It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be consoled, but I knew my resolve was weakening after everything that had happened. I couldn’t afford to drop further into my grief or into the many revelations I’d been told—not until the bloodshed was over.
Not until this war was over.
I stood shakily.
“Love—” Elijah’s voice was filled with worry.
“I need to do something,” I repeated myself. “I can’t have anyone else die today.”
Walking across the space, I grabbed my armor and Dakath appeared next to me, helping me silently fix the arm pieces that had been removed during the ruse with Lazarus. Once those were secure, I grabbed Malakai’s ripped off and pummeled head, turning toward my men who were all regarding the mutilated head with varied reactions. Elijah’s brows were raised in what I thought was shock, Kolvar’s eyes widened with surprise, and Dakath offered me a sharp nod, a hint of pride shining in his gaze. All the reactions were something I would have been able to enjoy far more if not for my current emotional state.
Nodding toward the door, I focused my attention on what needed to be done. Malakai’s head rested heavily in my hand, and I gripped his blood-soaked hair tightly as we passed the group of humans that helped us enter the castle. Their shocked gasps and murmurs as they took in the sight of the head I was holding only distantly reached my ears.
The door to the castle stood partially open, vampyres wearing Malakai’s insignia lying slaughtered in the entrance. I had a feeling my men were responsible for their bloody ends. I stepped past the slaughter; the sight of the death and destruction only motivated me. I had to see this ended.
Walking out the door, I looked upon the carnage and chaos of war.
Brick and stone lay in piles, the infrastructure wrecked from the impacts of vampyres raging unhindered against one another. Blood soaked the ground of the courtyard, and mixed with the debris and bodies, the ground looked like it couldn’t even be walked upon.
The scent of blood filled the air, and my fingers tightened around the hair in my grip as the guttural screams that accompanied the sound of swords hitting one another met my ears. The air seemed to vibrate with fury, and from a distance, I could see that our forces were continuing to push forward, overpowering Malakai’s soldiers as they worked their way from the harbor inward.
We were on the verge of winning, taking the streets one by one as Malakai’s forces yielded to ours. It didn’t even seem to matter that I stood with their leader’s head grasped in my hand. I should have felt a sense of victory in that, but all I wanted was for the fighting and bloodshed to stop.
“Stop!” I bellowed, lifting his head into the air, as my voice echoed through the space. “Emperor Malakai is dead—your ruler is no more! Stop fighting, now!”
Almost immediately, the humans who fought against our forces came to a halt, turning to look at me with shock. The Tridian soldiers responded immediately, looks of shock and awe on their faces for the few seconds they were able to glance in my direction. All over the courtyard, Malakai’s vampyres continued fighting, doubling their efforts as my forces took up arms against them once more.
“Thaician Empire, your emperor has been killed!” I yelled over the din of the battle—stomach churning at the sight of the chaos greeting me. Everywhere I turned, my soldiers were beating back Malakai’s, all of whom threw glances at the head dangling from my grip, until the fight bled from them entirely. “There is no need for violence; this war is over.”
I continued, keeping my gaze on a soldier of Malakai’s who stared at me with a fury that caused his face to turn red, malice emanating from him. “Any further violence will be seen as a direct conflict with me. Either kneel or be slaughtered, those are your options.”
I wouldn’t hesitate to kill those who threatened everything we had worked for—everything that Barnabus had given his life for.
“We will never kneel to you!” A furious voice rang out from my left, and I glanced to see a shadow of movement charging toward me. The vampyre’s features were painted with malice and murder painted. Kolvar’s arm wrapped around my waist, but before he could move us, the man’s head was sliced clean off.
Relief filled me, not at the death of the unnamed soldier, but because while covered in blood and more than a bit beat up looking, Tristan was alive, breathing heavily with his sword falling to his side. The soldier’s head rolled in the dirt, and Tristan offered me a severe nod. He was alive, and this war was over.
Rina…Rina would see her father. I struggled to control the emotion that threatened to overwhelm me with that realization. Swallowing thickly and pushing past the urge to weep my gratitude, I held Malakai’s head higher and spoke to the crowd.
“Kneel or face the same fate!”
The easy slaughter of their comrade seemed to snap people into action. The humans kneeled first, followed by the vampyres. One by one, they took a knee, some with eyes glued to the ground, some with their eyes stuck on the head in my grip, and others still with eyes locked on my face. I stood above them, heart pounding in my chest and watching, hearing the fighting outside the castle courtyard slowly halting—the streets falling silent as word traveled beyond the courtyard and through the battleground.
My men stood around me, keeping me close, yet allowing me to stand on my own. With a heavy sigh, I spoke to Tristan as he approached. “You're alright?” I kept my voice quiet, though I never allowed my arm to slip, hoisting Malakai’s head above me as I gazed at the crowd.
“We lost some men,” he stated, his voice edged with frustration, “but we never stopped fighting.”
“Have our soldiers begin to move those who are injured inside,” I said as I observed the space around us. “We need to begin tending to injuries, especially those the humans have suffered. I know we have medical staff that we brought with us, and I’m sure Malakai had some on hand as well. Find them. We will need all the help we can get to ensure no more lives are lost.”
“And what of those who have knelt and aren’t injured?”
“They should aid in clean-up efforts as well as moving the bodies of the fallen.”
“And those who continue to fight?”
I looked at my right hand, trusting and knowing that he would be able to carry out what was necessary to ensure this land was no longer threatened. “I will not have anyone threaten what we are doing here today. If they do not kneel, their choice is clear.”
Tristian nodded sharply and began to shout directives to our soldiers. As he moved away from me, I took stock of those surrounding me in the courtyard. Many of the citizens of the Thaician Empire kept their gazes locked on me, an array of emotions flitting over their faces as my eyes flicked from one to another. With a resigned sigh, I lowered Malakai’s head, realizing that I needed to speak to them directly, to hopefully provide some relief for those who never wanted to be here.
