Chapter Twenty One

Aerilyn

The nights in Korth were never as quiet as they had been in Orissia. In Orissia, people followed their curfew and always went home after work. Korth seemed to be more chaotic and had more nightlife than she was used to. She had watched the town from her window in the palace, examining the groups of people walking the paths in small groups. Aerilyn had wished she could be in the place of the laughing group of girls. Each of them seemed to have no fear consuming them. The way they walked with smiles and not looking over their shoulders. She envied it.

A soft knock on the door pulled her away from the window and to the wooden entryway. She cracked it slowly, seeing the red hair through the small gap she had made before she let out a breath of relief. “Brinley?” She questioned as she opened the door the rest of the way. A bright smile pulled across her features, her eyes lighting up. “Oh my gosh, Aerilyn, he kissed me!” She squealed, pushing past her and entering the room. Aerilyn’s brows knit together in confusion, closing the door as she followed the redhead to her bed. The girl plopped down on the mattress and she followed to sit beside her.

“Who kissed you?”

“Blaise! We were walking around the hallways trying to scope the place out and he was holding my hand and then boom he just did it,” she was giddy with excitement. Even in the worst scenario, she was glad that Brinley still hadn’t lost her smile. Her positivity was the one thing that stood out to Aerilyn from the start. Even if it had annoyed the shit out of her, she couldn’t help taking a liking to Brinley.

“So are you two like… a thing?” Aerilyn wiggled her brows, feeding off of Brinley’s energy. It was impossible to be upset around her. The fiery redhead had a way of lighting up the room. “I have no idea what this means. I think so? I’ve never really dated before and obviously our circumstances aren’t the best. He’s just so perfect, Aeri. I don’t even know how to think straight when I’m around him,” she continued to be a squealing mess, kicking her feet like a child. “We talked about what our future might look like. We both want to return to Orissia after all this is over, no matter what it takes. Both of our families are waiting for us to come home, so we have to. He even mentioned introducing me to his family,” she grinned from ear to ear, her words coming out fast. The thought of going back home was placed in her mind. She felt too different to be able to go back to working in the fields. It made her question what life in Korth could be like.

“Someone has a crush,” she teased, poking her fingers into Brinley’s sides in a playful manner. “I do, I can’t even deny that,” she bit her bottom lip, falling back against the mattress. “What about you and your lover boy?” Brinley returned the teasing. “He’s not my lover, that’s disgusting. We’re just too different. Even if we get back to Orissia, I would be nothing more than a Floral on the fields. Him and I could never work,” she frowned, the information settling over her. In all honesty, she wasn’t used to the level of male attention that Everett was giving her. She’s only been kissed once based off of a dare when she was playing with a group of kids. Everett was her first true kiss and she was still unsure how to feel about it.

“The kiss you shared tells me otherwise.”

“How long were you two watching that?” “Long enough to see you two tongue fucking each other. You’re totally into him. Stop trying to convince yourself otherwise. Things when we return will be different. I’m sure the king would understand. As long as we return with that sword, nothing else will matter,” Brinley made an attempt to cheer her up with positive thoughts. As much as she wanted to believe those words, she couldn’t bring herself to.

“We should get some sleep,” Aerilyn changed the topic, not wanting to discuss the matters of Everett any longer. “I’m two doors down if you need me. Get some rest. Don’t dream about your prince too much.”

Aerilyn wanted to laugh at the thought of dreaming about Everett, but when she finally closed her eyes she did just that.

Aerilyn felt a hand cover her mouth and another hand clasp around her throat. Her airway was quickly constricted from the pressure, causing her eyes to fly open wide. She was met with the darkness of the night and two shadowed figures looming above her. The panic set in, her body automatically grasping for the dagger she left tucked under her pillow. Her fingers latched around the blade before she swung it towards the strangers. She heard a groan in pain as her dagger connected with skin, the scent of metallic blood filling her nose. She took a moment of surprise to throw her body weight into her attacker's torso. The collision took them both to the floor, a flash of pain rushing through her as she tried to quickly recover. The moment she was on her feet, she felt another set of hands latching onto her. This attacker held a grasp on her that was much more aggressive than the first.

“You bitch!” A male voice growled before her. The attacker she had tackled to the floor slowly stood, wiping the back of his hand over his cheek. She noticed the trail of blood leaking from the wound she’d given him on his jawbone. A spark of pride rushed through her at the sight of the wounded man. The figure behind her forced her arms behind her back, wrenching the dagger free from her palm. She heard the metal hit the floor, leaving her completely defenseless against the two.

Aerilyn couldn’t get a clear look at their faces, unable to identify who was attacking her. After the scene she had created at the dinner, she knew there was a target on her back. She had attacked what she assumed was one of Korth’s court members. The people at that table had been important and she’d made the man look like a fool for running his mouth. She couldn’t bring herself to regret her actions.

The man with the bloodied face came closer to her, lowering his gaze to her own. Even in the darkness, she recognized the sharp features of the man who she’d thrown the dagger at. Her expression must’ve changed as he let out a deep laugh.“No more threats now, pretty girl?” He questioned, lifting a hand to her cheek before slapping the back of his hand across her cheek. She let out a soft whimper as she attempted to jerk away from the person restraining her. “Jacksyn, don’t leave too many marks on her. It needs to look like she did it to herself. If you leave marks on her skin the king will question if it was truly an accident,” the stranger's voice snapped from behind her. The man’s face changed at the comment, taking a step away from her.

“This is how it’s going to work. You’re a problem, you made that obvious enough when you defended the prince. You're in the way of getting rid of him. Unfortunately, I’m unable to kill you without punishment from the king. I wanted to make you suffer, but watching you die and making them all believe it was your own doing will be enough for me,” he laughed, crossing his arms over his chest as his gaze ran over her. She tried to understand the situation she found herself in, questioning how she could escape. “I’m sure the king won’t mind us making this easier on him. One less foreigner he has to break,” the man behind her joined in on the laughter. She used the moment to stomp her foot down onto his, throwing her head back into his nose simultaneously. The man cried out and loosened his grip on her. She took advantage of every second she had and took off running towards the door that led out of her room.

Without any weapons in hand, Aerilyn didn’t have many options to fight off two grown men. Her hand closed around the metal doorknob when arms latched around her waist, throwing her frame away from her only escape. She let out a scream, trying to alert anyone of the attack. Her head connected with the side of the bed, leaving her vision disoriented as pain shot through her skull. The man came down on top of her with force, pinning her body against the cold floor.“Mateo! Get the fuck over here! Now would be the time for you to be useful,” Jacksyn snapped above her, his grip unrelenting. The other male held his face, leaning over her as blood poured from his nose. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride that she’d drawn blood from each of them. The man, who she now knew was named Mateo, grabbed a hold of her face forcing her eyes on him. She tensed up every muscle in her body, preparing herself for the blows that were to come.

Pick up the dagger.

The calm voice whispered into her mind, the words more enticing than anything she’d ever experienced. She couldn't think of anything besides those four words. The men let go of their grip on her body and she slowly sat up. Aerilyn pushed off the ground and to her feet as she made her way across the room to retrieve the dagger. As soon as she felt the cool metal in her grasp, everything began to click into place. It felt as if she’d achieved her life mission.

Now use that dagger to slit your wrists.

The words echoed in her mind, cooing to her in a whisper. It felt like the words were stroking her cheek in a soft caress. Her mind tried to scream, to tell her not to go through with it. She lifted the blade to her wrist, feeling it dig into her skin. Pain vibrated through her skin as she let out a sob.

Stay quiet.

Aerilyn’s mouth snapped shut as she struggled to fight the words in her mind. Maybe letting the blade slice through her skin would bring her peace. The voice that took up her mind seemed to offer sanctuary in its words. The blade burned her skin and the warmth of her blood ran down her arm.

Fight it, Aerilyn.

A new voice screamed into her mind, one she didn’t recognize. She felt the panic behind the new voice, the urgency for her to stop what she was doing. It was trying to convince her to do the opposite of what the first voice had told her. The confusion of which voice to follow made her pause, her eyes flashing between the two men who only watched her in silence. The blade dug in deeper against her skin and the realization of what was happening finally hit her. Something inside of her awoke at that very moment.

Aerilyn had spent her entire life feeling helpless. She’d struggled to provide for herself and had to resort to stealing for survival. She didn’t have any options, no escape routes the way the other children might’ve had with support from their parents. Instead, she had learned how to survive. She learned how to be stronger than everyone else around her. She refused to let her life slip away and let all of that go to waste.

The blade pressing into her wrist froze, a scream erupting from deep within her. The room suddenly burst with a white-hot light. Her skin felt warm everywhere and her eyes began to burn from the brightness. She heard the two men scream. In horror or pain, she didn’t know. They both crippled to the ground, hiding their faces in their hands. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. Energy surged through every inch of her. The two men before her turned bright red, their clothing slowly burning to ash. The light was burning them. She began to panic, trying to shelter herself from the light that seemed to be harming them. Their skin began to blister and their screams of agony filled the air around her. She didn’t know how to save them. Even if they were trying to kill her, nobody deserved to die in such a cruel way.

Aerilyn glanced around her, attempting to find the source of the firelight. Her panic was beginning to take over all of her thoughts, consuming her inside and out. The mixture of exhaustion and pain rolled over her from the amount of blood she was losing from the wound on her wrist. The two men had stopped screaming, their bodies both a pile of burnt flesh on the floor. She crumbled to her knees, still feeling the heat ragging across her skin. She was afraid she was going to end up like them if she couldn’t stop the source of the light.

“Aerilyn!” A voice called out to her, pulling her attention to the doorway where Azazel now stood. There was panic in his eyes, an emotion she’d never seen him come close to conveying. “Get out of here!” She screamed back at him, fearful of the light destroying him as well. He looked around the room as if he too were trying to find the source of the light. His features became calm and collected as he took in a visibly deep breath and stepped towards her. “Azazel, don’t” she took a step away from him, stumbling as she hit the ground. Her palms ached from the impact, her entire body beginning to feel all the pain at once.

“Listen to me, doll. I need you to take some deep breaths,” he talked to her as if she was a ragged animal about to attack. It almost looked like a fear that flashed across his vision. She stared at him with wide eyes full of confusion. She only nodded her head, trying to force a breath into her lungs. The energy in her body was quickly draining and she began to question how long she’d be able to keep consciousness. Maybe the light was killing her like it had killed Jacksyn and Mateo.

Azazel kept one hand resting on the hilt of his sword that was attached to his hip. He had wiped all emotion from his expression, leaving him unreadable. He took several steps towards her before he kneeled in front of her, his eyes level with her own. He winced in pain as the light began to burn his skin, making the girl panic.

“Aerilyn, focus on me,” he whispered, placing his palm on her cheek so she couldn’t look anywhere beside him. Her eyes stayed locked with his, unable to look away. He seemed to suck everything out of the air, the light around her beginning to dim. She began to question if he had been the source of it. “That’s it, doll. You’re doing so well. Take a few more deep breaths for me,” he stroked his thumb over her cheek, attempting to calm her. Her skin felt hot everywhere. It made her want to rip her flesh right off of her body. She tried to focus all of her strength on taking the deep breaths as Azazel had instructed. Her lungs felt like they had been on fire like the rest of her body. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly before she felt a soft slap across her cheek. Her eyes flew open and were met with Azazel’s harsh glare. “Don’t close your eyes, keep them on me,” he instructed, his tone sharper than before.

The light that had filled the room began to slowly dim, leaving Azazel’s face drenched in darkness. At that moment, Aerilyn realized where the source of light had been coming from. The warm light had originated from her skin. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the thought, it couldn’t be possible. None of it made sense. She’d never seen light erupt from another’s skin. There were no other known abilities beyond the ones she had learned since she was a child.

“Aerilyn?” Azazel’s voice seemed to soften once again, trying to gain her attention. “What just happened?” She let out a breath, her hands shaking as she attempted to pull herself away from the king’s grasp. “I’ll explain everything when you’re not in shock. Your head is bleeding and your skin is burning hot. I need you to calm down before we can do anything. I need to get you to my quarters for the healer to tend to you,” he attempted to explain what was happening but it only left her more panicked. “Did I kill them?” Aerilyn cried out, her eyes darting between his and the two bodies that still lay unmoving. Surprise flashed across Azazel’s vision as he turned to see where her gaze had been.

Azazel didn’t say a word as he carefully let go of her and approached the two men. They both lay in a crumbled ball on the ground, their skin raw and bloodied from the burns. Their flesh was destroyed.

“Why were they here?” he questioned, glancing between the two men. “They attacked me. T-They were trying to kill me and make it look like suicide,” her voice was shaking, still raw from screaming. A muscle in Azazel’s forehead twitched in a sign of frustration, leading her to take a step away from him. He noticed the singular step and his expression changed. “It’s not your fault. I’ll take care of it. Go wait for me in the hallway,” he motioned towards the door. She wanted to argue with him and deny his request, but the exhaustion consuming her body told her to obey.

As she walked to the door, she glanced over her shoulder to see the king kneeling beside the men. His dagger was drawn, plunging it into the chest of the man. He waited a moment before he withdrew his blade and repeated the action to the other body. He was ensuring they were dead. He was ending their suffering. The sight made a wave of nausea run over her as the guilt crept into the back of her mind once more. She grasped onto the door frame to keep herself upright, her knees threatening to give out under her. Every emotion finally hit her. All the pain in her body contorted her mind into a hell hole.

“Doll?” His voice broke her from the spiraling thoughts, his green eyes inches away from her own. She tried to form words, but her mouth felt too dry. Azazel swore under his breath before he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his chest. After that, everything became a blur to Aerilyn.