Chapter 43

Noora

The quiver moved on her back, the arrows rattling and clanking against each other as her arms hovered in their position. She did not dare breathe as she stared into the soulless eyes of her opponent, her entire being shifting into quiet rage. She drew an arrow, the second Soren pulled out the tiny knife, pressed against her cold cheek, rising and falling with every shaky breath she took.

“Noora.” Nikolai’s voice came from somewhere to her left but she ignored him, her focus razor-sharp on Soren. Lulva whimpered, her eyes as large as the moon as her small frame was clutched by the lanky boy. It was always the ones you expected least, how could she have overlooked Soren so foolishly? Noora should know better than that, she should not have trusted anyone.Now she had to pay the price of being careless, of accepting human emotions she was not entitled to. Her entire being was wired to protect this little girl. She wanted to ensure that at least Lulva got a life without all the gruesomeness that protruded so ugly from the depths of the shadows.

“It was you,” Noora spoke up slowly. “You sabotaged my skates, poisoned Kekoa, and sent out whatever followed Pika in the forest.”

A slow smile spread on the boy’s lips and made him look eerily mad. “Of course it was, what did you expect? It is laughable to suspect Kekoa as if he would be smart enough to sabotage a tournament held by the royal family.”

Somewhere in the crowd, Kekoa protested but she did not give him the time of the day.

“It was fairly easy to gain everyone’s trust. Poor little Soren, a boy who wanted to prove himself and his loyalty to the crown.” He chuckled, waving around the tiny knife for a few moments and Noora took a step forward. Lulva was shivering in his grasp.

“Ah-ah, I’d stay where you are if you do not want your sister to get hurt.” She immediately stopped advancing on him, though never let go of the bow. Her arms were starting to scream, the muscles straining and her formerly injured arm felt like it was on fire.

“Now, before we get to the fun part of the evening, I want to make sure that everyone knows the rules here.” His gaze flitted around the arena, taking in the royal family who sat frozen in their places, the guards ready to draw their swords. Noora saw Raphael trembling, his hand coming closer and closer to the hilt of his sheathed sword. He would not make it. None of them would make it, if someone drew a weapon Soren would kill Lulva in an instant and that would mean the destruction of the world.

“I want everyone who is in possession of a weapon to draw it slowly and pile it up on a heap, right there.” He motioned a bit to the side, to a patch of grass that grew unevenly. His pale eyes moved to look at Noora. “You can keep your bow, just as leverage.”

No one moved at first before he broke out into a crazed cry. “NOW!”

The guards slowly drew their weapons and piled them together on the mentioned patch of grass. Noora watched them silently, her mind tangling and untangling with every option she had, which sadly were not many. The guards were still piling their weapons as she spoke up.

“Why?”

He turned to look at her. “I was waiting for your question, thank you for asking it.” He looked smug.

“You know, from the beginning of the tournament, I knew it was you who would turn out to be the winner of the prize. Which is not surprising. considering your magical advance and skills that helped you along your journey.”

“I have barely used—”

“I am talking now,” he interrupted her darkly. “Whether you claim to have used your magic or not, I know that you have. You were able to escape a trained Sosye. Pinned Kekoa down, and made him stay where he was for hours, rotting in the forest. If it wasn’t for your magic, you would have not been able to escape him.”

Noora felt rudely discredited, though the situation demanded for her to stay focused on the important things.

“Pika was followed by a shadow singer indeed. I summoned one of them with a little help, which was easy enough, though I trained it to hunt you down as well.”

Noora narrowed her gaze at him as he trailed off into a tangent. He was getting distracted, she needed to keep him talking. Just one arrow. She needed to be fast and precise for it to work. Soren was stupid for letting her keep her bow. But with arrogance its shadow always followed; carelessness.

“Do not look so surprised, witch, you know exactly why it did not follow you. Tell the people why, Noora.”

“They are repelled by the magic that inherits witches, it is an underlying mechanism inside us, a form of a protection spell.”

He nodded, satisfied. “Exactly. Luckily, I was smart enough to protrude a backup plan and sabotaged all the skates of the contestants.”

Noora’s gaze flitted towards Lulva who was watching her, terrified to her bones. She held her gaze for a long time, trying to make her understand and the younger girl nodded almost imperceptibly.

“I do not understand. Why do all of this just because you want to win the prize?”

Soren bellowed a laugh, the knife in his hand moving again. He needed to stay still or else Noora would accidentally hit Lulva.

“I do not give any bollocks on that stupid prize. What I wanted was you and those filthy witch hunters dead,” he seethed.

Noora blinked in confusion and stepped forward which made Soren press the knife harder against Lulva’s neck. “Stay. Where. You. Are. Filthy half-blood.”

Noora hesitated, sheer rage was drawing a fire in his cold eyes. He despised her, no he despised witches.

“You and those abominable witch hunters are anomalies in our world, you should not even be allowed to be alive! I was hoping the shadow singer would give you the rest but your dirty magic got in the way. And then the stupid dragon!” He was shaking with rage now and Noora felt it coming. The air was filled with electricity. It was driving higher and higher until it would unload itself on all of them. Until it would tip the world and rip it apart at its seams.

“I wanted it to rip you apart! I would take care of the witch hunters later but then Dainslief, if it weren’t for that cursed sword you would be dead now. The former wielder would be ashamed to know that a creature like you was in possession of it, you do not deserve it.”

“And you do? You are holding a knife to an innocent child, you want to kill people because of what they were born into, you must be mad not to see how little sense that makes. I saved your life in that cave!”

Soren glared at her. “YOU DID NOTHING BUT CURSE ME BECAUSE OF YOU MY LIFE HAS BEEN DESTROYED!”

His voice echoed around the arena and Noora could feel that this was it. The moment he moved his hand her eyes met Lulva. Her tear-stained face looked scared but she raised her foot as high as she could and slammed it down on Sorens foot.

The boy howled in pain and withdrew his hand slightly and the next moment Noora’s arrow flew. The arrow hit its goal, eliciting another scream from Soren as it burrowed deep in his hand. He did not let go of the knife as he glared at her, spit flying with his words.

“You missed.”

“No I did not, do you know the effects of wolfsbane, Soren? I heard you were very familiar with the poison.” She turned to Lulva, “Run.”

Lulva charged and Noora threw her bow to the side and ran towards her, drawing a knife from her right boot.

“NOO!” Soren roared and charged at Lulva, the girl had a head start and was rather quick. Something soared in Noora’s chest as she urged her legs to move faster, her arms already opening but then Soren took hold of Lulva’s scarf.

No.

Noora finally reached them and toppled Soren to the ground, her knife pressing against his neck. Her heart pounded as his lips spread into a small grin. “You should have gone for the heart, Archer.”

Still pinning him down, Noora turned her head to see Lulva on her knees, her mouth slightly agape, dark liquid spilling past her lips. Noora was on her feet a moment later, her knees like jelly as she sprinted over to her sister. Her knife clattered to the ground, her knees and left calf protesting as she caught Lulva’s body in her arms.

The ground caved in beneath her.

“No, no, no.” She did not know if she was screaming or whispering as she took the dagger out of the girl’s heart. “Lulva.” She barely was able to say her name.

The girl blinked, her pupils flitting around in fear.

“You are going to be all right, I promise.” Something wet was streaming down Noora’s cheeks as she took the dagger, slitting open both her wrists. Her blood was pouring over Lulva’s chest as she started to pray to goddess Irina. Her lips moved numbly, endlessly through the wound that was not closing.

“No, no please not her. Please take me!” she cried towards the sky, her skin and body ripping itself apart. She looked back down at Lulva whose lips turned into a gentle smile. “You were the best sister one could have in this world, Noora. Please…” She coughed and Noora took her small face in her hands pushing the red strands from her olive skin. Her hands were bloody, smearing against the girl’s skin.

“You will be fine, just hold on, just a little longer.” She started to pray again when Lulva raised her hand and clutched her wrist.

“You need to take the gold and go away. Take Spike with you, P-promise me.”

Noora shook her head, tears flowing endlessly.

“I cannot go without you. I cannot live without you, there is no purpose.”

“Then you have to find it, for me…Noora, I love you.” Her eyes fluttered for a few moments before she stared into the sky, unmoving.

An inhuman wail left Noora’s lips as she clutched the small body to herself. There was no beat, no strum that told her, her sister was alive.

Something was ripped from her heart, splintering it into a thousand pieces and embedding themselves in her organs. When the tears dried on her cheeks she looked up. They were all standing around her. Raphael’s head bowed, Nikolai’s face ashen, his hand twitching as if he were going to reach for her. Tyra was clutching her heart, tears running over her face in an endless stream.

Slowly Noora let Lulva sink to the grass, closing her eyes and she got up, the dagger still in her hands. She turned around to see Soren lying on the ground, he was breathing quickly, his face pale, a slightly greenish tint marring it. The moment she took a step towards him Raphael blocked her way. “You do not want to do this Noora, he is already lying on the ground.”

“Move.”

He gripped her shoulders but she did not react, her eyes still on Soren, foam building at the sides of his lips. His body convulsed now and soon his lungs closed up slowly and tauntingly until he would suffocate to death. He did not deserve such a gentle death.

“He has done unspeakable things but if you hurt him now while he is already dying you will be no better than him.”

Noora looked up at Raphael. “I am no better than him, I am worse. Now, move. out. of. my. way.”

“No. I will not let you destroy yourself.”

He was starting to annoy her and he stood in her way. Noora swung her left arm and knocked him straight in the face. Though the impact was hard Raphael stayed on his feet and tried to hold her away. She blocked his punches and ducked underneath his arm, her foot flying out and shattering his right knee. Raphael went down with a cry and she slipped past him to notice the other guards standing ready in her way.

“I do not want to hurt you but I will.” Noora tried to give them a chance, though her heart was so cold she could feel the ice spreading around it, a case building itself slowly but surely. Pieces splintered until there was nothing left of her. The guards looked unsure, holding their swords at the ready but not attacking.

“Let her through.”

Noora turned around at Nikolai’s words. He was looking at her, his face cold, deep shadows painted the hollows of his cheeks. His message was clear. The guards stepped away to let Noora pass, their bodies slightly shivering as she left them behind. Only when she heard their gasps did she turn to see that ice was building beneath her feet trailing her like a long veil was covering her body.

When she reached Soren she squatted down and raised her left wrist which was still dripping with blood. She let the drops hit Sorens discoloured lips, murmuring a few words until his skin started to look better.

“What…?” he mumbled quietly before his eyes focused on her and widened in horror. “Why did you heal me?”

“It was foolish of you to go against a half-blood whore, Soren. I do have to admit you know a lot of things about us.” She cocked her head at him. “But you have forgotten one part. Witches are vengeful creatures and you just took the heart of one away, carving it straight out of her chest. I reckon it would only be fair if I took yours ‘cause you took mine.”

His eyes widened in horror and he started to shake his head violently. “NO! PLEASE DO NOT LET HER DO THIS!” His scream echoed around the arena.

“Nikolai, you cannot let her do this,” the queen hissed behind her. Soren’s gaze flitted toward the gathered crowd. “I did everything you wanted, please let me live, help me,” he begged desperately.

Noora sat down on his ribcage, making him gasp. He started to trash his body desperately beneath her and a crazed laugh escaped the witch’s lips.

“Nikolai,” the queen snarled again. “No one moves. Let her do it.” Nikolai’s voice sounded like he was far away as Noora concentrated on the now healthy beat beneath her.

She drew the tip of the blade softly over the area where Soren’s heart resided.

“No need to be scared, I promise I will go slow so it won’t hurt so much.”

“No!” he howled and begged and snot was gathering at his nose, foam still at the sides of his lips. What a pathetic creature, how foolish he had crossed a witch and was now begging for forgiveness. It was his lucky day, witches forgave almost anything for the prize of a heart.

Noora raised the dagger and started to carve.

She did not know how she ended up in the palace halls, she screamed and hit as the guards grabbed her arms and started to pull her inside the Hel where it all began. They took away her bow and dagger and she let her nails grow into deadly talons, swiping at armour and skin until she drew blood.

“You beast!” Someone yelled and she laughed as her claws dug into his skin. She would not let go of him, she would kill everyone, every single one of them was at fault that she was like this. She would let revenge rain down at every single one. Ripping their hearts out would be a feast as she stacked the still beating things onto each other, procuring a large collection.

“Leave her.” The demon spoke himself and she turned to see him standing there, leaning against the palace walls in all his glory, disguised in the case of an angel. His golden strands curled against the sides of his face, his eyes foreign to her.

“But, Your Majesty—”

“Leave us, ” he repeated.

She slowly withdrew her talons from the guard’s arm who glared at her, before they both let go of her body. She wiggled her fingers at them with a satisfied smile before turning to look at the djevel.

“I know you are hurting right now but there is something I need to tell you, now that you have won the tournament.”

She tipped her head to the side, advancing on him until only a hairsbreadth was separating them. He was eyeing her but did not look afraid as she lifted her blood-stained fingers and let them trail over his cheek, down his neck, and let them rest over his heart.

“Yours is still beating, maybe I should take it for myself.”

He nodded slowly. “You can have my heart if you want, though it will do you no good anyway.”

She plunged her nails into the skin around his heart, making him choke. Jade eyes sparkled at her as his lips parted in pain. Something about the look on his face was familiar. He raised his hand and wrapped it around her wrist pushing her nails further into his skin. He whimpered softly and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Listen to its beat carefully, what do you hear?” he asked roughly.

She was tempted to rip his heart out of his chest without mercy, though she listened to him and hesitated for a moment. Ahh, there it was pumping blood through his veins faster than ever. When she heard it , she stepped back, her fingers leaving his chest. Nikolai slumped forward as he looked up at her.

“What is wrong with your heart?”

She did not want an ill heart, a heart that was already dying was worth nothing in this world.

“It fell in love, a long time ago,” he told her. The witch tipped her head to the side watching him closely.

“A long time ago a foolish young prince went out to search for an all-powerful witch. It was told to him that she could get him anything to his heart’s desire. Ironically his heart was ripped out long ago, only a hollow hole residing in his chest. So, he searched for her travelling to the kingdom of the east and found her. He begged the witch for a favour which she gladly obliged him, though in return she cursed him.”

He chuckled bitterly as if laughing at his younger self. How foolish he was to trust a witch, didn't he know they were the thieves of the souls?

Suddenly, Noora remembered. When Nikolai was little he was promised to a girl, Amalie Winter, they were to be wed when she was kidnapped and killed by the Sosye.

Noora looked up at the demon narrowing her gaze.

“The witch cursed you? ” she asked.

“If the prince did not find what he was searching for in the matter of three days his body would start to rot from the inside out.” He slowly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing long spidery black veins running beneath his skin, pulsing with every breath he took. Noora took a step back, lips parting at the horrific look of decaying flesh.

The veins grew thicker over his arms and he got rid of his gloves revealing the skin of his hands to be completely black, as if dipped in ink.

“When they reach my heart, it will finally cease to beat,” he concluded. There was only little of his chest residing in unblemished skin.

Noora slowly exhaled her eyes following the ill-looking veins, he only had a little time left. “The dry land, the ill trees…” she trailed off. Nikolai nodded.

“The health of the king was always tied to the heart of his kingdom, we do not possess any magic, though it is a magical bond created by witches a long time ago.”

Goosebumps were now covering his naked chest, running over the defined muscles dipping and rising in his stomach. Her nails had created a cute pattern right around his heart. What a shame his heart was wasted.

“I came up with the tournament to find the best hunter on this continent to accompany me on a quest to find this witch and cure me.”

She raised her brows. “Would the throne not fall to the next heir in line?”

“There is no one next in line, I am the only son of my father, and worse, if the witch hunter or anyone else finds out I am weak and dying, they will attack.”

“That is not my problem.” She was contemplating killing him herself, though her rage was subdued at this moment. Without his heart as a prize it was only half as fun to kill him.

“It is because to obtain the prize of this tournament and finally have the life you always wanted you have to go through a last trial.” He stared at her, raising his black arm, veins inhumanly protruding against his skin. “Find the witch who cursed me and save my life Noora and I will give you everything you wish for not only gold but something you have wanted from the beginning of all of this.”

She took a step closer her breath coasting over his skin. Noora saw him shiver slightly and her lips spread into a cruel grin.

“And what could that be, King of the Damned?”

His icy eyes did not let go of her gaze as his lips parted to speak the words. “Revenge ”