The Blood King's Blade (Book one) COMPLETE ✅

The Color Scarlet (Chapter Eleven)

Scarlet took Cora to the doctor's hut where she got her wounds treated and changed into clean clothes.

The doctor was a small elderly lady. "I don't know what you were thinking trying to take on a whole pack of Tibicenas alone. I can't tell if you're brave or stupid," she said as she applied bandages to the bite on her shoulder.

Scarlet let out a faint chuckle under her breath. She knelt on the floor next to a dog bed with a small St. Bernard puppy inside. "Come here, boy," she said.

"Don't bother," the doctor said. "That damn dog doesn't listen to a word anyone says."

To her surprise the dog got up and ran to Scarlet.

"Now sit. Lie down. Roll over."

The dog obeyed all of her commands.

"Good boy!" Scarlet exclaimed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a treat and fed it to the dog.

The doctor stood there with her jaw dropped. "I haven't taught him any tricks yet!"

"Maybe he knows more than you think," Scarlet replied.

"You've got some sort of gift," the doctor said as she finished taking care of Cora.

Cora and Scarlet walked to the inn the where Scarlet was staying. Scarlet refused to say anything or make eye contact.

The inside resembled a log cabin. The walls and floor were made out of hard wood. There was a dark red rug and three armchairs that surrounded a fireplace. The inn smelt like a mix of spruce wood and cinnamon. The whole place felt warm and inviting.

Val, Zyler and Ray had stayed up waiting for her at the inn.

"Thank God you're alive!" Val exclaimed.

They escorted her to the nearest chair and she sat down.

"How did you manage to take on an entire pack of Tibicenas and live to tell the tale?" Zyler asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Cora responded gesturing to Scarlet. "What did you do?"

"I stopped you from doing something stupid," Scarlet responded. "You don't understand what's going on here."

"Then explain it to me!" Cora said raising her voice.

Scarlet reached into her pocket and pulled out a vile. It was almost empty. There was only one drop of red liquid in the bottom.

"This was a Bloodshed Potion. Just one drop can drive anyone mad. Someone poured this into the Tibicenas water supply. I don't know who did this but I do know that this was sabotage."

Cora knew exactly who did this but why did he do it? All she knew was he was looking for something. What could be worth all the trouble he's going through?

"How do you know all this?" Val asked.

"I have a rare connection with animals. I can feel what they feel and communicate with them to some extent but it doesn't work on fish or insects." Scarlet said. "I knew something was wrong when the Tibicenas started attacking people so I came here to investigate."

Cora had heard of people with similar abilities Scarlet's mother being one of them. It was now that Cora realized how little she actually knew about Scarlet.

"You're like a Disney princess! That's so cool!" Zyler exclaimed.

Scarlet rolled her eyes. "I knew someone was going to show up and try to collect the reward without asking any questions and kill the Tibicenas thinking that they just randomly went crazy. When I saw you coming up the mountain I followed you to make sure that didn't happen," Scarlet continued. "I had made the antidote a few days prior but they wouldn't let me get close enough to inject it until I saved Cora on the bridge."