22 Amante

Rumbling.

Slow and formidable is the noise that laps throughout the province of the room. A shadow twinkles by the shattered pieces of glass from the destroyed window. Ripples of silhouette lurches before crippled black bones with scales clawed at the sill. It hauls its body through the alcove, breaking the walls and creating cracks through the chamber walls. Shaking it. Threatening it.

It took my all to not let the scream building up break me. But Ezdan stood his ground. Not moving an inch away from me, The salivating beast's blue, flimsy eyes flashed at us. Opening and closing like the gills of a fish. it was bigger than us, built like what I imagine satan to be in the form of. Fangs, scales, and limbs that resembled humans but not, a crazed joke of nature but not. It took one stare of me and sniffed the air around brutally. Then it roared. A pitch that deafened me for a moment till I realized I was running.

Being dragged away by the grasp of Ezdan whose hands were laced with mine.

It doesn't follow us, one glimpse through the balcony amassed by the corridor confirmed his calls. His mates, more than three slithered, ran, and flew towards the very exit Ezdan seemed to be aiming for. The one with the wings crashed through blocking our path, we shuffle to the nearest bylane and ran, ran for everything that was our life.

"I can't"

I said when the gown kept tackling my pathetic footing. Ezdan wasted not a second to haul me up his shoulder with a strength I guarantee that no human of normalcy would possess. He slips into an empty room down the spiralling case and sets me down on a table.

He then crouches on one of his knees and gathers the fabric of chiffon by my knees. In the darkroom, my protest got swallowed by the fear gnawing at what seems to sniff us outside these doors. when he rips away the gown by my knees like a scrape of paper- I, again am taken surprised by the unnatural strength he was displaying.

"There, you should be able to run now," he said, inspecting the unevenly torn material of my dress before dropping it to the ground.

"They will hear you" I whispered, keeping a hand on his arm. Strong and firm, assured dignity and power swirl within each movement of his that I had tended to disregard in the past.

"They can't hear us"

Silence.

Our eyes meet. His eyes are simmered in fury as I have never seen housed in them. But through them, he reads a million questions on my face.

"They can only smell us. Beasts like Avloths can only hear what they see, They listen from their eyes. they can only hear or feel the callings of their kind" he explains. I yet wasn't calm about the fact they could still smell us but then I notice a pleasant scent whiff around me and I finally took my time to look around.

Room of Essences.

We were in a cellar of fragrant oils. not by coincidence. But by technique. Ezdan was buying us time.

"What are Avloths? Who are they?" I ask nulling my fear for novelty. Information shall help my life, not sitting here and worrying. A crackle those rough spike of teeth that can rip flesh to shred resounds from somewhere but they can't detect us. Not with layers of polished Essences. I- by my hope not.

He proceeds to the door, moving pieces of furniture to conceal it. stacking chairs, desks, anything worth a weight he finds. and he does it with anger. In his act I help him, not yet forgetting that he has chosen to not answer me. But after a certain time, it comes- in the form of a small sentence that frosts me on by where I stood.

"Avloths are slaves to Origens"

I could have sworn his eyes darkened, playing tricks on me. Too idle from what he said I let my mouth run with questionnaire. The sole thing I have aced it.

"You know about them?" it's punishing to admit my knowledge of it. But far more surprising is to see him not bat an eye in the manner I had asked. He knows. He knows that I know. He had somehow always known more than others- it's worse to have a tie of emotional bond with him, but cruel is it to always be left in the dark despite.

There is another of their ravaging calls that wake a shudder in me, he takes the last of the chairs I was keeping my hand in to lodge it by the knob of the door. when he faces me he has a strange gloom that lingers around him.

"Some of us know. The Lords and my Father. The trusted commanders and My people"

My people. Hann and Marlon.

But-

"Marlon denied such belief-

"He came to me right after, he was astonished by you theorizing so perfectly without an inkling. He thinks you are hiding something"

That bastard. Such a good actor to have refuted my claims like it meant trash. I was so stupid to think I comprehend more than these men in uniforms who had been trained to this very day to rule their duty. the memory of Ezdan pinning my drunken body to the bed slips in for a second, and I could point it to his way of tracking truth from me. Was he using my vulnerable state to clarify his -

"I would never do that," he said, staring at the wall behind me and then at me "I will never use you. I can weild information from you when I like. How I like"

"you can read my thoughts?" I snap. hard.

"No" he closes his eyes then opens them, His throat bobs like he was swallowing his words tight "You perhaps are easy to read. Also, I felt how comfortable my warmth made you feel tonight. you cannot lie to me Iris- you shouldn't forget that"

I can't lie.

But I can hide.

"Neither is hiding things a clever strategy" The colossal cellar grows quiet as I think of risking my inner animal being let out so I can bite his arm until he screams like a little girl. It's too much to ask so I ask the one valid doubt.

"What do they want?"

He answers me a specific.

"The ring"

He paused.

"And then, Everything"

***

It could be minutes.

It could be hours.

But we waited. with only the glass vials of perfumes as weapons. Though the avloths are not suspected to have ears for listening that ezdan has studied in secret war camps that he spoke of and the unsettling attacks at harbors there wasn't much I could ask him while he shattered each of the vials by the door.

When I had asked him he merely said one word.

Flammable.

It was enough. He was enough to protect us. Though he was born without a core he still has immunity against them. His wit must be enough to conserve us. I could have access to powers that inured within me. But none of it do I know. All I have done so far is play with time a little and vomit my insides out. Fancily.

But Ezdan works in his place. For our safety, while I slouch in panic as the beast sniffs for the ring. For me. I wonder how many innocent souls have been taken tonight. The attack on Orphic isn't a mystery to me anymore. once I returned from Ivyaki- nothing remained the same. I wonder if my decision to ever escape the glaze was wrong on my behalf. If I am an object within is ever meant to be out open for greed in this world.

And just as I think the Avloths has left the sector we were in the door clanks. Inhumane screeches and painful screams fill the once-quiescent cellar. The tables and chairs, vibrate- I grab Ezdans arm instinctively as he clicks his lighter on. A tiny dot of fire in his fist and the door shatters- a woman's body lay lax and dead by its crouched leather black knee, the horns on its head glow against the outer moonlight, and its wings flap restlessly like that of a bat. it takes one disgustingly menacing step towards us.

I couldn't stop looking at the sliver of shredded arms of the dead woman. the blood on its mouth- hers. The flesh on his claws hers. and if we do not find a way to kill him- it could be us. I look at Ezdan right as he tossed the lit fire by the oils.

Flammable.

And does it flame. It spreads like wildfire across the ground, the glow of blue and orange and red until it reaches its wings. It cries out alarming perhaps every single of those avloths to us as he churned through fire.

"Run" is the one word ordered by Ezdan and I religiously cling to it. I have never listened to his command adamantly before. But now, we orbit past the withering and dying avloth and out in the open. I stop to look at the woman whose body is too burned along with avloth, and it's enough to twist my inside and motivate me into running faster.

A snicker of roars and an avloth jumps into our path, I turn only to find another slither through the corner. The large combat room of Moranas, is clean, shining with white stone so glossy that my reflection on it is a reminder that soon it's my blood that will splatter and stain such beauty. I have no scream left as an avloth that clung to the unlit chandelier pounces on me. I began to back away, and the creature of nightmares seem to delight as it smelled me. His bull nose sniffles with cruel grunts- his talons leaping up to my ankle. I cannot for my life scream for Ezdan who unleashes a sword from the scabbard and sneaks up behind.

But another avloth covers his path, then another as he shouts at me.

"Iris" he hollers "Get up and fight"

he might as well be addressing me as a moron to hoop some sense of the dire situation we were swindled in. But the avloth wasn't harming me in any way. It held my ankle with its cold wet claw and poured its flimsy gaze into mine. It listens from its eyes. My breath thins as I think of what it might want from me- But then it scoops me in its arm and spreads its wings with a loud snap. It was taking me away.

It isn't here to kill me, But to take me to whoever it works for.

'The Ring' my breath quivers 'And then Everything'

Waves of nausea crashes through me as I tried to flail away from its careened sway. It was trying to fly away but something was choking it. Suspending it. It screech in anger and agony as it looked down. At its feet. It flies an inch before thumping back to the floor in a heap- I roll away from another avloth that attempts to snatch me up like a piece of nourishing meat.

They breathe into my face, lurching to circle me, gather me, take me. But an invisible tug appears and they are skidding back right where they began from. Almost, almost as if someone was playing a game of mockery at them.

I turn- feeling the radiating power surge from behind me, beneath me snd everywhere around me. From a place, I had last seen Ezdan conflict with the other beasts. I see his sword discarded and forgotten by his feet and a dead Avloth slumped beside him with a knife jabbed in its eyes. slowly my gaze runs up at his posture- to see his hands tucked neatly in his pocket as his dark eyes- midnight black seize the avloths with a feral gaze.

He removes his hands from his coat to reveal his sheath. Pinching the leather by the index he removes them. Slowly. Steadily. taking his time. Not taking his eyes off them. and when he finally tosses them away. I see his fingers for the first wise. his hands are beautiful like the rest of him.

But soon- his veins turn black, leaking ribbons of darkness around him is such mightiness that I had to remind myself to breath.

Another winged creature creaks, this wise it seems to have broken its spell as its talons dig by my waist. I scream more at the dark band of darkness that severed through its entire arm, sprinkling its hot, blue-black blood on me. I skid away, crawling and running to Ezdan who with a flick of his hand lets another mist of darkness flow through, it elopes with two of them- they trash around as if the hues burned them- froze them- rendered unspeakable pains into their veins as it entered through their skin.

In this very second I am deluded to think of what has scared me more, the avloths or whatever ezdan had become. Or what that he is and had hidden well for years.

He tilts his neck once and causes one to fly up against the steel horns mounted on the wall, impaling its chest to the spot. The last of it- trashing blindly by the floor he prowls to it, crouches with a knee on the floor- unbothered that he was getting their disgusting blood on his pants. He grabs one of its thick horns and twists its neck, only to keep it on a verge of breaking.

"Who sent you?" There is no threat of growl in his tone. But a calm asking. And it made him look even more dangerous. More insane. More inhumane.

"My Queen" it croaks, looking into the ezdans eyes. Listening. I blink shocked at their voice- though beastly it groans the words to us, It can speak. It has intelligence. And of course- Ezdan was aware.

"Meira"

"Do not take my Queen's name" the beast swore, but still blinded by pain could only be at the mercy of Ezdan. "Spare me," It says, it trembles. "Spare me O' heir to Antar"

"Giving up so easily? I thought your kind is known for your loyalty. Such shame" it's breezy. Almost bored as he states.

"What are you?" It says "You are something you shouldn't be. What are you?" it sniffs- it sniffs Ezdan and wails a shriek.

"You are an abomination" is the last cry of it we hear before Ezdan twists its neck. Its bone breaking is a caress of echo in the silent room where only two heart beats. Ezdan got on his feet, standing there between the pile of Avloths that he killed without much having to have lived a finger in their direction. The room felt like death and to be there with a beating heart felt wrong.

To be there with him felt wrong.

But when he turns to see me, I morph into a stone. My feet were heavy but not stonier than my born fear of him. So when he stalks to me- his eyes diluting back to normalcy I yet back away until he snatches me back into the room and pushes me against the wall. where he touched me, with the absence of his sheath was cold. cold like death. But he lets it fall to my waist, pinning me with a stare.

"You saw nothing" he whispers. His pupils black again.

"What are you doing?" I ask, my voice failing me- trembling like leaves in autumn. at the sound of my confusion the greys return and his skin flushed with blood. "Do not remember tonight" he repeats a format and my eyes widened.

"You can erase memories?"

He eases his stance, but the hold on me remained stern.

"I cannot with you apparently" he frowns "There's so many things different with you"

I place my palms on the broad planes of his chest trying to shove him away forgetting the physical difference between us. He lets be pushed, untangling himself respectfully and palming away some invisible speck of dust from his clothes. His manners have changed. He appeared relaxed and unalert. As if he had waited for this day to be bare with me.

"What are you?" I ask- my hesitation clipped away and the morsel of courage I had sneered through. he smiles. the tips of his lips curving.

"A prince"

"The core strength you displayed," I say, fumbling for words and failing at it "You have been lying to everybody. You are not weak"

"Even without it. I am not weak" he warns "I hid it," he says in a playful defense, I hate it- whatever this recent amount of change he went through because of revelation is far more complicated than having his brooding head bobbing around "Now that it's out of the box with you, I have nothing to hide from you"

Nothing that stops him from allowing a touch. he wasn't immune to me- he wore the sheath to keep his secrets and now that it's free-

"He called you an abomination" I hadn't forgotten about it, but I am a traitor to my cause too. so I should be giving him a chance to explain- the chance that he throws away by saying-

"One secret at a time Iris," he says eyeing me inquisitively as if he was surprised about something , the warmth and life of illusion vanishing from his face as we hear footsteps gathering louder from outside. There wasn't a time to think if it was human or not- but there were many- more than five. It was too late to walk out and there wasn't a wall adorned here by which I could hide. The door opened and Armins walked in dressed in ranks and higher in forms. Hann Slantis was among them when their eyes befell on the carcass of Avloths and then on their Prince.

It was hann slantis who takes my form first, recognition and plight seem to house his ever-masked features. But for rest, I could be any mistress who warms a royal's bed. They neglect my existence as much as the dead bodies of Avloths are ignored. all- six of them excluding Hann Slantis had grim looks on their sculpted faces. General Slantis- well he trades his stare from me to the Prince with a furious undertone.

"Your Highness, you are expected to be at your father's chambers the minute" he paused, sucked in a breath "He got wounded in the attack and has taken ill because of the poison from the Avloths. The curators are doing everything they can- but he asks for you-

The sentence is half said when his hold on my hand leaves and with cold eyes, he dashes to the door only to stop at the ring of the bell.

Once.

he doesn't move. as if he secretly wishes that he could stop time and halt the chime.

Two.

he turns.

Three.

He pales.

The people in the room fall to their knees in honor of their new king.

Our little boy is a sarkim now. Wonder how will it go from here:).

P.s unedited. And I have been receiving so many new reads. Thank you so much. Hope you enjoy. Don't forget to vote