Mark of the Erios

Chapter 15: Laress, Again

Krysian Yelt Point of View

Watching the life drain from the man's eyes I felt the dinner from the last night resurface. I bend overthrowing up every last bit of the food across the mound of bodies beneath me. Never have I killed another person with such a vengeance in their eyes. I am just the type to threaten they back down. I gurgle some of the water on my hip cleaning out my mouth to spit it across the field. My comrades' work to take care of the rest while I stand useless for a moment needing to comprehend the gravity of the situation. I don't think I was ready enough.

"Sugar, it's okay, we took care of the rest, the bowman are waiting for your call." He comes up behind me laying a hand on my shoulder blade, his smile is comforting as I stand up take a head count. No one's dead yet.

I watch Asia grab at one of the last soldiers snapping his head like a berry between her strong jaws. The blood gushes out over the edges of her mouth, the body dropping to the ground.

Don't fear me, rider.

Cleaning myself up a little better I walk closer to the tree line and call out to the bowman, each of them taking their turn to drop from the trees. Each of them rack their arrows ready for the next wave of soldiers.

Srogray calls everyone to move out and after a quick cleaning up of weapons while picking through the army to snag a couple more for our belts. I keep it together as I grab another small blade for my boot, a habit that has developed for myself. My old blade left me when Damien and I got bombarded in the field.

"Did that seem almost too easy to you?" I grumble to him as we clear the way to the castle, Srogray scratches his jaw, the other hand wrapped tightly around his sais. While he likes a long blade, he finds his movements more controlled with smaller blades that work in tandem.

Srogray adjusts his belt while thinking about his answer, "Yes, it did, but we must persist. No reason to call dragon pup now."

We all come to the back, most go left to the north side while a smaller group joins Srogray and I on the south. Sro cracks the siding on a window slipping us in, I take out the guard from behind. Each of us take our time entering the room after a few of them take off to take care of surrounding guards.

Srogray and I stick our head into the hallway, our crew standing behind us waiting. Marking all clear we continue into the carpeted area. Contrary to the outside that looks like death's playground, the interior of the castle is well maintained. The dragons hold back monitoring the skies both dragons nodding to me in thanks before they take off.

"There's not a single thing in here..." I mutter trying to find even a dust bunny in a small room at the end of the hallway. Srogray groans quietly lowering his weapon to look around the room. All of the other rooms we slipped into were similar, like they had too much space and not enough stuff to fill it.

"Oh? Nothing?" The scratchy voice calls through the room. What the? My brain frazzles to find the owner, no one in sight. I see Srogray raise his sais with me, "You really think you could have taken down the greatest empire with a few stragglers and a little water ability? You don't even know the extent of your power, the fact you could make people bow to your name. Such a pity that my daughter was raised so innocent."

"Come out here and show your face. Who do you think you are calling me your daughter?"

"Now that is the Laressian princess I was hoping to see! Let me freshen up a moment."

Below us the floor starts to creak and open up behind Srogray and I.

"Wait no! Get out! Find the others!" I try to encourage the group to move, but the floor is faster taking them down into a hole leading who knows where. They all drop falling to what one would assume is their deaths. I stand against the barrier, reaching out my hand trying to catch them, but some force is keeping me from being able to reach out to them, or move from my position.