Blood Knight

Capitolo XVIII

A/N: Hello everyone! First off, I just want to give a huge thank you to everyone who's still been supporting Blood Knight. I get messages and comments all the time from you guys asking if I'm still continuing the story. It's been 3 years since I last updated, and life has been crazy. I graduated from college, got married, got a job in graphic design, got a dog, moved into a new house, then got a new design job in my dream field, then got another dog, the list goes on and on. Now that I'm settled, I feel like it's time for me to return back to writing. Thank you for your patience and support all this time. 

Writing is hard in of itself, but after trying to get back into it after so long, it's been more difficult than I anticipated, but I love this story and these characters and I'm so excited to continue. My writing may not be as fluid as before, but I know it'll get better the more I do it. I'll stop rambling. Thank you again for reading Blood Knight. You all get brownie points <3 

- Audrey Fisher

______________

I had settled into the small cot I was given, sliding a thin blanket over my body, noticing that it slid past my toes. It was cold. Whenever I closed my eyes, all I could picture was the horrific scene at the Blood Court. I could hear the screams and see the bodies falling to the earth. In all my years of living, I had never seen anything so terrifying. I don't know how I'd ever get to sleep. Monticello hadn't slept in days either. He was constantly awake for my own sake. It made me feel guilty. Since I was a young girl it was always him who made a great effort to keep me safe. Yet his concern for my safety and being a constant shadow by my side had annoyed me at times. Sometimes I would get so irked by it that I would go and tell him to mind his own business and to leave me alone. I was probably no better than a spoiled child in his eyes.

I threw the blanket over my eyes, hoping that the coverage would make the chilly night air disappear. For a moment, I laid there in silence listening to the sounds of the forest around us. I couldn't hear anything other than the rustle of leaves on their branches and the gentle wind creating a ripple along the walls of the tent.

Maybe if I close my eyes and stay still, I'll fall asleep. Inhaling and exhaling, I shifted onto my side, bundling the blanket underneath my chin.

"Stella if you keep moving around like that you're not going to sleep."

I held a hand over my mouth, stifling the small gasp that escaped. "You can hear me? Sorry. Were you trying to sleep?" I didn't think he would hear me since he was in the other tent.

I heard a sound, something like a sigh. "Just sleep," his voice sounded muffled as if he had a pillow over his face.

Biting my tongue, I shifted in the sheets, closing my eyes and trying to remain as still as possible. As the night waned, I could feel the sleep finally overtake my worrisome thoughts and I drifted off.

I could feel my heart pound in rhythm to the twigs snapping under my feet. The brambles surrounding me seemed to reach out with claw-like hands, slicing against my bare skin. Heavy breaths puffed from my lips as the scenery changed. Trees, shrubs, and boulders cleared away, revealing the edge of a jagged cliff overlooking tumultuous ocean water. 

"She's there! Keep her from escaping!"

A voice. All too familiar. All too real. 

I inhaled sharply, darting my head towards the sound of pounding footsteps. Five figures emerged from the woods behind me. Four were clad in red robes. A brooch in the shape of a magnolia on each lapel reflected the bright moonlight, highlighting the deep red ruby embedded in the middle.