I jolted awake, my forehead was covered in sweat and my body felt like it was on fire. My shoulder no longer hurt but my breathing was rapid and I couldn't explain the feeling of dread that had consumed my body.
"Patrick!"
He came running to me, "What? What's wrong?"
"I've got a really horrible feeling. I think we should leave."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know, I just woke up, I feel like was so close to a fire I could have caught alight. I just can't shake this feeling that something really bad is going to happen."
Patrick nodded, "Ok, I trust you."
He stood up, "Ok everyone, time to move!"
We left the cave and continued climbing up the mountain, my shoulder felt as though it had never been injured, but I still carried that feeling of dread as we ascended the mountain, and into Rerilian. There was a small stone fence that bordered the kingdom, notifying travellers that they had reached their borders. We climbed over the block and continued on our way.
My body froze as the smell of burning pine trees reached my nose. Panic and fear filled my chest.
"No."
"What is it?" asked Sebastian.
"I should have realised." I said before I started running along the landscape, overtaking Patrick and his men.
"Cora! Wait!" I could hear Patrick yelling my name but it didn't register. I needed to get there. I needed to know.
I kept running, pine trees surrounded me on all sides and the day break sun lit my way as I spotted the stone brick homes of the Rerilian citizens. The smoke got heavier as I got closer, I could hear cries of women and children, I pushed my body harder to get there quicker. The Pine trees around the houses were on fire, the men fought to protect their families but were being slaughtered by men in red and black uniforms. The kings men. I spotted a man on the ground, his sword in his cold dead hand, laying in a pool of blood. I grabbed it and ran towards the closest guard and drove the blade into his chest from behind. I pulled it back out with ease and moved on to the one, this time he spotted me.
"The warrior blood!" he screamed at the top of his longs to his fellow guards, right before I kicked his legs out from under him and claimed his sword. I engaged every guard who attempted to kill me, jamming the swords into their chests or cutting their throats, occasionally a head would roll but I didn't notice at the time. My main thought was to protect this kingdom's citizens. It was in my blood after all. After I had slaughtered a third of their men, the guards retreated. Leaving their dead in a pool of their own blood. It was when they had all disappeared that I had snapped back into reality. The swords I held were covered in dark, red blood and I was surrounded by bloody, mutilated corpses. I gasped, dropping the swords and falling to my knees, unable to hold back tears.
"Cora!"
I could hear Patrick and Sebastian running up behind me, I was struggling for air when they kneeled beside me. I couldn't stop staring at my hands. They were covered in blood. The blood of men who were simply following orders from a King who had most likely threatened to kill them and their families if they didn't do as he had ordered them.
"I killed them. I- I-" I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut, "I- I don't know what happened. I jus- I-"
Patrick put his arm around me and held me to his chest, "Cora, calm down. You were following your instincts. The blood of your ancestors would have compelled you to protect these people."
My body shook as tears streamed down my face, my breathing was heavy and out of rhythm. I killed them. I couldn't believe it. I had actually taken their lives away from them. From their families. Their friends. I was a murderer. A killer.
"Cora." Sebastian's voice was soft and sincere, "You saved all these people. These children still have their mothers and fathers. They still have their lives."
"But these men don't have that. I took that away from them."
I couldn't look at myself and see a protector of the four kingdoms. All I could see was a girl with an advanced body and mind, with blood on her hands.
