Afraid of the Dark

Chapter 33: Untamable

Reela runs through the bleeding streets up the path to Calphurnia's keep, ducking behind the burning buildings and trees to hopefully avoid getting caught by any of the Varagores invaders, all while the centaurs engage in bloody battle as if their home isn't currently being taken over by orcs. At this point, it doesn't even seem like the centaurs care who they're fighting. They're killing others from their own tribes, as well as the others. All they want is bloodshed.

Reela's gaze darts back, catching sight of Cree swiftly driving his knife through the throat of an orc who caught notice of them. As the lifeless body hits the ground, Cree's attention snaps back to Reela, his eyes filled with urgency and growing irritation.

"How much farther?" he asks.

Reela sighs and looks forward to the path ahead. "Almost there. Just a little further up the mountain," she calls back before resuming running up the path. She's fucking exhausted. The last time she went up to the keep, Corb carried her most of the way. Now she's walking on her own while both sleep deprived and still slightly hungover.

Cree follows as best he can with his headache, which Reela has to keep in mind that she can't run too fast or else risk him lagging behind. She's still not quite sure how the hell he's even here, but they'll get to that after escaping this hell pit.

After a bit more running, they reach the top of the mountain and Reela races to the doors, trying to push them open, but they're too heavy to move on her own so Cree steps up beside her and helps her shove them open to let them into the keep.

But as Reela takes just one step forward, her stride abruptly halts. Time seems to stand still as her eyes fixate on the scene before her. Calphurnia, a pillar of strength for the last of the centaur race, lies motionless on the cold stone floor surrounded by a crimson pool of her own blood. The sight sends chills through Reela's body, stopping her in her tracks with her father at her side.

But anger overseeds her shock as her gaze shifts to the figure standing over Calphurnia's fallen body. M'Venaas exudes an eerie calmness as she nonchalantly wipes the blood from her broadsword using Calphurnia's own cloak.

Reela may not have agreed with Calphurnia, but she was the only tribe leader to survive after Aramora was destroyed. She was the last symbol of hope for the centaur race. Maybe without Taanys' influence, the Endile Tribe wouldn't have been as violent as they were. But without a leader, Varagores might as well have everything they wanted. The inevitable extinction of the centaur race.

As they enter, M'Venaas' ear flicks towards the sound of their footsteps, and she turns her head with an air of curiosity, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. The smile grows wider as her gaze settles upon Reela and then Cree. Her eyes linger on Cree, a flicker of recognition mixed with a touch of disdain.

"She sees Avinalyn failed to keep you on your leash," she sighs, her voice dripping with condescension. She shifts her body, fully facing Reela and Cree.

Reela's mind races, trying to piece together the meaning behind what the Tus'Felnis just said. Her gaze turns to Cree in search of answers. "Wait... Avinalyn?"

Cree sighs as he meets Reela's gaze with a tired stare. "Told you it's a long story," he mutters, a sense of defeat in his voice. His attention quickly returns to M'Venaas, his glare fixated on her. He gestures toward the lifeless body of Calphurnia, seeking confirmation. "I take it that was the tribe leader?"

M'Venaas' giggle cuts through the silence of the keep. With a calculated elegance, she steps over the fallen body and stops to kick Calphurnia's leg with a cocky hiss.

"Indeed. It's not like the centaurs will be in need of a leader for much longer," she shrugs, her words dripping with a chilling blend of malice and satisfaction. "And without order, chaos will only continue to breed," the way she's talking carries a foreboding sense of purpose that reminds Reela of the way Taanys spoke just under an hour ago when she killed Adaste.