Crowns of Flame and Ice - Book One

(47) Let it Burn

I felt... nothing as I stalked down the remainder of the hallway in the house. That scared me slightly, how easy it had been to slice my father's head from his shoulders. He had killed hundreds of innocents, if not more, and was a cruel and wicked leader who did not care for his people. I heard the steady pat of blood against the wooden flooring as it dripped from the severed head in my hand.

I didn't bother to enter the room skilfully or quietly, they knew I was here. In fact, I likely entered the room in the least tactful way possible. Multiple floorboards creaked, my footsteps sounded on the floorboards and I accidentally swung my father's head against the doorframe as I entered leaving behind a smear of red. I didn't bat an eye at it, he wouldn't feel it, he was already dead after all.

The sight before me sent my heart skittering as I entered the small dusty room. A threadbare sofa was pushed haphazardly to one wall, a thick layer of dust coating it. Lopsided art hung from the walls, they were nothing to note. But what caused a thick layer of unease to coat my tongue was the scene in the middle of the room. Two guards held Quilo's arms outstretched in an uncomfortable position behind his back, his knees pressed harshly into the floor below him. His face turned a sickly white colour as my eyes met his, they widened slightly, "run, get out of here Anala". I gave a small shake of my head, "I'm not leaving you". My eyes dragged upwards and behind Quilo, to the figure holding a sleek blade to his throat.

"Hello, princess" The king of Calvain crooned. The head in my hand continued to drip steadily, the red liquid creating a puddle at my feet. I flung it to the feet of the king of Calvain, the unpleasant squish as it hit the floor and rolled echoing through the room. "Kin slayer" Quilo's father chuckled looking at the head distastefully. I laughed, "you're one to talk". He lifted his shoulders and then let them fall, a dismissive gesture that told me he didn't care for his family at all. I steeled my shoulders, preparing for whatever blow he was about to give.

The king merely sighed, "I have to admit I'm disappointed in my son. Using the object for such a simple thing as these... crowns and sharing its power with you". Was he really that idiotic? "it was supposed to be used to save our kingdoms and here you are using it for vanity like a couple of villains". I snorted but stayed quiet, my mouth wouldn't help me here, I wouldn't risk Quilo. The king brought the dagger closer to Quilo's throat, a faint trickle of blood soaking into his shirt. "He tried to convince me that there wasn't an object" the king shook his head, "such lies. I wonder who taught him to be so selfish". I sucked on my teeth, willing the words I wanted to spit at him to disappear down my throat. I found that I couldn't, so I said instead "he spoke the truth, there is no object". The king sighed exasperatedly as if disappointed. Then to my annoyance, he looked up at the ceiling, counted to ten then looked back at me as if I were the problem.

"give it to me or I will kill the boy," The king said simply. Quilo let out a breath between his clenched teeth as the guards tightened their grip on his arms. I moved past his pain and instead raised a cocky eyebrow, "what makes you think that has any power over me?" The king raised an eyebrow at me, "if he dies, so does your magic". I must've looked confused because he added "once its power is separated and the user dies if one half of it ceases to exist the whole is broken". I shivered, the king didn't know what that was really about. My eyes met Quilos, I couldn't imagine him not being by my side. If one side of the coin was wiped away, it lost half of itself. "I'm not going to let that happen" I assured Quilo over the bridge. I couldn't be certain that that was the case but the despair that had flashed across his face was forever going to be etched into my mind.

"How did you even know where to find us?" I asked, saying anything to buy time. I couldn't risk attacking anyone, not with the guards at his sides and the dagger at his throat. I needed a distraction... the king coughed as if sensing my attention slip. "we got word from one of the whores at that place called the vaults, I'm sure you're familiar with the place, she seemed more than happy to hand over information about you" He explained. Vassa, the name slithered through me uneasily. It had to be her, she was the one who was pissed I had upstaged her. I was not in the least bit sorry, it wasn't my fault I was a better dancer than her. I glared at the king, the suggestion around the word whore making my lip curl, the king shrugged.