The Ballad of Winter (#0.2 Ruthen Quartet)

Chapter five

No one tried to stop me when I took the plate from the messenger. My mother's most prized jewels were bathed in her blood. The stones and the platinum shone red.

The chain was a long simple one, with a blue diamond the size of a fist as the pendant. The ring was a band of same metal, with a small emerald in the centre.

I was afraid to touch it, but my fingers did. The blood was still liquid but cold. It was as if she was dead when I was sleeping. The blood in the edge of the circular plate started coagulating.

I thought I would be angry, I would create a storm. But I was calm inside. The meditations did help me to be collected. I knew The Emperor would do something like this someday, but I never knew which day it would be.

The Darkness which I had restrained, allured me to use it to take revenge. It wanted me to taste that monster's blood. To run my blade through his heart, no, to give him much more painful death.

But then the other side reminded me of my mother. Would my mother be proud if she knew I acted so rashly? She stayed with The Emperor for a reason, and I will find it out. She would not want to give to one side, after all, she was the one who first told me to maintain my balance.

Aitan was staring at the plate. His breath was laboured. Like he personally knew my mother, and she did him a huge favour. Who knew she might have helped him.

Ar'kela's face was stoic. I could not read what was going on inside her mind. I did not know what it was to lose your close friend. I never did have one to know how that felt. But I knew, she like me was containing her wrath. I knew what she was capable of. If she unleashed what was under that faux calmness, I knew nothing would survive.

The messenger was waiting for my reaction. His lips wanted to smirk and the evil glint in his eyes said me something else, as though he was there when my mother was killed.

That snapped me. I gave the plate to Ar'kela and stood before him. Taking a fraction of my power, I punched him in his face. Howling, he fell down, holding his nose.

I stalked him like a prey he was. He moved back, hoping he would escape me. Did he think I would let him go after the gift he gave me? Should I not be kind enough to return something to him?

"Spill," I seethed, holding his head by his hair. "If you don't spill, I am going to give you a gift you will never forget."

At first, he did not believe me. He underestimated me for being a girl. That was another crime he did. Taking the dagger, which was strapped to my leg, I drawled it over his neck. When it came to the junction from the neck to his left arm, I lacerated there. Just deep enough to cut one of the three nerves to impair the use of his arm.

He howled again. Aitan's and Ar'kela's face showed me no remorse. If I had not done it, they would have done it.

"Tell me," I began, "I don't want to kill you, so you better tell me what happened."

Despite the pain, he laughed. "We mutilated her body." He took deep breaths. "You cannot find a single piece anywhere."

I raised my hand and slapped him across his cheeks.

"I am telling the truth," he spat. "We enjoyed doing it. You know what? She did not even beg. She -"

I slapped him again. I did not want to know anything about her death. Some things were best kept hidden.

"He is telling the truth," Ar'kela choked.

Aitan looked at her with confusion. To him, she was my maid.

I got up. Tears of anger and anguish rolled down my cheeks. Wiping them off, I lifted the messenger. I could not kill him, it was a rule.

"Thank The Emperor for gifting me-" I broke off, "such a beautiful and thoughtful gift. Say to him that I will be grateful to him for returning my mother's prized jewels for my birthday. Convey it will you?"