in full effect....

How long was I out?

I go to unbuckle my belt, but find it frozen over. None of this was a good sign. I place my hands against the buckle, the cold biting into my hands and close my eyes, and let my power simmer beneath my skin. I open my eyes, and look down at the buckle, it's melted.

I climb down the tree and land softly on the snow covered ground. I set off in no particular direction, content with just walking but my mind was overfilled with unanswered questions.

I walk for hours, letting my mind fight itself for answers that are probably entirely wrong. So far I've come up with the other version of me being from an alternate dimension, my power being some sort of gift, more like curse, from a god of death, and then my ability to die and come back. There's only been one thing that been heard of doing that. A phoenix, and those are only a myth.

Which gives me nothing.

"Put your back into it John!"

I stop, and look towards the source of the sound. I can't see anything just yet so I walk forward until I hit a wall of shrubs that blocks the oncoming view. I push them out of the way and see a group of men working some sort of construction. In the distance I hear more voices.

"Have you heard what's been going on lately? More unknown attacks lately John. It's getting worse."

"I know, I wonder if it has anything to do with the king's new...experiments."

I watch from my hiding spot for a few hours, declaring the risks of going out there and exposing myself. They talked of the girls they fucked, the daily gossip of others and the new season. From what I've heard, I could deduct that I was out for about a month.

A month.

How was that even possible?

"All right John, I'm heading home for the night. Don't stay too late!" One of the men I've learned whose name was Alastair.

"Gentleman before you go, we have a quick inspection from the Commander." The foreman says to the group of workers.

My heart would stop beating if it weren't already dead. The Commander. He was here.

I slink back from my spot and prepare myself, I was going to kill him for what he did to me. The rage inside of me begging to be released upon this coward of a man. I was ready.

I hear a group of hooves pound against the ground and the creaking of metal armor. He must be close, then I hear him.

"I have the authority of the King to inspect and detain any unlawful weapons. Submit without restraint and this will go quickly." The Commander instructs them.

"You heard him! Get on it!" The foreman yells at them. Now's my chance.

Damn the consequences if this goes wrong. I only want him to pay for what he did to me.

I sprung out from my hiding spot, and swung my blade at anyone who came near me. I was blind with rage, vision red. The workers came at me, with swords much too fine for such lowly workers...they all swung at me with practiced precision. As I got closer to them I could see something unusual about their work clothes, some of them had the king's insignia on them.

This was a trap, and I just ran into it.

A laugh to my right, I swing my head towards it. Towards him.

It was only me and him and his guards flanking him. I didn't even realize I butchered my way through the others so quickly.

I tell him in a voice that I don't recognize as my own, a smile upon my lips, "You will die for what you did to me, and I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart."

He counters, "When will you learn? You played right into my hand." Then a loud ringing goes off, and it brings me to my knees. I look to the side and see a device, I get up against the protesting in my limbs and go towards it, determined to shut it off.

"How is she doing this?" A guard murmurs to his comrade, "SHUSH!" The Commander yells at them, "Enough, let us end this."

I feel the vibrations in the ground of someone walking towards me, so I place my hands flat against the earth and push my powers out into it. The horses start whinnying and their riders try to calm them, but it's too late. They start bucking, and some of them succeed in getting their riders off and bolt.

"Stop her now!" The Commander yells. I push more out, and soldiers start falling, gasping for breath as their hands and bodies start to wither.

"Must I do everything myself?" He questions to himself, and walks to me, I look up to him as he stands in front of me. And I lunge my hidden knife into his abdomen. I feel his blood coat my hands as he screams out in pain. In a rage he punches me in the face, and I fall to the ground.

As I begin to lose consciousness, I feel the remaining soldiers bound my hands and legs, and I feel my power snuff out like it was never there. Cold fingers grip my chin forcing me to look up, the Commander whispers to me so only that I can hear, "You will regret you ever existed. I will own you and make you do my bidding." He punches me again, and says one last thing as I begin to drift off, "That was for stabbing me."

As my eyes close for the last time, I look down to see my hands that are coated in blood. However it was not red blood, but instead black.