27. Kingdom of Ashes
27
KINGDOM OF ASHES
*Kieran*
Blanca stares at me as if she can’t comprehend what I’ve just said. I don’t blame her; I’m not sure I can comprehend it myself.
But then, I’ve said it, and I mean it.
“Kill your father?” she repeats.
I nod. “That’s right. We need to kill him. Of course, it would be nice to hear him confess to all of his crimes first, but we can figure all of that out after.”
Blanca, who is still sitting on my lap, both of us naked, blinks a few times. It’s hard to see her in the darkness. The sun has completely gone down, and very little moonlight reaches us through the cave entryway, even though there are no bushes there this time. I’m not sure what I expect her to say, but since she’s saying nothing, I continue.
“Everything he’s ever taught me is a lie. He’s mentioned time and again how he defeated all of these kingdoms around us where people were being mistreated by the royals, but none of that is true. It’s just what he told himself and others in order to get his leaders on board with all of the horrible things he was doing. Poisoning people. Locking them in a temple and setting them on fire.” She grimaces, and I realize she hasn’t heard all of these stories yet. It doesn’t matter–I have. I’ve heard my father’s versions, and I’ve heard reality, and it’s time someone made him pay for what he’s done.
“What do you plan to do?” she asks me in a whisper.
“I’m honestly not sure yet,” I admit. “We need to get you to Escuro, and then I’ll return to the castle and assess the situation.”
“You’re not going with me.” It’s not a question when the words fall from her soft, full, pink lips. I’m fairly certain she’s known all along that I didn’t intend to stay in Escuro. At least, it hasn’t been my plan to stay there long. I’ve thought I’d make sure I get her there safely and then go back home to figure out our next step. Now, I know what that is, though I’m not certain how I’ll go about it.
“I’ll make sure you’re safe, and then I’ll go back to the castle,” I tell her. “Once I’ve done my work there, we can determine what’s best.”
“Will they let you be king if you kill your father?” I can hear the concern in every word she speaks.
“They’ll have no choice. If I have to take out everyone who supports my father, then that’s what I’ll do.”
“You’ll need to be careful.” She reaches up and touches my cheek. Her calloused fingers are nothing like other princess’s. She has known long hours of tough work. But they feel like a balm to me.
“I’ll be careful,” I promise her. “Now, let’s get some sleep. We are very close to the border, and I think we can easily make it to Escuro tomorrow before noon.”
Again, Blanca nods. I realize I’ve dropped the backpack outside, so I go out to get it so we can get dressed. A few moments later, we are in our clothes. My head is on the backpack, and her head is on my chest, just where it should be.
Blanca’s breathing evens out pretty quickly, but I lie awake, staring at the cave above me, wondering what I need to do in order to make sure my father can’t harm anyone else. The betrayal I feel at knowing the man I’ve practically worshiped as a god has been lying to me for my entire life has my stomach twisting up in knots. How dare he pretend to be the exact opposite of what he truly is? He’s led me to believe that he’s some kind of hero when he’s truly a monster.
Eventually, I fall asleep, dreaming of people foaming at the mouth and screaming from inside a burning building. When I open my eyes, I’m covered in sweat. Blanca sits near the cave opening, staring at me with concern.
“Sorry I woke you,” she whispers in that tone that makes me think she’s still somewhat afraid of me. “It seemed like you were having a nightmare.”
I sit up and wipe the sweat from my brow. “What time is it?”
“I’m not sure, but the sun has been up for a few hours.”
“Shit.”
“I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“You should’ve woken me. We need to get moving.”
She inhales in a way that makes me realize my tone is too forceful.
“Sorry.” I look over at her, and she nods. “I didn’t mean to yell at you. I was having a bad dream.”
Her fear melts away, and concern takes its place. “Are you all right now?”
“I will be.”
In near silence, we go about our morning routine and then get on our way. Seeing the spot where she fell the night before in the daylight is scary. If she hadn’t grabbed hold of the bush a few feet below the ledge, she would’ve tumbled straight over a cliff and landed several hundred feet below in a ravine. She’d be dead. I’d be mateless, and I’d have no choice but to return to the castle and face my father as an ally. Without Blanca, I wouldn't have the strength or determination to take him on.
After we’ve observed the ledge, we go back the way we’d come a bit until we find a safer path down and then turn back north. In the daylight, it’s easier to see danger, and we manage to pick up speed, no longer needing to hug the mountain wall. I know where all of my father’s troops are, and none of them are within twenty miles of our current position. I don’t smell any rogues either.
What I do notice is a vast change in landscape as we inch closer to Escuro. Soon, the mountains are further to our west, and the arid desert terrain sprouts trees. They’re few and far between initially, but the further north we go, the more the rare towering tree turns into a copse of several until we are in the forest.
Then, the ground beneath our paws begins to change as well. It turns from dry, dusty earth into something richer, something more capable of growing crops. I’m impressed with this area of land and wonder if we are already in Escuro. I’ve never heard my father speak about this part of our kingdom.
It’s not until we start to see char marks on the northern sides of the trees that I realize we haven’t yet crossed over. When we do, it’s obvious. The good ground is covered in ash, and eventually, the trees giveaway to nothing but burnt wasteland. I can tell that what took place here happened many years ago as there are a few signs of life–some smaller bushes and plants–but for the most part, everything I see has been turned to ash.
I hear a sniffle and turn to look at Blanca. She’s emotional at the sight of her homeland, and I can’t blame her. We move forward, but everywhere we look, all we can see has been burned to the ground, save the occasional building that has a few timbers or a fireplace remaining.
Eventually, we make it to a cemetery where all of the headstones are covered in ash and residue from the fire. I look at the names etched in the stone, but I can’t see many of them. We move along.
I want to ask her if she’s trying to reach out to her people through the mind-link, but I can’t do that because I can’t speak to her in our wolf forms. We are definitely in Escuro now, so I could turn around and head back, but the thought of leaving her here where there can’t be any food, and I have no idea if the water is safe to drink, simply won’t do.
We trot on for another few hours, but nothing much changes. Then, I hear the cry of a bird overhead and look up to see what looks like a raven circling us. I turn to look at Blanca, and she nods. So she has managed to find a friend.
We follow the bird. It seems like the only choice we have. In my mind, I hear the angry shouts of commanders wanting to know where I am and where she is. Assuming the western portion of Escuro is the same as where we are now, I tell them it’s a vast wasteland, and I’m getting turned around. They suggest I wait for them, but I tell them I must press on.
Which is what we are doing now. The last thing I want is to bring all of these troops into Escuro if there truly are people here, but I see no one.
Eventually, after what seems like hours of following the raven, it perches on the branch of a burned out tree. Shaking my head in confusion and irritation. I back up against the tree and lean on its trunk, wondering what we should do next.
The next thing I know, I hear a creaking noise, and then, I’m falling.