A King's Mistress (ON HOLD)

Darkened Clouds

The sun broke through the mountains as we headed to Nathoria. Its rays beaming on our wary faces as the closer we got, the more nerves that had taken control over our bodies. Troy rode in front as well as his son and Nikoli. The rest of the men surrounded us Witches and Seers, Aryk and his men were at the back of the company.

A little more east and I had everyone leave their horses on a pasture about a mile away from the dust minds, Ana became a little restless as I stepped away from her.

"There there Ana. There there."                                                      

"She is beautiful." I smiled up at Aryk as he had come beside me.

"That she is." Feeling her heart beat slow and calm, I stepped away and started the journey.

It was quiet, a silence filled with anticipation. My mind was lost in various emotions. Were we prepared for this? We came upon the minds much faster than I could expect. As before us lied a darkened cave. The wind howling at us to go back the way we came. Once more the cold energy I felt just last night, squeezed its way into my heart.

"Get ready men." I heard our King yell out as every man withdrew their swords. Nikoli led the way inside as one by one the darkness enveloped us all.

I could hardly see anything upon entering the cave, my senses desperately trying to adjust to my surroundings. I knew Asani stood near me as she clung to my arm, but I could faintly see Liya and Neema. My brother was up ahead covered by black clouds. I stopped mid-walk as I realized what I was seeing. Black clouds floated above our heads and some of the smoke stuck closely to bodies that I couldn't tell the difference.

"Do you see this?" Asani whispered. I nodded my eyes glued to the site in front of me. I gasped as a vision abruptly clouded my eyes before yelling out to the company.

"Get down!" Some fell to the floor just in time for a massive cloud to strike out above us, exposing itself as an entity that would wreak havoc of any body. Asani lunged for a few men who stood out of the way of the first wave but then would meet the demise of the second wave, as she had seen its new direction first hand.

"Move!" My head turned to Aryk's voice as he pushed a man out the way.

"Barrica tuda!" Liya sent a barrier to wrap around the King as the cloud made its way over to him. The cloud bounced off it and headed straight into a Knight. I watched, eyes wide, as the cloud entered him. His body shook violently as he screamed in pain, blood starting to leak from his nose. I stood slowly and watched in horror as his life force was being eaten away.

Finally he was released and dropped to the floor, dead. We all stared in silence for the fallen Knight. Nikoli came beside me and kneeled in respect before turning to me.

"Nasya we need to move. Where do we go?" I swallowed thickly. I have seen death more times than I would like and it was starting to take a toll on me. I was a protector of life, I was the very essence of preserving it for generations to come and yet I have seen battles upon battles where men so easily let their lives be taken for one man in power. "Nasya."

I looked to my brother in fear. I didn't want to see his death. Not in person. And not without telling him that I saw it.

"We are moving now!" The King roared out as he and other men turned the corner. I followed silently, watching every darkened corner before a vision took me once more.

"Men to the left now!" I yelled out before turning to Asani. She looked at me with a nod.

"From the left but it will veer to the middle."

"Up against the dunes all of you!" Soon our backs were flat and our breathing rapid as we waited. All too soon, three clouds headed straight towards us with equal speed that sent our hairs on end. The clouds flying so close to our bodies that some men were touched, causing an array of agonized screams.

"Fintura." I vaguely heard the word as Asani whispered it besides me, causing fire to escape from her hands. She aimed it up towards the energies and it brightened the clouds. I couldn't stop myself from letting out a scream.

They were shaped like men, bodies of souls and faces. They looked real, haunted.

Slowly they shot to the ground creating an explosion that sent men flying many feet away. In the midst of the landed clouds, the sands molded with them, creating Knights of their own. Ones who stood ready to attack like an army. Swords were raised and our men met the now stoned army and soon we were all clouded in dust.

The stoned army could fight and cut like any other knight, but every touch of our sword destroyed them; until another one took its place. Liya casted spells to trick them and Asani used her elements to lower their numbers significantly, but there was too many and our numbers were dropping.

"Nasya!" I didn't have time to see who it was that called out to me, in this blurred chaos I was barely holding onto sanity. But as I looked up, it was also too late to stop the entity that had entered my body unwillingly.

I was going to merge 'Death Itself' with 'Introductions', but I got lazy and decided to just keep it the way it is for now. Maybe in the near future when this book is officially done and I start editing.

As of today, this book is ranked at #15 in Fantasy!!!! AHHHHHHH! YOU GUYS ARE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AND I APPRECIATE IT SOOOO MUCH.!!!!!

Classes start tomorrow peeps, wish me luck. Second year, here I come.

Hang on tight guys. This journey is FAR from over........