Chapter Five

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Tabitha

Jarlen of the Noctis Clan is the least formidable foe on my list. He is the weakest of my father's men, and probably why he did little to get on my bad side. Though, just being around and barking orders was enough for me to hate him. Of course, the fact he's loyal to my father means he must die.

All six of these men who work closely for my father must go. Only then will there be a clear line to him and the throne.

"He lives alone," Raisi comments, shifting on his feet to get a better view of the man's home through the trees. We made it here without issue. Now we just have to get inside.

"He's too much of a fool to have a wife," I snark back.

"Vampires rarely take wives," Theodas explains.

It makes me think back to my parents, wondering why my mother married a vampire in the first place, and why he pretended to be good all those years. What did he use her for? Why did he bother at all? Just to get a realm out of it? Sure, her angel magic helped the process, as they have some of the strongest magic out there, but he could have gotten anyone to do that. I'm not sure if I'll ever learn what his reasoning was.

It could be something as simple as needing people to like him. To build a community. And who doesn't like an angel? Who doesn't trust an angel? Even one who makes a silly mistake like falling in love with a vampire. It's clear all he did was use my mother, and I doubt I was supposed to happen at all. It's a wonder he didn't kill me. That's a question I ask myself over and over again.

Why didn't he kill me?

He kept me alive for years, locked in the dungeons, feeding me just enough to keep me alive, only bringing me out when he had to save face, and I was told to play the part or he would do things so foul I'd wish for death.

I was terrified of what he'd do, so I listened to him without question. In those moments, I had to look at him like the vampire he was and not as my father. It wasn't easy. Killing him may not be easy either, but it needs to be done.

My father has not only vampires working for him, but demons too. He is only getting more dangerous with each day that passes. From being in the castle, I'd heard of his plans. He will not stop at Demtra. He plans to take over all the realms. Start wars and take everything he wants.

A demon and angel battle is not something this world wants to see. It would be pure chaos. Everyone in all the realms would have to choose sides. Not a single realm would be safe from the war. Each side would take recruits. Hostages. Anything they needed to survive. It would be a disaster. Which is why I can't allow it to happen.

"My father only took a wife to fool us all," I comment, wanting them to know that I am not an idiot, nor am I living in denial about what my father has done.

"Killing this man will be easy," Kozzanth comments, gesturing toward the house. "Child's play."

"Shall we all go?" Raisi asks.

"Couldn't hurt," Theodas says.

"I'd like to search his home for any information about my father. Could you hold him for a short time to see if he will give us anything?"

"Anything for you, my queen." Raisi kisses my cheek before stepping into the shadows.

The rest of us follow behind until we reach the small cottage that is brightly lit from within. The initial walk took us longer than we expected, and it's darker than we'd hoped for. Today will have only one kill, but we will reach the next first thing in the morning. Of course there is no time limit on this. We must take our time so we don't mess up, but I am eager to get through these small fish so I can reach the big one.

Raisi points to the front of the house, then to us and toward the back. Kozzanth nods, grabs my hand, and we move around back. We stop by a window and carefully look inside where Jarlen is sitting at a wooden kitchen table, eating a bowl of stew.

He's a plump man, not at all what you would expect a vampire to look like, but every species has their rejects, I suppose. His smell is horrible too. I recall this foul stench that came from him. Like rotting meat. I will never forget it.

I hear the knock on the front door from here. Jarlen grumbles to himself, gets up, and walks to the front of the house.

Kozzanth grabs the door handle, mutters a spell to unlock it, and we quietly step inside. Dravens are truly remarkable beings, and had I not snatched a bunch of gold on my way out of the castle when I escaped, I wouldn't have been able to afford them. They are a wonderful mix of creatures, making up the best of all the worlds. They don't have a lot of magic, only knowing simple spells, like unlocking a door or procuring light or a small bit of water. Still, magic is magic, and it's something I am incapable of doing at all.

Kozzanth holds his finger in front of his lips, telling me to stay quiet. The moonlight glints off his eyes, giving them a more golden hue. He holds his hand up, palms out, telling me to stay put. He moves forward on surprisingly silent feet for such a large man. The front door opens.

"Who the hell are you?" Jarlen barks.

"Did no one teach you manners?" Raisi comments with that cocky tone of his. I bite my lip to suppress the smile.

"Who do you—" Jarlen's words are cut off, I assume by one of my men grabbing him.

A moment later, Raisi pops his head into the kitchen and crooks a finger at me, grinning. I head into the other room and find Kozzanth holding Jarlen around the chest with a knife to his throat.

Jarlen's beady eyes widen when they land on me, and his jaw drops open.

"You—You—" He can't even get a word out. What a pathetic, pudgy man.

"You always were a wimp," I tell him. "I never understood why my father chose you as one of his right-hand men."

"I am from the Noctis Clan!" he barks, as if that should mean something.

"As are hundreds of others," Theodas adds in a bored tone. He's standing by the front door with his arms crossed, looking unamused by Jarlen's insignificant proclamation.

"What can you tell me about my father's plans?" I ask, raising my chin.

"As if I'd tell you-ou." He chokes out the last word as Kozzanth digs the knife deeper. A small drop of blood runs down Jarlen's meaty throat. He whimpers, then swallows.

"He is going to take over all the realms," he admits.

"I know that's his plan, but how? What else do you have?"

"Nothing! He doesn"t tell me anything."

"Perhaps because you are an imbecile," Raisi comments, watching with a smirk on his lips. At least he is amused. Maybe one day I can find humor in all this. Today is not that day.

"What do we think?" Kozzanth asks as he raises a brow, glancing from me to the other men.

I take a step forward, getting closer to Jarlen. I frown at the smelly man.

"If you do not tell me what I want to know, Kozzanth will cut your throat."

"Bah! Silly woman can't find anyone to fight her battles. She has to buy them. You are weak, and—"

Kozzanth pushes the knife into Jarlen's throat. It goes in with ease, like cutting through warm butter. Jarlen's eyes widen before panic hits. His hands curl around his throat when Kozzanth pulls out the blade and lets him go, allowing Jarlen to drop to his knees with a loud thump. Blood oozes from the wound, soaking into his stained shirt then onto the floor below.

"He will not talk to my queen like that," Kozzanth says, wiping each side of the knife on Jarlen's back. He is gurgling, blood dripping from his lips, and clawing at his throat to breathe. It's futile. He'll be dead in a minute or two.

I step up to him and place my foot on his chest to push him back. He topples over, still trying to hold the blood in, but it's absolutely pointless.

"Enjoy my father's wrath in the afterlife."

His mouth opens as if he wants to say something. Curse me probably, but it doesn't matter.

I turn to my three men.

"Turn the place upside down. See what we can find."

We spend quite some time going through everything here but find nothing. Not a single piece of parchment with important information on it. Not a single thing about my father.

This cottage is relatively empty, and if I didn't know any better, I'd think he only just moved it. He didn't though, and it makes me realize how much of a lonely man he was. That is probably the reason my father wanted him. Jarlen needed a purpose to live. He was desperate and didn't fit in with his clan, so he joined my father. Of course, my father is working with the Noctis Clan, and others as well, but has only chosen certain men to work with so closely. The less you trust, the less likely you are to be betrayed.

"We could sleep here tonight," Theodas suggests, looking around.

It is a small cottage, but there is plenty of room for us to sleep.

"He will only smell worse as time goes on," I comment, gesturing to the dead body. "I'd rather sleep in the woods."

Theodas nods. "We will stay close then. We will be long gone before anyone finds him."

We leave out the back door and disappear into the woods to make a small camp to sleep.

Theodas works on setting up a shelter for me to sleep under, even though I told him it wasn't needed, while Raisi and Kozzanth go out to find something to eat. Though we do not need food, it is good to keep up our energy. The stronger we are, the better. It seems Jarlen ate every bit of food in his house. The only thing left was his half-eaten bowl of stew, and there isn't enough gold in the world to coax me into eating that.

My men return a short time later with four rabbits. Kozzanth starts a fire while Raisi skins the rabbits for roasting. I watch with a mix of sadness and awe. I'm not sure if I could catch and skin a rabbit if needed. The angel part of me wants no harm to come to any living creature, even if it means I live.

"You should get some rest, my queen," Raisi says, running a hand through his curly brown hair. I really love those curls. "We will take watch."

I nod and move under the small shelter Theodas made with the tent cloth and a tree with low-hanging branches.

"I will take first watch. You should rest too." It's Kozzanth who says that, and a moment later, I am joined by Raisi and Theodas, who take up each side of me. They get close, and I shift around to get comfortable.

"We will keep you warm and safe. Focus on getting sleep," Theodas says, holding his arm out for me to use as a pillow.

"I will try my best."

And I do, but I toss and turn through most of the night. I sleep for a short time, and when I wake, I am alone but hear them talking quietly with each other a short distance away. The next time I wake, it's from a bad dream, but this time Kozzanth is on my side. His large body holds mine tightly, keeping me warm and easing the aftermath of my nightmare. It's nice to let me guard down and know harm will not come to me. It's been a long time since I truly felt safe.

I lie here, listening to Kozzanth's soft breathing, knowing he is asleep. I try to do the same but cannot. There is an awful feeling in my chest that I cannot get rid of. Though I am confident in my plan, I can't help but think something bad is coming. And I don't think it is caused by the awful nightmare I had of being eaten alive by monsters.

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