In Darkness Lost (12 page)

I leaned against the wall, palms spread flat against the stones that made up the wall. Below me, the Cyrillian colors clashed against Argent’s.

My heart thudded dully in my chest as I watched my men battle for their lives against Cyril. 

Crypt stood behind me, silent and brooding. His hands rested gently on my hips, and I leaned back against him. “We’re not going to win this thing, Crypt. We’re both going to die.”

He shook his head. “No, we’re not.”

I reached up and stroked his cheek. “You can stop pretending for my sake. I know what’s happening down there.” I yelled over the din of the battle.

He shook his head again. “We’re not going to die. You won’t. I won’t let that happen.”

I smiled grimly. He was so determined to protect me. But that wasn’t a bad thing so long as it didn’t end in his death.

Turning, I looked up at him. “Thank you.”

He looked at me, startled. “What for?”

Even though there were others on the wall, I kissed him. It didn’t matter anymore. We were going to die anyway. I might as well let him know I felt and show it to everyone around me too. “For always being there for me when I need you, and for being my protector.”

He looked away from me. “If I were your protector, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”

I squeezed his hand gently. “You are my protector. You’ve always looked out for me. And there’s nothing you could do about this.”

He seemed to retreat into himself. It was almost as though he felt guilty for what was happening now.

I frowned. “Crypt, you know there isn’t anything you can do about this, don’t you?”

He shook his head, shaking off the mood. “Yes, I know.”

I smiled softly. “I’m glad. The last thing I want is for one of us to die with you still believing you could’ve prevented this.”

I looked back at the Cyrillian ranks. And my heart stopped.

Our forces were beating them.

Cyril was withdrawing.

Their ranks were breaking and our forces were driving through them like a knife through butter.

My eyes widened. I turned to Crypt. “They’re breaking formation and running!”

He nodded, looking queasy.

I frowned. “What’s the matter?” I asked.

He frowned back. “What?” He yelled.

I raised my voice. “You look sick! Why?”

He shook his head. “This isn’t right! It feels wrong.”

I laughed. “Yes, but they’re retreating, and that’s what we wanted. If our soldiers can beat them until they can’t fight anymore, maybe we can still win this war!”

He smiled at me. “Maybe.” But his smile never reached his eyes.

It was as though he knew or suspected something. Something that I didn’t. And it was causing him to assume the worst.

I watched for another fifteen minutes, but our armies were steadily routing the enemy’s forces.

I considered what he said, and realized that he was right. Turning to Crypt again, I was relieved to find that we could speak normally again without shouting to be heard. “Crypt, I’m going to my rooms. I need to think over this, and we need to regroup. You’re right. It doesn’t make sense that the Cyrillian army would be so easy to route. Especially not when they had such an easy time getting in here.” I turned away from him, heading down the stairs.

Crypt nodded. “I’ll stay up here for a bit and keep helping, if you don’t need me, that is.”

I shook my head. “That’s fine. Send someone to report to me if something goes wrong or anything changes.” Glancing at the few guards who had been able to stay to guard me and help defend the palace, I smiled at Crypt. “Just send one of them.” I inclined my head at the guards, who were cheering and gesturing at the battle below.

Crypt smiled back. “Of course.”

I glanced over at the guards again and then quickly slipped down the stairs. I wanted to be left alone, and the best way to do so was to give the guards the slip. Most likely, it wasn’t the smartest idea, but then, everyone was busy paying attention to the war, and I
knew
where Cyril was, so what did I have to worry about in regards to that? It wasn’t as though anyone would actually attack me.

***

The window shattered inward.

I leapt to my feet, heart racing.

In my bedroom, standing beside the shattered window, stood a man.

He was darkly handsome, like an angel of death, with messy black hair and dark violet eyes, which flashed fire at me. He towered over me, a being of pure muscle and danger.

I stood for a moment in shocked silence, no longer pacing my room.

No wonder Cyril had been so easy to route. They were the distraction.

The man standing before me was the real threat.

How easily I had been fooled into thinking I had nothing to worry about! What a fool I had been.

I willed myself to move, to scream, to do anything, but I was frozen.

The man smirked at me. “Well, this is the end. Just you and me, my Lady.” His gaze flicked around my bedroom. Raising an eyebrow, he advanced on me. “Where is your young upstart of a mage? Why isn’t he here to protect you?” Another glance around the room. “Fancy finding you here all alone and unprotected.”

That startled me into action. I flipped over the bed and snatched the gilded dagger that I kept beside my bed on my nightstand.

He laughed. “A knife? Unoriginal, I must say!” A tendril of black fire licked out flicking over my skin ponderously before wrapping around the knife’s blade and yanking it from me.

I gasped. “Who are you?” Looking up into his violet eyes, I thought there was something vaguely familiar about him, but I couldn’t place it.

“Why, I’m surprised you don’t know. I’m your kingdom’s new ruler.” He whispered.

I shrank back from him, backing up until I was up against a wall. “You’re King Vill?”

He laughed again, rich and full. “Yes! Of course.”

I stared. “I didn’t expect you to be… so… I mean you’re not…” I stammered, trying to think of a way to stall.

Deciding that my best option was to scream, I sucked in a deep breath and began screaming for help. But as soon as I did, my air was cut off. I dropped to the floor, choking and gasping. My hands went to my neck as I doubled over.

King Vill watched me in amusement. “You know, I don’t think that yelling is the best way to handle this situation.”

I glared at him, tears leaking from the corners of my eyes as I struggled to draw at least a small breath. But nothing was coming. I was going to suffocate.

What a horrid way to die.

I shuddered, furious with myself. How could I have been so stupid?

He released whatever spell was holding my breath from my lungs. “But, it just so happens that I want to be able to hear you plead with me not to kill you, and I want to hear you cry. Suffocating people to death isn’t any fun. So much more attractive to hear their screams. Although, I must admit, your mother’s scream for you was rather strange and slightly unnerving.”

My eyes widened. “You were the one who… Who killed her?”

He grinned. “Nice setup, wasn’t it?”

I looked at him, seething. “You monster.” I pulled every ounce of magic within me into the foreground sending it hurdling at him.

He deflected it easily though, and I was flattened against the floor with him standing over me.

I squeezed my eyes shut. It was over. All over. I would die.

And in that moment, I let go.

It was okay.

The people around me wouldn’t be my problem anymore. Not ever again, and I might lose Crypt, but I’d be dead, so what would it matter? He’d probably be dead too before the day was out since King Vill didn’t seem like the sort to leave anyone threatening alive.

Vill’s breath was hot on my face as he straddled me and whispered, “You know what?”

I shook my head, trying desperately to banish him from my mind.

“Before you die, I think I’ll tell you the truth about your so-called best friend.”

My eyes snapped open. “What?”

His face was inches from mine, his violet eyes staring down into my blue-green ones. “Oh, yes. Crypt Valldresson. So trustworthy. What a good friend he is.”

I frowned, confused. “What are you talking about?”

He grinned, playing with my knife and pressing the cold metal against my throat. “Oh, you didn’t know. Well, I guess that people don’t normally tell their loved ones that they betrayed them.”

“Crypt didn’t betray me.” I whispered.

“Oh, but he did. How do you think we got into the palace in the first place? How do you think we broke your front lines, come to think of it?” He leered down at me.

My head whirled as I tried to piece it all together. I gave up. I didn’t believe any of it.

Not one word.

What reason did I have to believe my enemy?

“I don’t believe you.” I whispered.

“Of course not. I’m your enemy. Why would I tell the truth? Is that it?” He laughed.

I shook my head. “Just get it over with. I don’t care anymore.”

“I daresay you don’t. Despair is a normal reaction to finding out that your closest companion betrayed you.” He grinned.

I squeezed my eyes closed again, blocking him out.

I felt his magic easing into my body and attacking me. Every cell started to burn it seemed.

Was this what my mother went through? Was he using the same spell on me as he used on her?

It didn’t matter. I lay there, gritting my teeth against the pain as his magic continued to insinuate itself into my form.

I felt my mind drifting off away from the pain. It was almost as though everything around me was happening to someone else and I was just watching. I didn’t even particularly care. It wasn’t me it was happening too.

The door broke, splintering into pieces. Vill’s triumphant expression faded.

Then the pain in my body retreated, and I soared back into my exhausted body.

Only to watch Crypt begin to duel with the King. 

I saw Vill’s magic lance at Crypt.

He didn’t block it with his own shield soon enough, caught off guard by the suddenness of the attack.

I screamed as it hit him.

His body went rigid for a moment as his body fought off the spell. A few moments later, a black cloud poured out of his body as he managed to purge himself of Vill’s destructive magic.

I went weak with relief.

Crypt sent his own magic hurtling at Vill while he formed complex weavings of magic around himself to protect his entire body from Vill’s attacks.

Vill too replicated the spells, covering his body in a shimmering black shield.

Not as high-tech as Crypt’s, which was so light that only its shimmery appearance gave it away. But it was enough.

Crypt’s face went paler than usual as he drove down on Vill, trying to break the force field.

Then suddenly Vill’s black force field cracked in half and Crypt’s magic surged to encapsulate Vill.

Vill fought back, pushing Crypt’s attacks away with strained movements, countering magic with magic.

Crypt wheeled to the side as another spell fired off at him.

The spell missed and whatever it was supposed to do, it failed. Vill gritted his teeth. “Give up, boy! You can’t save her, and you can’t save yourself either. So why prolong the moment of your deaths?”

Crypt refused to let Vill goad him into premature action. “I should have known that a killer like you wouldn’t keep his promises. I was a fool. I’m glad I get a chance to fix it.” He growled, launching another attack.

The battle began for real then.

Magic swirled through the air, thick and heavy, and I shrank back from the two men as they maneuvered back and forth across the room’s length and width.

Vill pulled a dagger from his belt, throwing it with deadly accuracy at Crypt.

Crypt threw a shield between them, but the dagger pierced through the shield, passing through without altering its speed at all.

It soared and time seemed to still. There was only the blade glittering in the air as it spun end over end in the stillness.

Then it hit Crypt in the shoulder. He gasped, crumpling to the ground with the impact.

I screamed. Sobbing, I tried to get closer to him, to staunch the flow of blood. He gazed at me, then back at Vill.

I was amazed he was still alive at the rate he was losing blood. The knife had stuck in deep.

But Crypt wasn’t finished. He pushed to his feet, lips forming words.

Vill clutched at his throat as he struggled to breathe. Crypt was doing the same thing to him as he had done to me.

Then Crypt flicked his fingers and Vill slammed against one of my white walls, pinned halfway up as though he were belted there. 

For an elating moment, I thought that we could win.