Sineater

I couldn’t let go.

I could feel a warmth slowly beginning to spread through her, but I couldn’t bring myself to drop her hand. I did, however, need to breathe. The words felt almost like sandpaper to my dry throat. “It’s okay. He’s gone.”

People slowly began to back away from the hug until all that was left was Vin. The thing that most people would have considered monstrous was the thing that had expressed self-sacrifice to help me do something when he had no way of knowing what I had attempted.

“Vin…” After the tug-of-war that I’d just played, my whole body hurt. As reassuring as the hug was, I really wanted to get the dead king off of me.

“Boys…” My father’s gruff voice called both of our attention to the doors of the chamber.

Arkun was standing behind a dozen of the Golden Guard, each one holding a crossbow that was pointed at us.

That was enough for Vin to let go of me so that he could muscle his way to the front of the group.

“Don’t get cocky!” The Regent sneered as he focused on my brother. “Each one of these are loaded with Diamond heads and magically enchanted to fire with the same force as a tower ballista. You won’t survive.”

The heads were clear, but I had my doubts that he was telling the truth. It would take a master level earth Elementalist over a year to fashion one of those heads. To have twelve as well as twelve crossbows that were reinforced with magic that strongly? Those things would be considered national treasures and that many would be impossible to stop everyone from knowing they existed. But one of them could be the real thing, which my brother was smart enough to discern himself.

“What do you want, Arkun?” My father had his hands up and was shifting to shield myself and Alessa.

“It’s KING to you!” The traitor puffed out his chest. “Where is that madman?!”

I was almost too exhausted to smirk. Arkun had really come back here with crossbows to get revenge instead of fleeing. It was baffling just how conceited and power-hungry that Elf was.

“He’s dead.” Talia started to slowly move out of the way so that the Elves could see the fallen man.

It was the first time that I actually looked at him. The chest wounds that I’d sustained were showing through the ragged and torn clothes he was wearing. Or it could have been the numerous wounds that I’d inflicted while fighting him. I couldn’t be certain.

I could feel that Alessa was starting to wake up, though I had a feeling that things were about to get very dangerous for everyone on this side of the crossbows.

“Move. All of you.” Arkun motioned for the others to move out of the way, then he tapped one of the guards on the shoulder. “You, make sure he’s dead.”

As tired as I was, I wasn’t going to leave my cousin on the floor as the terrified guard slowly walked towards us. I picked her up in my arms and stumbled a little as I tried to back up. Forst grabbed my shoulder to steady me and I nodded my thanks to the WereCrocodile.

“What..?”

“Shh.” I moved behind the mountain of reptile. “You’re okay.”

Her face was full of confusion. “But… How?”

“I’m not sure.” I helped her stand. “I got the idea while fighting…” I looked around Forst to where Arkun had the King’s body by the neck.

“Not so big now!” The Regent was dragging the King over to the window, then picked him up. “Too bad you’re not going to feel this, but let’s see how well you fly!”

He dropped the King into the water below.

“Like a rock!” The Regent’s deep laugh sounded vicious as he turned to look at us. “Now the rest of you must die.”