Hello! Hello!
How are you on this wonderful day/night?
To those who have already greeted the new year, I wish you the best for the year 2014!
To those who are still waiting (I'm still waiting too!) I wish the same!
^.^
LostForever06
Aen Silver Fire
Thank you very much for your amazing reviews!
I am the kind of author that rarely follows the plan, I always was! ^_^ So I split the chapter in two and added some action!
I felt I was rushing it… so I added this and that and in the end I had a monster-chapter… Sumimasen….
I think I like it though!
Oh! And please ignore any mistakes you might find in this one… Proof-read while slightly tipsy… xD I'll come back to check it again later, I didn't have the heart to delay the update any longer…
Chapter 26: Dripping Insanity.
"Damn it!" Long, greasy hair flew angrily to all directions as the thump bounced of the stone walls. The pale, sickly thin form of the man heaved as anger pulsed through him.
"Arai!" He screamed and the woman burst through the door moments later, the look of fear on her face obscured by the brown strands of hair that fell over her eyes.
"Y-Yes father." She cursed herself for stuttering, but the man in front of her didn't seem to notice, he was way beyond livid.
"Where is Shin?" His whole being calmed instantly, his trembling limbs stilled and his voice was cold, ruthless, like the steel edge of a deadly blade. She shivered as the temperature dropped pitilessly.
"He's out, training…" Her voice betrayed not of the terror she felt inside, she was used to it.
"He is not." Her eyes fell on the crystal sphere resting comfortably on crimson fabric. She saw them clearly, the two figures holding hands, obscured by the night's darkness.
She didn't talk, she did not dare utter a word. His eyes, glinting yellow even in the dim light, fell on her, they hit her like ice-cold water and she fought to keep the tremors from showing.
"What are you going to do about it?" He hissed, his voice resembling a snake's deadly warning.
"I'll sent my personal guard after them immediately." She bowed deeply, then turned to leave, surprisingly he let her.
"Baku, stay." The man that was behind her the whole time, silent and efficient, like a shadow, stopped in his tracks. The heavy doors shut behind her retreating figure. Baku faced the pale man and kneeled, his head touching the ground.
"You are a loyal soldier." The compliment was forced, empty words… a formality…
"Thank you my Lord." His words were empty too, so it didn't matter.
"I have a mission for you." He was a soldier, a hand that lived for its next order. His world was made of commitment.
"You are to lead my daughter's men." He moved towards only table in the room and grabbed something wrapped in golden velvet.
"When you find them, you are to kill prince Shin with this arrow." Baku raised both his hands high and a long box was deposited in his awaiting palms.
"Even a scratch will do."
They had been travelling for two hours straight, they couldn't afford to waste time.
The night was peaceful, as if ignorant… the silver stars were twinkling from their thrones up in the heaven's dome, as if happy. Two figures walked, side by side, bathed in the ethereal glow of the grinning moon.
They would need to rest soon, but not before they entered the safe embrace of the forest. Another one hour of walking went by, with only a few breaks for rest and much needed water.
"Are you okay?" He asked pushing some stray strands of hot red hair behind her ear. She nodded and punched him lightly in the arm.
"Yes, just a little worried." She smiled, although he could tell it was forced, her eyes lacked that wonderful glow that had his insides twist in sheer fascination.
"Don't worry, my brother won't have a search team after us until tomorrow morning. We'll be too far into the woods to find by then." He said before kissing her nose gently. He stood up and motioned to his back.
"Get on." He lowered a bit so she could reach his shoulders. He silenced her before the negative answer could leave her rosy lips.
"I won't take no for an answer, now get on, we don't have all night." He smirked as he pulled her to her feet gently. She huffed as she threaded her arms around his neck and he pulled her up by her legs.
"You are not comfortable at all." She mumbled, burying her nose in the delicious union of his neck and shoulder.
"Thanks." His legs began moving as he marched forward.
They had finally made camp a little before the sun emerged from beyond the horizon. Hidden amongst the lush canopy, they found shelter in a cave deep enough for them to be able to light a fire.
They boiled some of the rice they'd carried with them and ate before succumbing to the power of Morpheus, warm and comfortable inside each other's arms. For the two of them just that was enough, that and the sunrise, the newborn day about to spread its wings.
They slept a little more than planned, for the exhaustion was heavy on their bones. She awoke first, the buzzing inside her head matching the rhythm of her twisting stomach and making her groan in protest.
Trying to whatever she had eaten inside the troublesome organ, she stood up and paced around the cave. Shin awoke moments later, having missed his source of warmth. Worried he was at her side immediately.
"What's wrong?"
"Morning sickness… Your fault!" She glared at him with frighteningly burning eyes and he sighed, relieved it wasn't anything too bad.
"The I guess you want to skip breakfast?" He taunted and she punched him, something she appeared to have adopted as a habit.
"Don't be an ass." He snorted as he filled their plates, if they could ever be called that…
"I'm not an ass, you're just pregnant." Needless to say, if looks could kill he would already be ash, scattered by a waft of air.
"You…" She hissed dangerously and he chuckled.
"How much more do we have?" A few minutes later and her anger seemed to have disintegrated . What replaced it was a feeling much more unnerving.
"We have another day ahead of us… We should be there tomorrow around midday at the latest…" He motioned for her to climb up.
"No, thanks… I'll walk for now." She said as she strolled casually ahead. "Besides, walking actually helps." She mumbled motioning to her stomach. He frowned, but followed suit.
Taking a deep breath the clean air made her elated, refreshing, the slight breeze entangled in her hair, beautifully liberating as it danced a melody of freedom they so desired. At that moment the world was wonderful, a masterpiece of clear, glittering crystal.
It was at that kind of moments she questioned the days pilling up; the moments of providential vicissitudes theorized by abstract principles.
But that moment was gone; the glass sky broke and the stopped world begun to turn again. Amidst the crumbling deceit, only them remained standing, two figures entwined by bright red thread and an inescapable reality.
"Saya!" She realized he was shaking her shoulder.
"Hm… What?"
"You were spacing out… Are you sure you're okay?" He masked it, the feeling whose name he refused to acknowledge, under layers of thick annoyance. She saw it anyway, the worry and guilt that ran so deep.
"I'm fine." She smiled at him, the only thing she could do to quench what burned him from the inside.
They kept walking, leaving behind the carefree trees that lightly swayed goodbye. The sky became silent; it reflected on the tiny drops of water and trembled, a broken spider thread.
He raised his arm and she halted, worry overtaking her features.
"It's too quite." He whispered and moved in front of her so that her tiny form was completely obscured from vision.
Seconds seemed to last forever, deafeningly loud and stiff.
"What did you say?" A strong, low voice hissed. The male's presence was heavy, imposing… the faint light of the candles only made his grandiose figure seem darker.
"I'm sorry my Lord, the foreign soldiers are already gone." The kneeling person's blue eyes met the floor in shame and worry. "We couldn't stop them." He whispered.
"I do not recall giving them permission to leave the town." Angry, narrowed eyes locked on the pale man standing behind the kneeling captain.
"I'm sorry my Lord, I did not wish to perturb you with such a trivial matter."
"My brother is no trivial matter." His even voice, his calm, collected posture spoke none of his inner turmoil, yet they only served to make him more frightening. Whether the dark haired man affected or not, it didn't reach his eyes.
"I apologize." Infuriating coldness, a typicality that fed oil to the fire. "My daughter will lead the operation, prince Shin will be brought back safely."
"You had no right to sent out a search team." This time just a little of his anger managed to escape its confines and color his voice a vicious red.
"Your father approved of my decision." The pretend humility was no longer enough to conceal the wicked grin on his lips, so the man bowed his head.
"Leave." The temperature in the room seemed to crumble, slashed to pieces by a voice that resembled a frozen blade. Unable to speak and for the first time visibly shaken the thin man bowed and quickly left, the echo of his footsteps vanished after the large double door was shut.
"Chasu, did you know about this?" He needed not elaborate.
"Yes my Lord."
"Was it you who helped them escape?"
"Yes my Lord." His cerulean eyes wouldn't lift.
"Raise your head." The man gulped, but eventually did as asked, only to be surprised at the slight smile adoring the new King's face.
"I am thankful my brother has found such a loyal friend." He spoke slowly. "But, what he did was reckless and you should have stopped him."
"I'm sorry-"
"Now is not the time to apologize, Shin's life may be in danger. According to our Laws, should Shin die, his title, along with his rights go to his wife and her family."
"You don't believe she would-" He bit his lip, realizing his position didn't allow to make such a comment. The King, though, didn't seem to mind.
"Maybe she wouldn't, but can you say the same about her father?" He didn't answer, the question bordered to a rhetorical.
"I will give you a mission." The authority overflowed from the dark abyss behind his black orbs. "You and your division are to search for the missing Prince. Find him before Arai's team and bring him back."
"What about Saya?"
"Whoever servant my brother forced to accompany him shall not be held accountable." Blue eyes widened.
"Go."
"Yes my Lord!" He grinned for a fleeting moment, before disappearing in a blur of bright colors.
The scrap of metal echoed in the otherwise silent forest, a dark melody, a beautiful hymn stained red. Graceful, like a wild feline he moved around, swinging his sword with practiced ease. Tragically beautiful, Death's finest masterpiece, a crimson synthesis.
A perfectly executed choreography, a man dancing in shoes with an unbreakable curse. Flickering speed, a spiral and the drops of hot, vermillion liquid suspending in mid-air.
A fleeting regret gave birth to momentary guilt… The surge of adrenalin to much needed anesthesia.
The bloodied sword or his bloodied self, which one was the Tool?
He ducked to avoid the screaming blade and raised his own one… the blood pilling up burned. He didn't have time to think, he twisted his body to block another incoming attack.
Blades that met in a psychedelic song.
He kicked his attacker to put some distance between them, the man that tried to hit his blind spot was now a lump of human tissue on the ground, his head just by his feet.
The blood pilling up…
Meanwhile, the other man had manage to stand, his eyes burning in a mix of despair, anger and untold fear, he knew that look, it haunted his memories, his every step. That look was his sin, his nightmare.. the look of a man about to be killed.
With a swiftness that would surprise anyone, he sliced at the man's legs, deeming him unable to move. For the briefest of moments his eyes connected with those of the unknown soldier, he would engrave those eyes into his memory.
The man was granted a quick and painless death as his sword pierced his heart.
He knew war, it was the monster swimming in the hearts of humans, it was their darkness and their deepest fear.
With its long, blood-stained claws, it robbed you of the very things that made you human. It tortured you and ate at your soul, until you became the same as it…
He'd fought a war… he'd become a monster…
The sole ray of warm light that remained in his heart, he would protect it with his life, for without her… there was no him…
A small man managed to slash his right bicep; he didn't have the time to pare his sword from the fallen man's chest.
Cursing he used his free hand to clasp his attackers wrist, with his thumb he jabbed the pressure point near the hypothenar. With an audible clank the deadly weapon hit the floor.
The blood pilling up…
Another soldier was foolish enough to take him head on. Seconds later he would meet his end by the Prince's grinning blade.
The blood pilling up…
His talent when it came to battle was renown… Only a certain friend of his could match his ungodly speed and elegance and only his brother ever bested him.
But he was one and they were at least fifteen… as it seemed, though, they weren't after his life… to him it looked more like the tried to exhaust him.
The blood pilling up…
With a flick of his wrist he rid the faithful blade of the crimson liquid and tauntingly –almost tenderly- stroke the cold iron length. He then brought it in front of him, the silver divide between his narrowed eyes accentuating the blazing fire in those dark pits.
The blood pilling up… The crimson darkness laughed…
From afar, beyond the danger where he forced her to retreat, she watched with worried eyes. The shadow of his dancing self quivered in war-painted instinct.
The fear burying its thorns into her heart was suffocating and so even breathing became painful. She wanted to hug him, she needed salvation, catharsis, as much as he did. Their joint hands were the dream that kept her sane, his promises were the words that gave her hope.
She watched, torn between awe and trepidation as he glided to his enemy's left, hand already poised for the attack that was sure to come. The silver curve his sword carved was the final sight the now dead man's eyes would behold.
Elegant, like a nymph, an eerie creature… a Fate that cut the thread of Life…
What she wanted to do was run to his side, grasp his hands and never let go… she knew though, in this sort of situation she would only get in his way.
"Here you are!" The familiar voice surprised her and she immediately fell in a defensive stance; her hands almost mechanically coming up in front of her stomach.
"Arai!" She hissed, trying to conceal the fear that run down her spine; she couldn't take Arai head on, not without endangering the baby…
"Did you think I wouldn't find you?" The woman lifted her hand and a gust of wind danced between her swaying fingers.
"I thought you were smarter than that!" With a flick of her wrist, the tiny gust of wind turned into an angry gale that threatened to swallow Saya whole.
Wasting no time she brought her hands in front of her and concentrated whatever power resided inside her in their outstretched palms. 'Protect' she ordered and the power glowed a faint white light all around her.
The wind whipped at her shield mercilessly, tearing the trees around her in pieces. She dropped the shield when the incoming attack had exhausted all its malice.
Hesitating meant death… so she quickly ducked, bringing her hands to rest on the wet soil beneath her. She called upon the hidden power once again… only this time she let it flow, from the tips of her outstretched fingers to the dirty ground.
Vines sprouted from the soil, they danced and twisted around, like snakes they rushed to the brunette. She jumped back, an attempt to evade the slithering assault. Her efforts were in vain, though… the vines twisted and curled around her ankles, throwing her on her back.
She wasted no time; with a growl, she grabbed the vines and they decayed under the pressure of her power. With the other hand and without missing a single beat she sent a mass of pure Ki towards the red haired woman.
She was allowed no time to gather enough power to block… she sidestepped to the best of her abilities, the ball of deadly substance grazed her shoulder almost knocking her down as it exploded with overflowing anger.
"Saya!" It stung, but it was but a superficial wound… nothing to worry about… But Shin was Shin… and the tone of his voice was proof of exactly what was going through his mind. She knew he was coming their way, but she could not afford to avert her eyes, not even for the miniscule of time.
Arai saw the rage in his eyes, the burning fire that would stop before nothing until everything in front of it turned to ash. She covered herself in a blanket of twirling wind and flew a few meters away from her opponent, knowing what a relief that distance brought to Saya.
"What the hell are you doing, Arai?" His voice was calm, dangerously collected and dark, like an unending sea. She stared at him as he protectively stood in front of his woman… a woman that was not her…
"Shin…" She said, with equal calmness. "I came here to make a deal." She eyed the men covered in their own blood and his waiting sword.
"Come back with me and I will make sure this crime of yours goes unpunished." She paused. "I will also make sure it gets a new owner far away, instead of being executed." His façade cracked and shattered under the seething anger.
"And what if I don't want to?"
"I'll just dispose of that thing-" She pointed to the woman behind him. "and drag you back." He grabbed the steel weapon with so much force it almost cut to his own skin.
Baku stayed hidden not that far away from where the scene was unraveling, tightly holding the arrow that was entrusted to him by his Lord. His orders were clear, his position was also clear.
Yet… he hesitated…
The Prince's life was in the palm of his hand, it lay there hopelessly flickering in its illusion of freedom…
He couldn't do it…
He wouldn't do it…
For deep in his heart he knew; Prince Shin was the man his mistress loved, in her own, twisted sort of way, she loved him. Therefore, his own hand were bound, the same hands that had sworn they would protect her… always.
He shut his eyes, his disobedience would probably cost him his life… such was the fate of lowlifes, like him…
It was okay… for his true master, he would take anything…
He let his brown eyes fall on the scene once again… Immediately they narrowed.
"You will do no such thing!" The man screamed.
He was a warrior that had survived many battles, he knew pain, he knew sorrow and he knew madness and desperation.
He knew the tightening of the fingers on the hilt of the sword, the fleeting doubt and the glint of insanity in jaded eyes.
A man about to kill…
He saw all of it present itself in front of his disbelieving eyes in the form of the young Prince.
Without thinking, acting on raw instinct, his fingers grasped the bow…
If the Prince was about to kill, that person would disappear… that person whom he sworn his life to protect…
That person whom he…
No!
If there had to be a life taken… then, he would be the one to bare the sin…
Saya, grabbed his sleeve, she tried to stop him, thought he wouldn't listen…
With his sword in hand he dove forward.
She wouldn't have seen him, had she not averted her eyes from a sight she couldn't bear to watch, the man with the bow and the arrow.
Her heart stopped and for a moment, reality became a far-away vision. As the red, wet loneliness laughed the sickening, withered sound echoed to the deepest parts of her soul.
The arrow left the bow, agonizingly slow it made his way straight to its target; His heart, the heart that was the other half of her own.
Slow motion, her buzzing chest was unmoving… her troublesome heart frozen…
She tried to reach for the light inside, to touch her salvation, but it was dripping liquid insanity… covering her whole, drowning her.
Unable to summon any kind of power, stuck as if bound by invisible chains…
The faint beat was the remains of his voice inside her chest, her heart cried in return…
She did the only thing her pathetic self could…
"SHIN!"
Hm Hm! So how was it?
I hope my attempt at action was to your liking!
Happy 2014 to you all!
Wings Of Silver Wishes