“What the hell just happened?” Amara asked Chevalier.
“A mess,” Chevalier replied and then he said to Trent. “Come into the bathroom and let me try to stop the bleeding.”
When Trent stood, Nala didn’t want to let him go.
“You want him to bleed until his heart stops?” Chevalier asked.
Nala shook her head and slowly released him.
“Amara, you keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“Um… okay?”
Trent followed Chevalier into the bathroom.
Amara glanced at Nala and frowned. “You look different today.”
Nala didn’t respond to Amara. Instead, she was staring obsessively at her left arm.
“He said he’ll be fine,” Amara reminded Nala.
“I need some time alone,” Nala requested. “May I borrow your room for a few minutes?”
Amara nodded. “Yeah, by all means...”
Nala quietly retreated into Amara’s room.
Chevalier returned fifteen minutes later. He scanned the living room. “Where’s Nala? You’re supposed to be watching her.”
“She said she wanted some time alone.”
“And you let her?” Chevalier bellowed.
“Relax. She’s in my room right now.”
“Oh dear god…” Chevalier muttered to himself and then he stormed into her room. “She’s not here.”
Amara followed closely behind. She choked at the sight of blood on her bed.
Chevalier shook his head. “I knew it.”
“What the hell is that?” Amara pointed at her bed, horror veiling her face.
“That is Nala’s left arm,” Chevalier replied.
She felt like throwing up. “Why… why is it there and not on her?”
He went to the bed, retrieved the arm, took it to the kitchen and dropped it into the empty freezer. “I told you to watch her,” Chevalier said accusingly.
“How was I supposed to know that she was going to cut it off? Self-mutilation is not exactly normal! Why did she do that?”
“She can’t help it.”
“What do you mean, ‘she can’t help it’?”
“She just can’t. Do you remember I said that Nala and Trent are the same person? They are the same person in every conceivable way. They can feel each other’s pain, though not physically. When Nala saw Trent missing an arm … her mind told her that hers shouldn’t be there either.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
Chevalier hiked his shoulders. “There is a woman’s arm in my freezer.”
Amara shuddered at the thought. Curiously, she asked, “Are they in love?”
“If it were only that simple... Whatever you do, don’t let Trent open that freezer, until I know how to dispose of the limb.”
“Why?” Amara asked cynically. “What would he do?”
“Don’t ask.”
“Would you rather me find out for myself and have a heart attack?”
“Nowadays, he bleeds himself until his heart stops for a couple of days, so he can’t feel anything. Fortunately, you and I will never know that kind of agony. Be grateful.”
Severing limbs and bleeding until the heart stops? It was unthinkable. Humans and demons clearly have their differences. Amara cried for two days straight after having her wisdom teeth removed.
“They are in love, aren’t they?
“If it were only that simple…” Chevalier repeated. “Your primary duty right now is to guard that freezer.”
Chapter Fourteen
In an age long past…
Summit, fourth prince and proud warrior of Loma, waved to the crowd from his chariot. His silver and gold plate armor was gleaming under the bright, midday sun. Standing by his side was his beautiful new bride, the princess Rion of Haba. Her golden skin was glowing in the sunlight. Her pale, blonde curls appeared as though they were weightless against the wind.
The people were crowding both sides of the streets, cheering uproariously as they rode through the city streets.
At twenty-eight years of age, Summit was the last of six brothers to take a wife. He had managed to evade marriage for ten years, but he could evade it no longer. His lord and father had given him the order to marry the Haban princess for the sake of alliance. Plagued by tribal wars, Loma needed powerful alliances. Since he could not avoid it, Summit decided it was about time for him to start siring children to secure his line. Seeing that his bride was so lovely, he would most certainly enjoy this princely duty.
Summit looked to his side and flashed a dashing smile to his bride. She shied back and quickly diverted her gaze to the crowd. Timid, sweet thing, he thought.
He couldn’t blame her for being frightened of him. They had met only hours ago during the ceremony at the temple, when they were pronounced wed. He was her husband by law, but through her terrified eyes, he was nothing more than a stranger. She was far from home and had no one to depend on. To make the matter worse, he was a seasoned warrior twice her size. The thought of consummating their marriage must have terrified her.
That could wait until she grew accustomed to him. Marriage was for life and he would rather spend it with someone who didn’t leap for the door every time she saw him. The only ones who should fear him were the enemies on the battlefield. His wife had nothing to fear from him. He would not give her reason to.
A wedding feast was waiting for them at the palace ground. His brothers surrounded him, offering their congratulations.
“I never thought I would see the day!” Klahan, his oldest brother said, as he squeezed his shoulders tight with his left arm. “I always thought that you uh…”
Summit quirked a brow. “You thought what?”
Klahan intentionally glanced at his trousers. “Is everything working fine for you, little brother?”
Summit couldn’t hold back a grin at the question. His brothers threw their heads back and laughed heartily. Apparently there were chapters of his youth that hadn’t reached his brothers’ ears.
“Drink…!” Lachon, his third older brother, handed him a cup of wine.
The brothers cheered as Summit drained the cup.
“What are you doing making him drink? It’s his wedding night.” Mudoc, his youngest brother, complained.
“I’m making him drink, because it is his wedding night,” Lachon replied.
Klahan handed him another full cup. “Fortunately for you, your bride is every man’s fantasy, so even you can’t mess this up.”
“I thought that was a joke at my expense,” Summit said with a puzzled expression on his face. “You don’t really think that I have a problem, do you?”
“No, no, of course not.”
“I wish you would say that without the sarcasm.”
His brothers became rowdy with laughter again.
“Just for that, I am going to see my bride a little early tonight.”
Liven, his second brother and the biggest of them all, gave him a proud pat on the back that nearly pushed him off balance. “That is what I want to hear!” He said proudly.
“Boys, make sure he doesn’t go to the wrong chamber,” Klahan ordered the brothers.
His four brothers pushed him down the hallway and shoved him into the bed chamber. They had wide grinning faces, as they closed the door shut. Mudoc mouthed the words ‘good luck’.
Summit shook his head with a smile on his face. “Brothers,” he said with a sigh.
His bride was sitting by the mirror, nervously brushing her hair. He could tell that she was pretending not to notice his presence. One would have to be blind to miss someone large enough to dwarf everything around him. Like his father and brothers, he was built a warrior.
He should start off with a compliment. “You have very beautiful hai
r.”
“Thank you, your highness.” Her reply was flat and terse.
“We are wed now. You may call me by my given name.”
She hesitantly glanced at him. “I would rather not, your highness.”
She was probably forced into this, as he was. Her rejections were unambiguously blunt.
“Very well,” Summit said softly. Then he added, “You have nothing to fear from me.”
“I know, your highness,” she replied in a shaky voice, a clear indication of a lie.
“Good.” He nodded. “I am exhausted. I will retire to bed early tonight.”
She flinched.
“To sleep,” he clarified. “Just sleep.”
Her tensions slowly melted.
Under the moonlight, her complexion looked ghostly pale. It was only this afternoon that he had admired her golden complexion underneath the sunlight.
“Are you unwell?” He asked with concern. “Is it from the travel?”
She recoiled. Her hand flew to her mouth, the other to her belly.
“Do you need a physician?”
Her dark brown eyes widened in horror. “No! No physician!”
“You look ill.”
“Please, your highness,” she said through a screen of tears, “no physician.”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you…”
She rushed to him and groveled at his feet. Her finger nails clung onto his trousers. “Please, your highness.” She sobbed. “I beg for your mercy.”
A storm of rage swept him. His wife, the woman crying at his feet, was carrying another man’s child on their wedding night. He had the impulse to reach for his sword and gut her for the disgrace she’d brought upon him.
She was reading his expression and was petrified by what she saw.
The thinnest thread of reason immobilized him. He was a stranger to mercy, but he was a friend to reason.
She was forced into this marriage and her death would likely result in another war.
Summit inhaled a deep breath at his resolution and tore himself from her. He began removing his armor. Each rough motion made his bride cringed with fear. She had a reason to fear him now.
He lay down on one side of the bed and rested his sword next to him. He stared out into the starless night beyond the balcony, waiting for sleep that would not come.
Summit wrestled Liven to the dirt of the practice ground ring. It had been long since Liven tested his strength and he wasn’t about to disappoint his brothers. He pinned Liven down and gave him a punch that for sure would dislocate his jaw. Liven was the biggest and strongest among them, but it looked like he would just be the biggest now.
“Surrender, brother?” Summit asked.
“Never, little brother!” Liven grabbed him by the throat and turned so that Summit ended up on the bottom. “What about you?”
“Not yet.” Summit gripped Liven’s hand and kneed him on the side several times before the mountain of the man rolled off of him. Then he heard Liven laugh loudly.
“That’s my boy,” he said proudly.
“Stopping already?” Lachon asked with disappointment in his voice. “Liven, you’re going soft on him.”
“Trust me,” Liven said between panting breaths. “I’m not. He’s just gotten stronger.”
“He’s got a wife now,” Mudoc teased.
His brothers joined forces and laughed at him. Summit forced a smile. It was not a topic he would like to be reminded of.
“Look,” Lachon pointed at a rider on horseback beyond the gate of the practice ground. “Isn’t that Klahan?”
“It is,” Mudoc confirmed. “I thought he said he couldn’t come today.”
“Change his mind?” Liven shrugged.
“Summit!” Klahan called out to him as soon as he dismounted the horse and ran to him. “Summit!”
Summit looked to his brother. “Klahan…!”
“Summit, you have to return to the palace,” Klahan said hurriedly. “Father has taken your wife into custody!”
Liven frowned. “He did what?”
“Why?” Lachon inquired.
Mudoc shook his head. “This does not sound good.”
“Summit, you have to go talk to our father. He wants to have her executed.”
The brothers stared at each other, one was as confused as the other.
Summit had an idea. His father had eyes and ears everywhere. There was no doubt that his father knew about the child Rion was carrying.
“Let me borrow your horse,” Summit said to Klahan.
“Yes, of course, take it!”
Summit mounted Klahan’s horse and headed straight for the palace. He rode as fast as he could. He needed to stop his father from making a terrible mistake. Loma desperately needed the support of Haba and beheading their princess would have the opposite effect.
His father was waiting for him.
“I need to speak to you,” Summit said as soon as he saw his father.
“I know what you are going to say, son, and I promise you I will arrange a better match.” His father rested his hands on Summit’s shoulders reassuringly.
“Father, you can’t execute the Haban princess.”
“I am doing this for your own good.”
“I know about the child!”
His father gave him a blank stare. “You knew that she carries another man’s child and you did nothing? She has committed a treacherous crime against you. She deceived us all! She deserves to die!”
“Father, please listen to me.”
“How can you bear such an insult?”
“For the good of Loma, I can bear anything. I can’t let you kill her.”
“I can and I will,” his father sternly decided.
“She is my wife. She belongs to me. Please father, leave this matter to me.”
“How can I leave this matter to you? You were about to let that woman pass that bastard child as your heir!”
“What does it matter?”
“My son!” His father reached for his face. “I cannot let you live with this insult. I do not want other people to dispute the legitimacy of my grandchild – your heir!”
“Father?”
“The son I want to succeed me is you, Summit. You are the future king of Loma.”
Summit shook his head. “No!” He protested. “Your heir is Klahan!”
“It has always been you, my son. That is why I must execute that deceitful woman. The legitimacy of a king’s heir should never be a question, nor should the virtue of his queen!”
“Me?” Summit focused on himself. “You want me to ascend the throne?”
His father nodded.
“If that is so, then I have more reasons to stop you from making this mistake.”
“It is too late.”
“Too late?” Summit understood what his father meant. His eyes darted to the door.
His father gripped tight on his arm. “Do not go to her. I do not want you to witness it.”
He had to. He must go to help her.
“Summit!” His father called out to him when he dashed for the door. He bumped into Klahan on his way out. For the first time in his life, he saw a murderous look on Klahan’s face. He must have overheard the conversation.
Summit didn’t have the time to explain. His priority was to save his wife.
As his father predicted, he arrived a moment too late.
She was surrounded by soldiers, wielding their spears above her.
“Stop…!” Summit shouted at the troop. “I command you to stop!”
The soldiers couldn’t stop the momentum of the spears. Summit heard Rion’s earsplitting scream just before a pool of blood formed beneath the soldier’s feet.
Summit closed his eyes, having to admit his own failure.
>
“Arrest him!” He heard Klahan shout to the guards from the high steps. “Arrest Prince Summit…!”
The guards turned their attention to Klahan, but they didn’t make a move.
“Klahan…?”
“My father is dead! Summit has murdered your king!”
“What?” He roared. “Father can’t be dead! I was just talking to him… murdered?”
The guards drew their swords and circled him.
Summit chuckled humorlessly. “Klahan, is this one of your bad jokes?”
Klahan kept a still expression.
The chuckle died out immediately as he tried to piece the picture together. His father wanted him to inherit the kingdom and Klahan overheard. Klahan thought it would be him. They all had. Had the throne meant so much to Klahan that he would go through the length of murdering his own father to frame his full-blooded brother?
“Klahan…” Summit said grimly as he drew his sword to block the guards’ attack. The deeper the situation seeped through his mind, and the more he absorbed, the angrier he became.
His father was dead.
Grief fueled his anger. Betrayal fed his wrath.
“You bastard!” Summit cursed Klahan through gritted teeth as he headed for Klahan. He slashed through whoever was blocking his way. “I’ll have your head for this!”
“Seize him!” Klahan commanded the guards. “Bring him down!”
“Klahan,” His voice became crazed. The guards’ blood sprayed onto his face and reddened his vision. “I am coming for you.”
Chapter Fifteen
Present day…
When Noctis came to, he was standing where Lucifer had left him. Ages ago, the Archangel Lucifer had trapped him inside the Earth and ages later, trapped him inside the dark abyss of his mind. A few hours gone by felt like centuries. If the Archangel had failed to give Noctis a reason to hate him before, he most certainly succeeded this time. There was no worst place to be a prisoner than inside his own mind.
Noctis raised his left hand to eye level. The Archangel’s blood had dried and cracked on his hands. The scent of the blood will help him track down Lucifer.
The scent trail led Noctis to a spacious apartment with a splendid view of the city by night. If he was in the mood for sightseeing, he would remember to come here again. However, he did not have sightseeing in mind. He was in the mood to draw blood, and lots of it.