Chapter twenty-one
My legs froze, wondering if I should follow the crowd or continue searching for Nirelle and Maeri.
Knowing them, most likely they had heard the news and wanted to see Emperor Malakar for themselves.
Though I typically gave into my curiosity, I wasn’t sure if it were wise of me to find out who this person was.
A heavy drowning-like weight settled in my chest, but I decided to follow the crowd down the path towards the arena.
“Why is Emperor Malakar here?”
a man asked near me, rushing in the same direction.
“Maybe because he knew Aris would make an appearance,”
the other man answered his companion.
“It was common knowledge.”
“It doesn’t matter.
He shouldn’t come here without an announcement.”
The first man shook his head.
“Fucking Strokans, always barging in uninvited.”
“Careful what you say out loud,”
the man chided his friend.
The two Siniyan men hurried past me toward the center of the festival.
A young boy ran into me, hurtling towards the crowd.
It threw me off balance, and I fell to the side of the path, landing on my knees and hands.
Dirt now painted the bottom of my blue dress.
I got up and brushed it off my hands and dress.
After a moment, I straightened my spine.
Only because I wasn’t that invested in knowing about this Malakar did I hear it.
Only because I was pushed and fell to the side of the crowd did I hear the sound.
Only because I listened more than I spoke.
Only because I listened for threats every moment did I hear the faint scream from far down the alley.
The hairs at the back of my neck stood up.
Run.
Run, my body seemed to say.
While everyone focused on the emperors ahead, I looked back towards the alley that I stood next to. It was dark and smokey, but my legs moved before I could think to stop them.
I had to do something.
I heard it again.
“Stop it!”
I heard a woman cry out ahead in the alley.
“Please, stop!”
My heart stopped beating for a moment as flashbacks of my mother’s and sister’s bodies lay in a hidden alley, much like this one.
My breath caught in my throat, making it hard to breathe.
Clothes ripped, dry blood leaking down their legs, and their necks slashed in the same diagonal cut.
I walked closer to their dead bodies, hands shaking, tears rolling down my dirty face as I observed the two burns that were on their upper arm, a mark from whoever did this.
I could not allow any woman to endure the same fate my family went through.
I may not have considered myself brave or stood up for myself the way my sister frequently did, but I couldn’t just walk away.
I searched the area for something that could be used as a weapon and found an empty liquor bottle laying on the ground near one of the buildings.
I grabbed it and held it tightly as I progressed between the two buildings.
Through the voices of the crowds rushing behind me, I heard muffled sounds of a woman trying to scream.
I saw the end of the alley way, but no one was there.
I swore I heard someone, but I couldn’t see anyone through the murky darkness.
Was I hearing something that was not real?
My heart pounded as I crept through the narrow alley.
I noticed on one of the buildings to the left, a door was ajar.
I forced my legs to bring me closer no matter the small voices in my head that told me not to, and I opened the door.
My eyes adjusted to the dark room.
My breath hitched.
Camilla.
It was Camilla that lay on her stomach atop the cot, her dress ripped apart and barely covering her hips.
Her eyes were fading.
She seemed almost lifeless.
Tobias fastened his belt.
My teeth clenched.
I remembered, for a moment, the day in the cage when Camilla expressed we weren’t so different.
I wondered if Tobias was the cage she’d been living in.
“Let this be your lesson to get things done when we ask for it.”
His voice rumbled across the room.
I squeezed tight the cold, empty bottle that I held in my hand.
One moment, I saw Camilla, and the next I saw my sister.
I saw my mother.
I blinked.
My family was gone, but Camilla lay there, broken.
Wet trails of tears ran past her cheeks.
I didn’t care how important this monster was or if it would endanger me more, perhaps strip me of any potential freedom I might have within Stroka.
I had to do something for what he did to Camilla.
Without wasting another moment, the rage that built inside of me, the rage for what my family went through, the rage inside from hundreds of generations before me caused me to lift the bottle above my head and step behind Tobias.
“Let this be your lesson to keep your mouth shut, whore.
Get me what I want.”
With all my strength, I drove the hard bottle into the top of his head.
It shattered into a million pieces.
Tobias fumbled over Camilla’s body before dropping to the floor with a large thud.
Clouds of dust flew from the ground. I dropped the top of the bottle and looked at Camilla.
Her face said it all.
Hope.
Dragging her legs from the cot, she stepped over Tobias’ unconscious, fallen body to reach me.
Her hair disheveled around her head, a large red mark across her cheek.
“We have to go, now,”
she whispered urgently to me with panic in her eyes.
“Or else he’ll find us.”
Camilla grabbed my elbow and pulled me towards the door.
We heard a sound behind us.
We whirled to see—
“You witch.”
Tobias grabbed the countertop, hauling himself up as he kept his stare on me with lethal rage in his eyes.
Red blood leaked from the top of his head to his temple.
Camilla did not waste another moment and bolted through the door, with me following her hurried footsteps.
In the smoky darkness, we ran through the alley towards the cheers of the crowd.
Once we reached the end of the alley, Camilla gave me a quick glance that almost said run fast and run far and sprinted against the crowd away from the festival.
Without a moment to spare, I scurried in the opposite direction with the flow of the people, rushing and pushing through the bodies to gain more distance between me and Tobias.
Multiple people murmured watch out and witch as I squeezed past the crowds.
A hand grasped my hair and yanked me backwards.
My head slammed into the hard stone ground as he flew above me and rammed another fist into my abdomen.
My stomach clenched, and I heaved for breath from the impact.
Before I could take a breath, another strike came to the side of my face, and I swear it fractured a piece of my skull.
In the midst of my neck nearly making a full turn from Tobias’ punch, my eyes locked with several men in the middle of the rushing crowd.
They looked the other way and continued walking.
“You shouldn’t have done that, wench.”
Tobias pulled my body in a general direction with just his hold of my hair.
Instinctively, my hands flew towards his grasp and attempted to twist my way out with my legs as he dragged my body through the crowd.
I clawed at his arm.
The hairs of my head were like pine needles about to be ripped out one by one from my skull.
Some people near me shouted, and some whispered and parted from the intrusion.
“What is all this commotion?”
A hefty Siniyan warrior intercepted Tobias, raising a hand to stop him.
Tobias dragged me through the crowd by my hair to the center of the festival and finally came to a halt in front of the warrior.
Everything was quiet.
The crowds were no longer rushing through, the activities and games ceased, there were no more cheers, no more banter or laughter.
Only silence filled the air with the crackling of the great fire nearby.
Fresh blood trickled from my cheek down my neck.
My head throbbed, and I could feel the liquid flowing through my hair.
I grappled against his hand and pulled my feet to stabilize themselves—
“I won’t allow this woman to go unpunished!”
Tobias shouted to the people.
“Tobias, my most trusted and valued warrior, show me who you speak of,”
a powerful voice thundered across the center.
Tobias placed his hand behind my neck and yanked me in front of him.
I saw an older but well-built man dressed in fine burgundy clothes.
He had black hair with white streaks along the sides of his head.
Malakar.
The one who owned my life.
Standing next to Malakar was Aris.
They were nearly the same size in brute strength.
Our eyes locked for a brief moment.
The stupid, arrogant emperor.
Aris’ face was cold, indifferent, and hard to read.
My eyes fluttered to the ground, afraid Aris would recognize me.
Of course he’ll recognize me.
I was his laughingstock for a night.
“This witch,”
Tobias hissed and tightened his grip on my neck, causing me to squirm under him.
I winced from the sharp pain.
I attempted to yank myself from his grip, but he only gripped me harder, enough for me to barely breathe.
His hand almost covered my entire throat.
“What has this woman done to you, Tobias?”
Malakar questioned.
“She tried to kill me, and she’ll pay for it.”
Malakar gave a quick, concerned glance to Aris, who seemed colder by the minute.
Was Aris going to kill me like he did his warrior? I trembled.
What have I done?
What have I done?
Helon walked up to Aris with a cane and stood by his side.
Even though I was fighting for my life, I couldn’t help the heat that rose from my neck to my cheeks as the attention was on me.
“Girl, why did you try to cause harm to my warrior?”
Malakar addressed me as he stepped forward.
Aris followed suit.
Maybe if I could get Tobias to loosen his grip just a fracture, I could hide between the crowds and run.
Never to return.
I was small but fast.
I felt my chest collapsing.
Why didn’t I run from this savage place when I had the chance? Was I becoming like Nirelle and Maeri and slowing trapping myself between the vines of its beauty?
Emperor Malakar flared his nose, waiting for his response.
I contemplated the answer to his question.
I thought about Camilla and why I helped her escape.
Rage boiled in my blood, rage that I had not experienced quite so intensively before.
At last, I chose not to give them the luxury of hearing my thoughts.
It wouldn’t change anything if they knew.
Not in this world.
Not these men.
“She’s not going to talk.
She’s a mute,”
Tobias snorted.
I dared a glance to Aris, who caught my eyes and to my surprise, didn’t say otherwise despite knowing the truth.
I attempted again to free his fingers, one by one, but made no progress.
Tobias wrapped his hand around my throat and pressed harder.
I recoiled.
“Why did she try to kill you, Tobias?”
Malakar asked in a serious tone.
“I was in the middle of teaching someone a lesson.
Maybe I’ll teach her a special lesson too.”
Tobias pulled me closer to mutter his clear threat into my ear.
I would kill you before you could touch me.
My eyes flickered up, and I tightened them at Tobias.
“Keep your damn eyes on the ground, you fucking witch.”
“I see,”
Malakar rumbled through the arena.
“But you are not the law here, Tobias.
She is Aris’ responsibility.
If there is a punishment to be served, it is Aris who should deliver as we are in Siniya.
Isn’t that right, Aris?”
No, no, no.
He’ll kill me.
“Aris shouldn’t need to deal with such trivial matters.
I don’t have a problem with taking the situation into my own hands,”
Tobias argued and let go of my neck.
I stumbled on to my hands, scrambling to my feet—
His arms wrapped around me, snickering, and hoisted me up in his massive arms.
“This is going to end your life, filthy whore.”
I thrusted my arms against his body, scratching at his arms, worming for a way out of his captivity.
There was no way—
“I’ll take it from here, Tobias.
Rest assured, I will handle it,”
Aris’ voice thundered with no room for questioning as he snapped his fingers at a nearby Siniyan warrior to approach me.
He didn’t glance my way.
Instead he gave a blank stare to Tobias, his hands resting in his pockets.
Aris narrowed his eyes slightly, but only for the briefest moment.
Tobias let me go with a silent order from Malakar.
The Siniyan warrior grabbed my upper arm and pulled me towards the other end of the crowd as they parted to make room.
Oh, God.
He’s going to kill me as punishment.
My heart pounded against my ribs.
I could still see that man’s heart in Aris’ hand, raised over his head as a warning to all. Zero tolerances for murders.
I heard the rest of the conversation between Malakar and Aris come to an end.
“Well done, son,”
Malakar said to Aris.
“I’m not your son.
I haven’t been in over twenty-nine years.”
Aris strolled away towards the end of the crowd along with his Siniyan warriors and a captive.
Aris’ father was Malakar.
My heart thudded.
How did I not know this?
I looked over my shoulder to Aris’ and Malakar’s faces.
Despite their strong jaw and nose, they seemed like they could be distant relatives.
I recalled, now, how Aris’ demeanor was different from the Strokans and their traditions.
I wondered what lay under Aris’ indifferent persona. I wondered about his reasonings behind his subtle defiance against Malakar.
The Siniyan warrior pulled me through the crowd with blood dripping on the side of my face and neck.
The crowd continued to provide a path for us.
“A terrible fate.”
“Bastard Strokan warrior!”
a man shouted.
Another man by him agreed.
I even heard a few Strokan warriors condemn me.
“Death can only be the punishment for what she did to Tobias.”
I threw a glare at those who dared whisper their not-so-subtle threat.
Maybe I could then instill fear in their hearts from my ungifted witchery for their damnation.
“Why are they here?”
“Poor girl,”
Siniyan citizens whispered.
Words I’d never heard before addressed me.
Something in my heart fluttered.
Was it because there was a greater enemy that lurked in their shadows?
Regardless, I couldn’t help but remember Maeri’s statement earlier that evening.
It’ll be fun, Maeri said.
It’ll be fun.