Blessed by the Gods (Gods & Dark Creatures Book 1)

Chapter thirty five

General Marcellus led Amaya to safety in the company of the guards. But where was it safe when they were attacked? And danger threatened even from within.

"We'll throw her over to the soldiers," said General Marcellus. "Ciaran won't be able to blame us if his brother kills her."

"Finally we'll get rid of that witch," said one of the guards.

"She's only brought bad luck since she came here," said another.

Amaya ignored their words. She really good knew what they thought of her. And she did not care. Why she should bother with thoughts of stupid humans? So weak and fragile.

A shadow moved in the torchlight. It chased them. It appeared and disappeared. The guards were restless. They didn't like it. There was something ominous in the air. But Amaya was completely calm. She liked the fear flowing in their veins.

As they turned the corridor to the left, one of the soldiers disappeared. He was gone in the blink of an eye. There was only a scream hanging in the air. The guards became more alert. They drew their swords. They noticed the flickering shadow. It was fast. It was everywhere. It crawled along the ground to them and pulled another man into the darkness. The air was filled with fear. Amaya adored that smell.

"Is this your fault?" the general asked Amaya.

Amaya laughed to herself. "Are you afraid, General?" she smirked.

Shadow was taking one soldier at a time. It was dragging them into the darkness. They wanted to fight but it was in vain. The shadow couldn't be killed. Blood stained the walls and floor. Red lakes colored the white stone. Bodies torn to pieces. Guts scattered around.

The only ones left standing were the general and Amaya. General Marcellus put the tip of his sword to Amaya's throat.

"Stop it!" he ordered her.

He couldn't stand watching his soldiers and friends getting killed so easily. He was afraid to die. A soldier who saw terrors on battlefields was now shaking.

"And what if I refuse, General?" Amaya said. "Do you think you'll be faster?"

The shadow peeled away from the walls. It materialized. It rose above them like a cloak of darkness. It absorbed all the light. General Marcellus turned his gaze to him. He looked right into its guts. His body shook with fear and terror. The shadow opened its predatory mouth and bit the general's head off. Amaya was splashed with his blood. His soulless, dead, headless body collapsed to the floor. A growing pool of blood formed around him.

⸸

The royal army of Deira set fire to the palace. King Enzo did not risk his own life by leading his soldiers. Prince Ciaran ordered his soldiers to retreat. The flames had already engulfed the entire palace and his brother's soldiers were outnumbered. They had to get as far away from them as possible. They tried to save everyone they could.

However, Ciaran could not find one person. He did not see her anywhere among the people who fled the palace.

"Have you seen Amaya?" he asked the last ones who ran away.

"No," they answered him.

"She's still in the palace," said one of the maids. "I saw her fought the soldiers who invaded the palace."

Ciaran didn't hesitate even for a second and ran into the flames to find her. The soldiers wanted to stop him, but he refused. He had to get to her before it was too late. He had to find her.

The palace was burning. The flames engulfed all the corridors and the roof. The voracious fire consumed everything. Burning stone and wood crackled. They were falling apart. Pungent smoke and the foul smell of rotting corpses filled the air. Black smoke outshined the brightness of the flames. Amaya couldn't see where she was going, but she knew she had to get out of there. Now was not the time to be frivolous. If she is engulfed in flames this time, it will be forever. She could almost hear Death calling her to herself. She felt the cold touch of Keres.