The King's Remorse

Until Rust Spills In My Mouth

Fire explodes, adrenaline kicks in, and I break into a run, vision sharpening and body going numb. Survive, is the only thing I can think about. Where Wolf had the branches set up in a cone has turned into a fiery inferno. Wolf scrambles to her feet. As she does so, I catch a glimpse of a constellation on her calf. A mane of fire glows on Wolf's skin. Goodness, gracious.

"Sorry," Wolf says when the blaze dies down to a small, crackling fire. I can't reply; Pisces keeps me from saying anything.

"You can reply."

"No, I can't. At least, not to that, I can't."

"Oh, Pisces is controlling you. Sorry. I didn't intend for Pisces to happen." If you're really so sorry, why not get rid of the fish? I don't say anything.

The fish on my neck keep a heavy presence in my mind, 1 that's different from the snake. While the snake took over my mind by force and by pain, the fish smothered me, taking away my will but doing so in a way that was painless and left me asking myself why I ever wanted to fight back. And I hated it. The snake was locked away in some far-off corner of my mind, giving me back control of my mind and body.

But not complete control. It doesn't matter whether it's the snake, a piece of the Amethyst Throne, or the fish, a constellation from a Midnight Wolf. I don't want it there. I never agreed to become a vessel for someone else's control.

"I'd take away Pisces if I could, but I have no idea how. I don't know how to control any of the constellations. It just sorta... happens. That's why I need to find Dove. He knows more about this stuff than I do."

"Ok." I close my eyes and begin to doze off.

xxxx

My dreams are plagued with snakes whose bodies are chains and twin fish who shimmer with the colors of midnight and midday. They twist and turn through my dreams until I finally wake up, head spinning and ground lurching with vertigo. I press my palms deep into the soil in an effort to steady myself. After a few long minutes, my vision returns to normal and the world around me straightens out, ceasing to rock violently.

I refuse to let myself fall into Dreamland again. If only I could sleep dreamlessly for once, without having my imagination go crazy as I sleep.

Wolf wakes up a while later. The fish on the side of my neck stir as she gets up. "Ready?

"Sure." No. Every step taken to follow Wolf feels like it takes every last bit of my energy. I can almost feel it disappearing like sand through my fingers.

After what feels like an eternity, the White Tent Sea becomes a tiny white dot on the horizon. Wolf's posture straightens almost immediately, and she begins to walk a little faster. "Come on, Scorn. Go faster," she murmurs under her breath. Who the hell is Scorn? Why does she keep calling me that? When I try to echo my question out loud, though, the fish on the back of my neck, on either side of my spine, begin to burn, and I choke back a hiss. My lip curls as I bite my tongue until rust spills in my mouth.

Wolf can't seem to stay still. She keeps going ever so slightly faster until we're practically jogging. The White Tent Sea draws steadily nearer, but the only thing I can think of is rest. Stop and sit down, rest, take a break, sit down, get off your feet, stop moving, lay down, anything but moving, my mind chants.

I'm just about to ask Wolf if we could just sit down for a few minutes -my ankle is killing me- but then screams rip through the air. Wolf freezes, a kaleidoscope of shimmering lights materializing around her. The scorpion on her forearm glows, and I take a quick step back, panic taking hold in my chest. Breath catches in my throat until I'm able to gulp down a mouthful of air. Breathe, Luke. Breathe, breathe, breathe.

Wolf curses. "Scorn, we gotta go." She grabs my wrist. I flinch at the sudden movement, and the snake wakes up in the back of my mind, eyes unreadable pieces of the Amethyst Throne. Panic spreads and my heart rate spikes as Wolf wraps her arms around me, oblivious. The fish stir but my mind is racing too quickly. I try to take a step back. What's she doing? She already had the fish take over my mind. What's she going to do this time? Maybe if I can get out, find a way out-

"We gotta go, Scorn. Hold on!" I can't reply; I'm frozen in place, paralyzed.

"Fine. No time. Get ready." Twins on her collarbone begin to glow, followed by the wolf on her left cheek. Her orange eyes blaze, narrowed in concentration, and her grip tightens. My heart races in my chest as my fingers tremble. I draw in a shaky breath through my nose before exhaling through my mouth. In, 2, 3, 4. Out, 2, 3, 4.

Before I can take another breath, the world around me dissolves, and I fall into a kaleidoscope of shimmering colors. Fear takes such a tight grip that I forget to breathe. I can't move, but my hands somehow find the ability to claw at emptiness to hold on to something, anything.

But just as quickly as the world disappeared, it reappears, only we're in the White Tent Sea. We're the only ones here. Wolf lets go, taking a step back and looking around, and I can finally take a breath of air. My knees are shaky, and I sink to the ground. Dust swirls into the air but it doesn't turn purple. "Sorry, Scorn, maybe shoulda warned you. That was Gemini. But it seems it was Lupus also. Why? Dove'll have the answers. Come on, we need to find him. As soon as we find him and I know how to take off Pisces, I'll do it. I don't know how to take it off now. I'm sorry. I would if I could but I don't know how and Dove will. We need to find him." Pisces begins to tingle on the back of my neck. No... I find myself rising to my feet and following Wolf.

Why did you do this to me? And how the hell did we go from far away from the White Tent Sea to somewhere on the edges? And why does she keep calling me Scorn? It's Dust Devil. But really it's Luke, though I don't think anyone knows that. Dust Devil's my name; Bryant gave it to me and he's the King of Ragdon. It's a lie, I know, but it's what I have to believe. But I don't.

"You know you can talk, right?"

"Yeah." Where is everyone?

"How long have I been away?"

"A while. Since Arcane died."

"I know that, but how long has it been?"

"I'm not sure. I think like a month or 2? I haven't really been keeping track of time." I became the Dust Devil, and suddenly things changed.

"Hm." Wolf doesn't say anything after that, other than occasionally muttering under her breath for Dove to show up.

Wolf becomes more and more antsy as we travel further into the White Tent Sea and no 1 is to be seen. "Where are they? Where's Dove?" Wolf walks a little faster. I look around, and out of the corner of my eye see mist spraying into the air. "What's that?"

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of The King's Remorse! Please consider a vote. And comment; I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Hmm. Where is everyone?

What has Luke seen?

Will Luke be able to get the snake and Pisces out of his head so he's the only one in control of his body? I sure hope so...

I hope you're all staying safe and healthy!

-Werewolf14-