The Death Queen

Chapter 20

 I tightened my grip on my sword, setting my teeth grimly. The palace had come into view. It's time. I could die, or I could live, but I won't leave for Spirit Cave without giving this my best shot.

The castle had come into view, the tall towers visible over the ordinary houses. I walked confidently toward it, ignoring the stares I got. I can't afford to get distracted. I need to focus. I need to avoid fighting until I get into the throne room. Man, I hope he's home...

So how am I going to do this? The castle is always full of soldiers. I'll have to sneak in somehow. Maybe I could climb up to the window of the throne room. I suck at climbing, though. Or I could teleport.

I could teleport! How come I didn't think of that? I should have teleported away from the battle with Amari. I don't know why I didn't do that. But it doesn't matter. I'll just teleport straight into the throne room.

No, that's a bad idea. I could be caught by surprise. They'd stab me before I had time to gather myself. I'll teleport to the hallway outside.

I found a secluded side street and performed the teleportation spell. I imagined the hallway just outside the throne room, slashing the air and reappearing beside the door. Voices sounded inside the room, and I paused to listen.

"Your Highness, we just got back. They're gone."

The voice that responded filled me with irrational anger, and I clenched my fists around my sword to keep from bursting through the door. Who's gone?

My father replied, "What do you mean, they're gone? They were under siege! Completely encircled!"

"Well, we went back to the Coven, but the whole city is gone. I think it was buried by an avalanche. We dug down a little bit, but all we found was debris and corpses."

"Seriously? Weren't there any footprints to follow?"

"No, it was completely trackless."

"Are you sure you had the right spot?"

"I am. Most of my soldiers recognized the mountain formations. And like I said, we dug under the snow and found corpses. Some belonged to our army, but most were wearing Coven uniforms. I know we found them, and I know they're all dead."

"No, you don't. They're witches. They're devil's spawn. They could easily have escaped. I'm sure some of them are alive somewhere."

"Well, we don't know where they are, and they haven't attacked us. Is the war still on?"

"Yes, it is. We can't attack them if we don't know where they are. We'll keep our army mobilized and ready, but we won't do anything unless they attack us. If they decide to stay in hiding, there's nothing we can do about it. But if any of your soldiers see so much as a glimpse of a Coven uniform, they cannot rest until the witch is dead."

"Understood, Your Highness." The general walked toward the door. When he stepped through, I stabbed him through the neck. He collapsed, blood spurting from his throat. The fight had begun.

I stepped over the corpse, not glancing twice at him. My father was standing in the middle of the room, staring at me. I swished my sword through the air, blood splattering an old royal tapestry. It depicted my father, his new wife, and their son. The blood coated each of their faces.

His hand flew to the hilt of his own sword. I didn't give him the chance, slicing horizontally at him. I left a shallow cut in his abdomen, but it didn't bleed nearly as much as it should have. Right. He's fat as fuck, so a cut like that won't reach any vital organs. I need to go for the head and neck, or cut much, much deeper.

While I had been distracted, the king had landed a shallow slice to my stomach and swung down at my head. I blocked the attack, sliding my sword past his and grazing his face.

He counterattacked with a slash to my neck, which I ducked. In the process, I launched an attack at his feet, and to my delight, it actually landed. However, I didn't manage to cut through the bone. The cut was just too shallow. I stood up and backed away, planning my next attack.

"I wonder which one of us will be dying today." My father smiled, wiping blood from his fat face. I'd wounded him, and he deserved every second of pain. Even death was too good for him at this point. If I'd been more confident, I would have tried to torture him to death like Trey had tried to do to me, but I wasn't sure I could do that. Just killing him was enough for me.

I ignored his words and leaped forward again, kicking off of the throne and dropping downwards. I missed his head, but managed to sever his left arm. Too bad he's right-handed. Still, though, it would be cumbersome to fight with one arm. I was lucky to still have all my limbs.

While he was recovering from that, I went for a neck slash, but he somehow managed to block that. Next I went for an abdomen slash, but it was too shallow again.

The king took back the initiative. He swung at my face, and I ducked backwards. The blade of the sword cut into my eye, and half of the world went black. The agonizing pain this brought on was almost too much to ignore, but I pushed it aside and sliced again.

I landed a vertical slash that cut off his ear, but this wouldn't be fatal for anyone. While I was doing this, the king launched another attack, and I had to turn all the way around to see it. It was scary, to have half the field of vision I'd previously been able to see through. I wouldn't let it stop me, though.

I started slashing wildly, knowing I needed to take back the initiative. The best defense is a good offense. Blood sprayed through the air, more and more of it with each slice, but I didn't stop cutting even when the king sank down onto the floor.

I cut and cut and cut him to pieces, not stopping even when any human would be thoroughly dead. I finally stopped when there was no longer anything for me to cut.

My father was dead. I'd done it. I'd really done it! My mother's spirit wound around me, whispering, "Thank you. Now I can really rest in peace." I smiled through the pain of my injuries, sitting down to rest on the throne that should have been mine.

The castle was still riddled with guards, though, so I didn't let myself rest for long. Soon enough, it was time to make my escape. I teleported out of the castle, glad that I'd maintained my ability to perform spells. I guess Amari didn't do the job right.

I landed just beside the bridge, suddenly appearing in the midst of a crowd of people. At first, I was afraid they'd be suspicious as to why someone had just appeared out of thin air, but they were all too numb to say anything about it. I sheathed my sword and headed for the medic's house.

As I walked across the bridge, it seemed as though the sun gave off a little more warmth than it had before. The trees weren't budding yet, but spring would be here soon. The ice on the river below would be getting thinner, and the animals would be coming out of hibernation.

The snow that buried the Coven would be gone soon, and grass would grow over the ruins. Eventually, long after I finally died, the stone buildings would crumble, and trees would grow over the place where a thriving society had once lived. Even farther in the future, the Dragontail Mountains themselves would crumble, covering whatever was left of the Coven in debris. We were all insignificant in the timeless universe.

I smiled at the pale blue sky, my feet carrying me absentmindedly along the bridge. The wood creaked under the weight of hundreds of feet, their conversations echoing through the chilly air. Blood trickled from the slash along my stomach, but I wasn't bleeding badly. For now, I felt fine. Unafraid. Elated. I had finally avenged my mother.

Of course, it won't bring her back. It won't fix anything. But now I can be at peace and work through my issues. Maybe I'll find happiness one day.

I pressed through the thick crowd, watching horse-drawn carts roll along the middle of the busy street. I didn't mind the stench of so many bodies pressed against mine. I didn't mind the loud sound of the carts rolling past. Right now, I felt as though everything would be all right.

An elbow connected with my ribs, and I stumbled sideways. The crowd pressed in on me, shoving me to the edge. I fell across the middle of the street, a cart bearing down on me. The wheel was heading straight for my head. Then everything went white. And stayed that way.