3. battle for blood

3

battle for blood

Unknown

The castle is in utter chaos; the grounds are littered with scared Nocturnes trying to figure out what to do. But I have no time to be caught in the demands of the king, trying to rectify his mistakes in the form of even more betrayal. Whatever his plan is for this kingdom, it will still fail. I'll make sure of it.

I have no plans to let him continue on doing whatever it is he thought he was on track to accomplish. Though seeing the Hollows Trace compound lit with flames threatening the very air we breathe is a wrench thrown at my agenda.

What caused this war? After Travois got locked up, an eerie quietness blanketed the town for a few solid days before all of . . . this .

But who did this and why? Might it have anything to do with the guest that Rivian demanded to be brought in from Valor Cove? It dawns on me that he carries more secrets than he should be privileged to, but there's nothing I can do about that at the current moment. Right now, I have to figure out how to negate this threat while maintaining the purpose of the other.

This cannot be the reason why all we have done will fail.

I make my way into the cemented building, an hour outside of Shadow Creek. I know being seen here might raise some eyebrows, but with the current state of the Nocturne species, war on the brink between two Societies, the cause of fire that I'm sure the Faction has to be all over, I doubt anyone will even catch me sneaking in.

Creeping through the halls, I cling to the cold and dark walls as I make my way closer to my target. I know I probably shouldn't do this; he doesn't know that I'm here. But I need to do this. He'll want my loyalty and I'll want his.

No matter how fool-proof we've made this out to be, I am not too naive to know that something can and will most likely go wrong. As I find my way closer to the metal bars of the enclosure—keeping out those who have been detained, waiting for punishment to be decided for them—I stay focused and aware so as not to alert anyone else of my presence.

I take the key I stole from the unoccupied desk up front—shame people can be so careless these days—and quietly unlock the jail-like cage, my target seemingly asleep on his small cot.

But I'm a smidge too loud, something I berate myself for the split second it takes for him to jump up and rush to me, grabbing me by the collar of my shirt and pulling me into the bars. My face smashes against the metal, icy and hard. I grunt knowing that I am in trouble.

But I realize I'm in even more trouble when the cold pressure from the bars turns to searing hot pain in a matter of seconds. The bars burn against my skin, likely laced with some kind of flesh-eating element that the prison was able to maintain. I've never felt it's effects before but fuck if I didn't regret this decision already.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" His jaw clenches as his tone deepens with confusion and anger.

"I'm obviously letting you out, asshole," I say behind smashed cheeks and pursed lips, my skin eroding slowly off my face. Thank God it will heal.

He yanks me closer to him, pressing me harder against the silver bars of the jail cell, feeling my cheek bone nearly touch the bar through my skin. He looks hungry, and tired; the way he's looking at me right now makes me feel as though he could rip my body through the bars if he really wanted to. Anger valid, of course.

"How do I know you're not the one who put me in here?"

Good. He doesn't remember his compulsion, and even if he did. I'm not the one he'd remember. We were worried he'd broken through it when he was shackled up in front of the Faction but it seems like my abilities are stronger than my counterpart gave me credit for.

"I guess you don't. But none of that is important right now. The kingdom is on fire and Rivian needs you."

"What makes you think I give a rat's ass about my brother?"

This . This is why I'm here. Travois and Rivian have always been in a constant battle for whatever reason. Power? Money? Title? Respect? Who knows. It's not my battle to face and honestly, I don't care too much. I just know that having that kind of disregard for the king on my side will only be beneficial.

"Troian is dead," I tell him through my smooshed mouth, knowing that when I saw her last she was waking from her desiccation, but he doesn't need to know that. I know he'll have more sympathy toward his twin than for anyone else.

Travois' dark hair hangs in messy waves over his eyes and his muscles bulge as he uses the last of his energy to hold me to the bars, the acidic element still picking away at layers of my skin. I don't want to find out if this stuff is deadly or if I risk not healing if I'm exposed to it for too long.

"Don't fucking play with me." He pushes me back and then slams me forward, causing a high-pitched ringing to sound in my ears.

"Fuck, calm down! I'm the one with the key." I wave my hand in the air showing the evidence of such, having been close to unlocking the door and sneaking away like I had planned. But now, I have to convince him to let me out of here without trouble.

"What the fuck do you want?" He demands from me one more time. And I could compel him to be on my side, but that would take the fun out of the work I'm doing here. But I’ll likely just compel him to forget he saw me after I set him free.

Travois will be a good distraction. The Faction will call for his return, he’ll likely cause some pointless fight with Rivian and maybe in the end, we can be allies.

"Just thought you'd appreciate the gesture." I don't know what else to say to him to convince him to let me go. But as he looks at me with rage in his eyes, hunger igniting behind his irises, he lowers me back down to the ground and loosens his grip on my shirt and soon, lets me go entirely.

"If I find out you have anything to do with any of this, I will decorate the castle with your head on a spike and feed your heart to my unrelenting sister." His threat is heard loud and clear. I always estimated Travois to be the strongest of his siblings. It's the way it works to be born in light of an anima vinculum whether love is of the essence or not. Rivian just happened to be older, and the eldest sibling follows the law when royalty titles are in question.

But neither Travois nor Rivian have all the facts and I will find my victory in all of this.