"You are weak. You are little. You are nothing even with those blades. You arenothing,"he chanted. Anger so dark and cold washed over me.
"You are of my blood."The shadows inside me roared, and it was so powerful that I grabbed the wooden box and took out that gods damned instrument. I stepped out of the darkness of the stable, with the violin in hand- the bow in the other.
"Accept your fate weakling." The monster crooned. I held the violin gently, touched its wooden black curves, familiarity caressed my fingertips. "What do you have there, insect?" It cocked its head to the side. The monster's saliva dripped thickly onto the ground. My fingers struck a few of the chords… the room darkened.
"Sing me. Play me. Kill for me."The voice sang and it purred when the bow I held kissed its string.
"What are you—what? No... it's not possible." The monster took a step back, unsure of what he was seeing.
"I am not weak," I grit out and pushed the bow of the violin rough but fluidly against the strings. Shadows grew, fluttering into thick smoky tendrils. More and more emerged from each chord I had struck. The shadows eventually formed into the shapes of elegant dancers and warriors that moved with the harsh melody I created.
"Your kind...you're all dead.Sheis supposed to be dead. She is not here to banish my kind," the monster snapped and walked backwards, further away from the shadows.
"She is not here.I am," I spoke with a type of darkness that was cruel and cunning. The shadows inside me moaned in relief, expanding and joining more with their kin that danced with the music I orchestrated. The final chord I struck was harsh and loud and filled with the darkest thoughts I had. The shadows swiftly moved with each other until it was time to strike the monster. Ripping, suffocating, and purging onto his very being. Travelling into his nose, his ears—into his mouth. Consuming him and ripping him from the inside out. The monster screeched and begged. He had murdered so many, raped those girls and fooled their families. I strung the violin sharper—more pointed.
"You are weak. You are little. You are nothing even with those lives you have taken. You are nothing." I threw his words back at him harshly. The shadows screeched in delight and then the air was red mist. The shadows had feasted upon it. I panted and laughed in delight. Stringing the chords more fluidly—memories of nightingale wings flashed—blue leaves and waterfalls stretching into obsidian sculptures. The shadows danced with each other, one shadow resembling a girl, the other a man. They danced together as if in love. The other shadows embraced me, held me, kissed me and whispered, "Sing me, string me. More blood. More carnage."
I dropped the violin in sudden shock. The shadows dissipated, sinking back into my skin. And I stood there. "What have I done," I whispered before my surroundings began to shift. A step forward was all I took before I collapsed into the hay embedded ground.
And then all I saw was darkness.
It was comforting.
Chapter 30
Healed bones
Death felt different than I had thought it would. It felt painfully sore and smelled like cinder. Was it possible to move my fingers and make a whimpered noise in pain? Riaan was cruel if this is what he condemned all souls to in the afterlife. "Wake up slowly," a male voice softly commanded. The shock from the sudden voice had me gasping and lunging forward. The events of the necromancer drugging everyone, a monster chasing me, the shadows dancing around me, I hastily looked around. Eyes wild and calculating. A hand immediately pressed me down into the bed. "You don't listen well to orders. Do you?" Inanov raised an eyebrow and then his gaze softened. "You're alright. Beaten, battered and bruised. But alright. You're notgoing to be able to ride a horse for a while, but the prince used a lot of his power to ensure your left knee was not broken."
I couldn't answer—my throat felt enclosed, and my mouth was like sandpaper.
Water.I mouthed to Inanov. He was already pouring it into a glass from the porcelain pitcher and handed it to me. I took the pitcher from his hand instead and downed everything.
"Hey, do you want to choke?" he exclaimed but then sighed, he must have felt pity for me holding the pitcher weakly because he began to help me drink. Water dribbled down my chin to my throat and the feeling made me feel just a bit more alive.
"Get the prince. He will have my skin for not notifying him immediately when she awoke," Inanov spoke to the soldier that I had only now noticed was standing by the door of the room. It's the same room I was given in the Kastel manor. Well... what remained of it. The wall that had been between the prince's room and my own had collapsed. "Yes, half the manor had broken down during the fight. Thankfully, no one was hurt." Inanov looked around and then looked at me.
"You saved the prince. You must have fought with much prowess to have saved all of us. For that, I give you my thanks, but I also give you a watchful eye. Defeating a necromancer is no easy task at all." He looked me dead in the eye as if searching for answers. I just stared at him. Not answering, not showing an ounce of emotion at his scepticism or his knowledge of necromancers.
“I trust you, warrior. But if you have anything at all to tell me, I suggest you do. I might be more understanding than the royals.” He looked straight into my eyes, hoping for an answer. I remained silent, not giving in.
The door was suddenly thrown open. "Leave me with my warrior."
My dark eyes met his assessing ones. He eyed every breath I took. His eyes took in everything around me and everything that was me. "As you command," Inanov spoke and gave a glance between us both before leaving and closing the door behind him. For a while, all was silent. The chirping noise of birds could be heard from the outside. No more heavy rains and storms it seemed. His gaze felt warm and suddenly I felt self-aware, realizing I wore nothing but a white shirt. I moved to pull a sheet over me but immediately hissed in the pain that shot from my knee. His hands were now on those sheets, lifting it to help cover me. I flushed.
"Now, my pretty warrior. Don't strain yourself," the prince softly spoke and kneeled by my bedside. Looking almost comfortable in the position. "You look like death." He angled his head to the side, frowning and looking at the bruises scattered over my arm, and I could only imagine how my face had looked. All I knew was that it stung like hell when I scowled at the prince.
"Yes. That happens when you nearly die," I snapped out of reflex and then clenched my jaw at the instant pain. The prince was instantly hovering over me; I could feel his breath, his alluring scent of sage and flames. My body froze and relaxed all at once. Wondering if he'd choke me for my disrespect or... if he wanted to do something else. I couldn't help it. I was closing my eyes and waiting—waiting for something I couldn't possibly expect but my heart thumped faster and something inside me wanted other things. A shiver came over me when he softly caressed my cheek. My body jerked in surprise when I felt his warm tongue lick the water droplets that had slid down to my chin. I stopped breathing. Stopped thinking.
"I would have hidden you like a gem if I had known my stone heart would become flesh for you," he had whispered it so quietly to himself, so silently it had almost felt like I conjured up those very words with my own thinking. My mind was of anotherstate entirely until it finally returned to me when the prince leaned away with an almost playful look, but his red eyes seemed darker. More predator like.
"Just leftover water, it seems. Not tears. You know I wouldn't be able to bear it if you were crying, my pretty warrior," the prince teased while leaning against the bed casually. The statement made me roll my eyes at him—with my heart beating slightly faster.
I changed the subject. "How long have I been out for?"
"Two days." The prince inspected a loose thread from his tunic and burned it with the slight touch of his finger.
"Two days?!" My legs moved on their own and I let out a sharp hiss of pain.
