Disguised Vengeance

Prologue

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," a harsh voice cut through the eerie silence. The sound echoed against the stonewalls of the royal chamber, followed closely by muffled footsteps and quiet breathing.

"Game over, lad!" a man announced while shutting the closet door. "I don't have time to play hide and seek with you! I've got money to claim."

The eleven-year-old prince held his breath as the big and burly man continued searching for him, but to no avail. Jase wondered what would have happened to him had he not stayed awake to finish his book and chanced to hear the commotion outside his chambers.

His palms were sweating, his feet slipping and his muscles burning. The blood was pounding in his head, blurring his vision and giving him a headache. The rough surface of the rock blistered his once perfect and smooth skin. Clinging on to the ledge outside his windowsill, he shuddered at the thought of falling.

Please give up looking for me, Jase begged silently in his head.

"The deed is complete," announced another voice upon entering the bedroom chamber.

"The boy is nowhere to be found. I've searched everywhere."

The second man scanned the room quickly and confirmed that there were no inhabitants.

"What has he to fear from an eleven-year-old anyway? The reward is sufficient. And I am getting bored of muttering threats to an empty room."

Upon hearing the sound of retreating footsteps, Prince Jase swung himself over the windowsill and landed on the balls of his feet. His knees buckled at the impact and he fell forward, hastily breaking the fall with his elbows.

His room was in a wreck. Pillows, feathers and clothes were strewed all over the ground, drawers and shelves emptied, and the left door of his cabinet was ripped from its hinges. His golden crown was gone.

What is Mother going to say?

Mother! Father!

Jase ran down a flight of steps towards the king and queen's royal bedchambers. The corridor was empty and quiet. Too quiet.

Where are the castle guards?

Jase tripped over a dagger as he approached the double doors that led to his parents' bedchamber. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the tip of the dagger was red, as if it had been dipped in brightly coloured oil paint.

There was more of it – the red paint. A few streaks and blotches coloured the bed sheets, forming a strange pattern with different shades of red. Rusty brown, blood red, and frothy pink. Jase never understood artists. What were they trying to paint? Sunset?

His blue eyes followed one of the thin streaks until it ended in a giant circular blotch. The sun? The circle was bright red and wet. Next to the slowing expanding circle of red was a pillow, and on top of the pillow was his mother's head.

The queen's eyes were closed. If you ignored the redness around her and on her neck, she appeared to be sleeping peacefully. The king, on the other hand, had his eyes wide open in shock and defiance. A similar red blotch stained the white sheet at the bottom of his chin.

The young prince's eyes widened as reality hit him like a ton of bricks. Silently, he reached out and closed his father's eyelids with his fingertips. He then squeezed his own eyes shut and bowed his head in respect.

When he opened them again, the sky was bleeding. Red, orange and pink hues streaked across the horizon, consuming all the darkness that dared to stand in its way.

The rising sun marked the end of three lives, and the birth of one.

With the dagger in his hand and his mind set on revenge, Jase walked out the room without a backward glance.

He would master the art of painting with blood red paint.  

Hi guys :) This is my first attempt at writing a novel. Please show your support by voting or leaving a comment! I love feedback and will try to respond to everyone.