Massacre
Pele
A profound rightness took root in my soul the moment the bond settled. I could feel it pulsing, the powerful connection running from my neck to my navel, a terrifying and absolute sense of belonging. Nothing would ever be the same again.
One second I’d been exhausted and sated, but oddly at peace, and the next, I was upright on high alert. I was still lit up like a Christmas tree. My veins glowed between us as I peaked from around Taur’s arm to look at the Herder. He’d moved me behind him in the blink of an eye.
Gorok had declared war on Taur.
The warmth I’d felt a moment ago was now replaced with a coldness curling in my chest. It took me a moment to realize what I was feeling was Taur.
His emotions, his feelings, his dread. It was so powerful I tasted bile in my throat.
His body vanished, and the space he’d occupied was empty, leaving me feeling bereft.
Taur was on his feet, moving with a speed I could barely track.
“Where is he, Jox?” Taur bellowed.
“The barracks are sealed, Taur. He has armed the lower Herders and is marching through the Labyrinth. The bulls of the South wing are with him,” the Herder reported.
Through the bond, I was filled with a raw, furious rage that wasn’t my own. Taur marched to the other side and grabbed an axe off the wall. As he headed out, Jox followed, and he stopped.
“You stay here,” Taur’s voice was an order not be disobeyed. “You don’t leave her side. If anyone, I mean anyone, attempts to enter this room, you kill them where they stand.”
“I mean no disrespect, Taur, but I must decline. I am your best fighter. You’ll be open without me,” Jox said. Jox’s head bowed as Taur pivoted. He didn’t hesitate. He backhanded Jox with the flat of his axe, a deafening crack that sent the bull staggering back.
“Your loyalty to my throne is proven by your obedience to your Queen,” he growled.
“Yes, Taur.” With Jox’s confirmation, Taur glanced at me before turning. His eyes burned and the anger I felt through the bond flickered with… longing. Then he left.
The silence that followed was ripped apart by the distance I felt as Taur got further and further away. I scrambled to my feet, naked but determined not to let the situation stop me. I grabbed one of sheer red dresses hanging by the window.
“You heard him. We stay here,” Jox grumbled as he moved to get in between me and the door. He spat blood to the side as I glared up at him.
“No,” I said, my voice steady despite the heaviness that settled on my chest. “He needs you. I am not going to sit here while my only chance of survival goes against that sick fuck by himself. I need to see what happens.”
“We won’t get off easy when he comes back,” Jox huffed.
“There might not be a Taur to fear after this fight. Let’s worry about it later,” I pleaded as I rubbed my neck. “You can blame me. Say I ran.”
He shook his head, then sighed before nodding.
“I don’t want to be here as much as you do. Follow me,” Jox growled, turning from me and running out of the pen.
The halls were empty. It didn’t feel like a coup. I expected people screaming, monsters running, maybe fighting. Then we stepped out into the moonlight. The air was hot and sticky. I was exhausted and struggled to keep up. Jox looked back to find me a few paces behind.
“We’re almost there, my Queen,” he urged.
He grabbed my wrist and pulled me along.
I heard the battle before I saw it. Screaming, yelling, and the sound of bodies clashing.
We turned the corner and my eyes widened as a familiar scene drew near.
The bond vibrated in my chest and every step felt like walking on glass.
A low thrumming crawled beneath my skin, pulling me closer to the epicenter of the violence: the Market Block.
It wasn’t a battle; it was a massacre.
I stumbled and looked down to find bodies, minotaurs and heifers.
I lifted my chin to find who led the way.
Taur was exactly where I expected him to be, in the middle of the carnage, his herders fighting the enemy, while he cut through a Minotaur with his axe.
He was surrounded by four standing Minotaurs, fighting them simultaneously.
His massive shoulders flexed with each swing of his axe.
One Minotaur flew back and Taur dodged an incoming punch before he impaled one through the chest, his weapon piercing flesh.
I cried out as blood gushed and a jolt of pain ran through the bond as he took a knife to the bicep.
I watched in horrified silence as he executed one traitor after the next. He grabbed one by the horn and threw him down, bringing his axe down on his skull. Dispatching rogue Herders one by one with a confidence that gave me hope.
He was the Grim Reaper here to claim their souls.
I watched as he executed the last two before taking on more. Axe blows severed limbs, horns gored torsos, and bone crunched beneath his hooves. He wasn’t fighting for dominance; he was purging betrayal and cleaning his Herd of filth.
When it quieted down, his fur soaked in blood, his horns piercing the sky, he looked around. His eyes locked on mine and steam shot out of his nares as his eyes darkened. I held his gaze and lifted my chin. Jox shoved me behind him, as he blocked me, ready to defend me with his bare fists.
A new sound cleaved the air, a heavy, guttural bellow that overshadowed the ringing silence.
Gorok had appeared.
But he didn’t look the same as when I’d seen him earlier at the council meeting. His face was cut, dried blood matted his fur. He’d taken a beating. In his hand, a tall iron hammer.
An answering war cry came from Taur and the other fighters immediately cleared the square. The battle had come down to the King and Gorok, the coveter.
“I should have finished you earlier,” Taur growled.
“Too preoccupied with cunt,” Gorok snarled before launching himself at Taur.
He dodged, Gorok’s hammer slamming into stone where he once stood, sending up a shower of thick rocks.
Taur’s axe was fast, precise, aiming for Gorok’s neck, nicking it just before Gorok moved back.
Another swing of his axe and Gorok’s arm was cut.
The enemy shouted in frustration as weapons clashed and thunder rolled overhead.
Blow after blow the monsters fight sent tremors through the stone beneath everyone’s feet.
Other than gasps from the women, there was silence.
No one cheered while they fought. The onlookers were too enthralled with the fight.
My heart didn’t just hammer; it felt like Taur’s own war-streaked heart was bursting in my chest, and the bond shrieked with every beat. The fight was inside me.
“Fucking kill him, Taur!” I screamed over the clash of their weapons.
Gorok’s head jerked my way. If looks could kill, I’d be six feet under. I spat as he growled and his gaze returned to Taur.
“I’m going to enjoy breeding your Mát,” he goaded as he lifted the hammer above his head.
If his words affected my Minotaur, he didn’t show it.
Taur saw the opening for what it was: an opening.
With one brutal swing of his axe, iron connected with flesh, and blood spurted as Gorok cried out in pain.
Taur didn’t wait. He yanked his axe out and delivered another strike to his chest. Gorok’s bellow ended in a wet, choking gurgle as he fell to his knees.
A shockwave of triumph and satisfaction exploded through the bond. It was so strong it stole my breath. It wasn’t my relief, yet it flooded me, making me wildly proud.
But it wasn’t over. Taur delivered one final blow, severing Gorok’s head from his body. He gripped a horn and lifted his enemy’s head, and the Herd shouted in a terrifying, unified bellow.
He looked at the remaining Minotaurs, the loyal and the remaining traitors, who now stood together.
“This is the price of treason,” Taur’s voice boomed across the Market Block, heavy with finality. “If any among you still wish to challenge me, or the Mát I have chosen, step forward now.”
The crowd fell into silence. No sound but the wet drip of blood from the stump. No Minotaur moved.
Taur let the silence stretch until it was a tangible weight. When he turned, I could feel the relief from the crowd. His eyes: brown, soft, a blazing infernal pointed at me. His gaze passed over my face and body, a brief assessment to make sure I was unharmed.
He walked toward me. The bond in my chest crackling with a fierce excitement. My excitement.
“My King,” Jox murmured, bowing his head as Taur neared.
Taur ignored him. When he reached me, he thrust the bloody, severed head forward. It was an offering, a coronation gift.
I slapped it away.
Gorok’s head tumbled, hitting the stone with a sickening, heavy thud.
I wrapped my arms around Taur’s waist, pulling myself tight against his blood-drenched fur. The metallic tang soaked into my cheek, but I didn’t care. I sighed in absolute relief as he wrapped one powerful arm around my back, crushing me to him.
He lifted his gaze to the silent, watching Herd, his voice flat and final:
“The battle is won. The public claiming begins now.”