The burning throne, p.36
The Burning Throne, page 36
‘I’m sorry about him. He can be a little hot–headed.’
‘A little? You mean a lot. He is only concerned about power,’ Janara sighs. ‘He made my Kingdom fall. He took away the power I had.’
‘I know. I’m sure the day will come when I can help you get your land back.’
‘Thank you, Frederick. The murderer might help if we give him a good enough reason to,’ she gives a venomous look. ‘Though that’ll have to come after the war. I’ll have to do everything in my power to win this — for me. And so that I can have my rightful land back.’
Ninety-Five
Stay in Medical Care
E
verything beeps. Monitors, mostly. They’re measuring her heartrate. The doctors tell her she’s lucky and got away quite well. Heat could have killed her with her knife wounds. White walls greet her and they’re looking back as the sanitary place is horrible and bleach invades her, and she wants to be sick. It’s better than the blood though.
She could believe that she is dead. Welcoming smiles. More beeping. Confusion hits her like a wave.
‘You were in a terrible state, you’re very lucky that you’re alive right now.’
She tries to breathe deeply. Pain surges through her. Her breath hurts in her chest and her brain fires a thousand thoughts all at once: so many possibilities.
It invades, rips through her defences.
The world feels like it’s burning. She grits her teeth. It feels like shards of glass are in her lungs. She coughs.
‘What happened?’
‘You’ve been asleep for three days.’
‘What’s wrong with me?’ she says, shocked, watching the wires around her body.
‘You fainted. The wires are keeping you alive, for now. What’s the last thing you remember?’
‘Being bitten by a Demon — a red one — and the running back, then blacking out.’
‘Good. No memory loss,’ she notes down on her pad. ‘That would explain your state. These Demons specifically have a lot of sucking powers.’
‘What is the difference between these and the ones I fight?’
‘They essentially take your power, a part of your soul and then this causes you to blackout.’
‘Will I be okay?’
‘You should be. There shouldn’t be any lasting damage.’
She takes all the information in and sighs.
‘Nate wants you to know something, I’ll let him tell you himself.’
Nate comes into the room, looks at her and takes a breath in. ‘You won’t like what’s going to happen. I’ve got to tell you something you might not like.’
‘Just get on with it.’ she says, looking at him, adjusting her pillows behind her to raise her body up, per doctors’ orders. ‘Nothing can hurt me now.’
‘We’ve decided to wage a War on Angelica.’
‘And why didn’t you involve me in this conversation?’
‘I tried to advocate-’ he starts. ‘I tried to fight-’
‘You didn’t do a good job.’ She snaps. ‘I want to be consulted before you do stupid stuff like this.’
‘Look I’m sorry.’
‘Right. It’s fine.’ she sighs. ‘It’s done now. Seriously, fuck you.’ Part of her failing body is grinning widely. Sure, she might struggle to move and even more to fight, but at least she can defeat Lexi and gain revenge.
‘I said I’m sorry.’
She smiles, lets the anger burn through her weak body. ‘And I said its okay.’
‘What happened to you?’
‘I got into a fight defending our Kingdom whilst you were away negotiating our role in the conflict you’ve got us in.’
‘Just rest up. I need to hold the Kingdom to a count.’
‘Like I could have used any other bad news. When I woke up, I didn’t think I’d wake up to this... But it’s okay, we’ll get through it,’ she sighs, struggling to breathe. ‘Though, I’ll most likely kill you after this is over.’
‘And how did that go last time?’
‘I wasn’t trying to kill you last time, just take your blood.’
‘I still won.’ he says. ‘So be careful.’
Although you know full well what will happen. You love Wars — just not in your current state.
‘I just had to sort out protestors. Give me a break. I’ll do it when — or if – I’m able to move.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Don’t thank me.’
Ninety-Six
Choices
J
ake watches the shadows on her face lighten then darken, shift, and change as she inspects herself from a hundred different angles – of course he can see the darkness ebbing within her and the damage from her hospital stay has healed, but it was a long road to recovery.
He’s seen it all before and it also came close to getting him, once. Now he has a responsibility to his sister to try and save her from getting herself killed.
He glances towards the mirror and then shifts over towards Erica, making sure to make eye contact. What he needs to say will take lots of courage. And he can’t mess it up.
‘Make sure you’re making the right choice.’ he cautions, keeping her focused on him, careful with her body. ‘Making the wrong one could kill you.’
‘I’m sure of it, Jake. Get out of my way.’
He gets in front of her as she tries to leave and calls forth a flame and lets it morph it into a weapon. It burns brightly and lights his features kindly and gives him a softly threatening look.
His flames burn bright, and he reigns them in. Hurting her isn’t going to do him any favours, especially as he fights her. ‘I want to talk about it for a second, Eri.’
‘Lexi is going to kill us! Our sister doesn’t care about us. It’s up to me to kill–’
He puts a hand on her shoulder and tries to make her turn towards him. She doesn’t and he holds her back. ‘Please let me talk to you, Eri.’
‘You just give me advise and I don’t follow it.’
‘You don’t have to follow my advice, just listen to me. There must be some other way.’
Her face hardens with revenge. ‘Lexi needs to die.’
He looks towards her, a thousand words running around in her brain. ‘I agree, but–’
‘–And I need to be the one to do it for the family. I don’t go on murderous rampages.’
Visible anger burns on his face at that comment, but he seems to let it go, taking a breath and steeling himself. ‘Why can’t we do it together?’
‘Because I work alone. I always have-’
‘And look where working alone got you,’ he gestures to her scars on her arms, but she knows the ones he is referring to, even if he can’t see them. ‘Absolutely nowhere. You nearly died. You should have asked for my help.’
‘Because It is my job to protect the Kingdom as the monarch.’
‘If I didn’t save you, then you’d be dead.’
‘Don’t bring that into this,’ she warns.
He backs off. ‘If you come back and hate yourself for the blood and the guts and the death, I won’t be able to stop anything that happened.’
‘It wouldn’t be the first time I regret something.’
Ninety-Seven
Contacting the only one who can help, seemingly
R
evenge is the only motivation now, and it is the only wall blocking her from her prize. What her soul craves is making one call on the Mirror or her closet. She can do this herself, its one call to the one person who she wants to slit the throat.
She could have fought back against Nate, and really, she should have been there and asked for Jake’s help, but that was then, and this is now. The present is more important.
The Angels are even more important than that and if she gets to them first, then they can’t surprise her. Get the upper hand and outsmart the enemy. Jake tried to stop her, but she doesn’t care.
This is right – she’s always wanted this – it’s not like Nate with Lucifer. She’s certain this time.
Deep in her bones and the world in her heart, revenge resides. It blazes. Burns. Her Sister must be taken for her bloodlust to be filled. She won’t fall into the same trap as her Father – trust everyone and get hurt.
Except Nate, he can be somewhat trusted.
She opens the closet door and looks in the long mirror put into the wood at her worn down, tired reflection. The mirror shows shadows that dance in the back of her room, in the corners where light rarely reaches. She takes a breath and counts to five and relaxes, strokes her blades, and raises her hand up to the mirror.
She draws a pair of Angel wings onto the glass, and they burn out. It rings, an Angelic song and wings burn out, connecting to the Kingdom.
Hopefully, Durrius will be available.
‘What happened?’ he asks, in a tone that is partly shocked, trying to keep whatever composure he has left.
‘I don’t want to talk about it.’
She hears shuffling on the line, but doesn’t think anything of it. She wonders how he looks, as he might have gone through some changes in the past few months.
‘What do you want this time, Erica?’
I want to say thank you. The words feel fake in her mouth, like plastic and at the same time fabricated and weak like string. ‘Could you come and pick up Nate and I and take us to Angelica?’
‘Where?’
‘The Castle, you’ve broken in enough times.’
‘And you’ve stolen—’
‘I’m well aware.’
‘Are you going to do it or not? Or have you decided that you’re going to weigh this down and dodge the questions?’ Like certain Rulers I know.
‘Fine. As long as you promise not to murder anyone. I know what you’re like.’
‘Yeah, I know that. Still, you should have let me do it when I was ready, in a more epic–sounding way.’
‘I’ll see what I can do. No promises though.’
‘Thank you.’
‘You’re not really one to thank people.’
‘Yeah, well I’ve learned to make a few exceptions to the rules.’
Ninety-Eight
Heated Roomy Conversations
B
ack in the Edward’s communal room, with the gold shining and the massive map still in-tact. Everything has just been dusted and it smells of wood and window polish. Nate was called for a meeting an hesitantly, he decided to go. Tension rises like it’s never going to stop, and Nate can taste the tension in the room, the hot pepper burning a hole in his taste buds and his head pounds. Stress seems to be the force that unites all of the fellow monarchs. They are bound by it, the anxiety of the incoming threats and the world at large crashing in. That they could wake up one day and their worlds be changed forever.
‘We need to be careful. The Angels could come at any moment.’ Edward says. His lob-sided crown somehow sits on his head, entangled in his mess of hair
Nate reacts to this statement with a mute nod of his head, ears are still ringing from the shouts and screams of his Guards from back home. Even the two days of silence to get here hasn’t gotten that out of his head.
When surrounded by people you don’t want to be with, his parents told him to be polite. At least their lessons will live on in him, even if he has his own way of doing things now, as the Monarch he is trying to be.
Fredrick’s brown hair flows to life, as if its ready to hold a person down to heal them. ‘I’ve got my Healers. We’ve got lots of Healers that I can put into the places they are needed.’
‘Your healers aren’t needed,’ Edward says. ‘Nate and I shall provide the troops, as previously discussed.’
‘We need to ensure Healers are there, otherwise we’ll lose too many.’ Nate says, quietly, less commanding than he would like to, but against these people he’s a novice. ‘Healers keep the Kingdom going.’
‘Just because that’s what your mother told you, doesn’t mean it’s helpful in war, she was never a fighter.’
She could have killed my Father if he... ‘She did well enough and I think she was right.’
‘We shouldn’t fault the boy too quickly.’ Edward says, looking towards Nate, his flaming brown eyes burning with a mix of emotions he can’t read. ‘We need a strong force. Whilst Nate and I can provide that, we’re going to lose the fight if we have too few.’
‘The Angels could come at any moment.’ Janara says. ‘Are you going to give me more magic.’
‘’Pray to Hades for that, Janara.’ Edward says and turns to Fredrick. ‘Have you got adequate forces for us?’
‘Yes. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t. My Kingdom will heal everyone and keep the Kingdom healthy.’ [dialogue tag] ‘It’s the least I can do.’
‘You’re doing a great job.’
‘Thank you, Nate. You are doing a great job for a young King. Your Father’s shadow must be hard to outgrow.’
Nate can only nod. ‘It is.’ This is the first time he’s admitted it and knows that there is a lot more to gather, a lot more to figure out, even whilst he has a better grip on this business.
‘As nice as this is, we’ve got a war to fight in. Get back on track, the Angels could come at any moment.’
‘I provide the soldiers. How will they get in?’
‘Simple,’ Edward says, as if he’s lecturing. ‘They can get through the seas, through the docks or the broken gates on either the Brain or the Heart, where we must defend those points and station troops there.’
‘They’re already very well defended.’
‘For regular conflict, yes. For war? Lucifer never put much thought into his defences, and I suspect that you won’t either. Consider this a point in which to learn from the War and defend your Kingdom with your life. As for me, boy, the entrance into the Kingdom is well defended enough, so I shall teach you some tricks and send you a letter on how to implement them.’
‘The people who carry them will be the first to die.’ Nate points out – even if he shouldn’t have to. ‘So you’d be wasting your time writing it.’
‘You need to learn, boy. This is war.’
‘Which you asked me to wage. I did it on your behalf, Edward, because there was a threat looming and we made the collective choice to get her before she came to us.’ He doesn’t let him get a word in edgeways. ‘I’m a King so I’ve got a voice.’
‘You’re just like Erica – hot-headed and foolish. I’ve always thought you’d struggle.’ He scoffs. ‘Listen and do not talk back to me. You’re a boy who has gotten hold of power too early. Warning: it makes you mad.’
‘Let me learn how to wield it then. I’m a King now, not just a boy who’s heir to the Throne.’
‘Just you wait, boy. Just you wait until the bloodshed gets all over you and it will drive you mad.’ He rises and gets close to Nate, so close that he can feel Edward’s breath on his neck, picture the cold blade slitting his throat open, like his Father would have done.
‘Edward!’ Fredrick says and he gets up, holding Edward by the arm.
‘Let go of me, Fredrick. Your whole Kingdom is useless!’
‘I’ve got a duty to heal, Edward. You know that much, don’t harm him and I won’t withdraw my war efforts.’
‘Then it’ll be your fault when all my troops die.’
‘Don’t pin it on me, Edward.’ Fredrick instructs, forcing Edward away from Nate and back into his seat. ‘It will be you who is at fault because you attacked one of the Kings. Leave him be.’
‘He’s going to die one of these days.’ Janara says. ‘Better late than never.’
Edward says something after a while. ‘That runaway you call your Queen is nothing more than a scared girl.’
‘She isn’t here and will be involved as much as she can be. Getting the plan in action is the best course at the moment.’
‘Means I get back to my Kingdom. This should have been on the Mirrors.’ Janara says. ‘Oh wait, we don’t have the connection to keep them running in my Kingdom.’
Edward takes a breath and outlines the plan. Nate listens to some of it, only where he needs to, after having Edward in his face, nearly a blade to his neck – for the second time – listening isn’t on his priority list.
‘The Heart will defend itself with help from the Brain. Fredrick will be on hand if you need anything. As for Janara, she will be tending to her own wounds with my support for backup.’
Nate looks over to Janara and thinks he can see what she’s thinking and how bad of an idea this is. He could reason with Edward but doesn’t fancy being stabbed. Regardless, he’ll beat himself up if he doesn’t.
‘Edward, that seems foolish.’ He perks up. ‘Geography dictates that you’re better off having half-’
‘Of your inexperienced forces-’ Edward cuts in.
Nate continues, ignoring his comment. ‘Of my forces sent to Janara as there will be less time to travel. We can exchange forces for a while and give us both. How many can you train?’
‘Look at you, tactician.’ Edward says mockingly. ‘You don’t know the first thing about War. Stay out of it.’
Ignoring Edward will get him far, so he presses on, even if his conscience says he shouldn’t. ‘How many can you train?’
‘How many do you want?’
‘As many as you can spare.’
The meeting ends with him having slightly more clue, but ultimately, he’s proud that he could stand up for himself.
Ninety-Nine
After
D
eafening silence is the only gateway to his thoughts and a pathway to his habit of contemplation. Lexi loves people who obey orders but hates resistance – two of the things he’s great at: following orders and resisting them. Erica’s request isn’t something he can consider resisting, he did, after all, promise he would try his best. Though, the idea of responding and denying he could do anything crosses his mind. Their success is in his hands.
He breathes a sigh of (somewhat) relief. When he agreed, his body forced him to freeze, for his thoughts to become thawed. He needs to show the world he means something other than being the puppet, a pawn. He still needs to find a fire to light him up, to give him a world that he can inhabit and make.
