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  One day Shae relayed her concerns after not hearing from Kyrith in some time, but Amnur calmed her by holding one of her hands and suggesting that perhaps the barracks were being heavily watched by Nathaniel at the moment. He certainly wasn't being hounded, so someone else was. The suggestion sounded logical to her, such a situation would be ill-advised to maintain contact during. She still worried, however, as did Amnur, but proactively trying to maintain contact could compromise Kyrith. Shae's continued presence in the castle too could jeopardise her, but she was trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

  A few more days passed and Kyrith had managed to slip some information out which stated that the problem was other soldiers as opposed to Nathaniel himself, although the two were related. The news calmed Shae, issues such as those were easier for him to sort out.

  "I wish he didn't have to live within the keep, hopefully, once this is all done he can come live at home full time," Shae sighed. "Nathaniel started to make it difficult for him to come and visit me, remarking on every time he saw Kyrith returning."

  "He's made life difficult for you two, hasn't he?" Amnur replied.

  "Nothing comparable to the cruel things he's done to you, our torment has been spread out over many years and in many forms."

  Amnur forced a smile, leaning against Shae's side. "I'm glad for the support I've received, all the friendships I've made, in spite of the torment I've experienced. It's warming to see the willingness of people to try, despite having a tyrant for a King."

  "You're a sweet guy Amnur, you respect others very highly, and I like that," Shae responded, turning Amnur's false smile into a real one. He took a deep breath and turned towards her, nervously fiddling his fingers in his lap. "Something up?"

  Amnur leaned in and gave her a swift kiss on the cheek, his cheeks flushed black. Shae froze up, unsure to react to the display of attention. "Amnur I feel you've got the wrong idea, I'm sorry, but this isn't what I was looking for, with you or anyone."

  "...Oh," Amnur stuttered, embarrassed. He stood up and hurried out of the healing chamber and headed for the main entranceway, disappearing out into the dark evening. Shae soon started to regret her words. She didn't intend to be so harsh to Amnur, she was just taken by surprise and didn't know how to react. She didn't want to reject him, but she panicked, making a mess of everything.

  "Amnur wait!" she shouted after him, but he was already out of earshot, so she ran out into the night, hoping to track him down. The demon kept a swift pace but for Amnur not knowing the local area, he had certainly managed to disappear from sight. She listened for footsteps but heard nothing, letting out a deep sigh. "Amnur! Where are you?"

  As her shout echoed through the night sky, a hand slipped over her mouth and yanked her back, rapidly disarming her as she reached for her blades. She flailed, but her assailant overpowered her, crushing her efforts to free herself. A pair of crimson eyes flashed in her peripheral vision, informing her that she was in serious trouble. Desperately she fought back, but her efforts were coming up empty, leaving her fate to the whim of her attacker.

  Chapter 14: A Message

  Amnur headed straight east, keeping his head down to try and stem the few tears that slipped down his face. He felt like such an idiot, trying such a thing on thing on Shae without confirming if she was interested in him. The once fearsome trees bothered him little in the still evening air, and the dimming light no longer phased him. His mind was purely on his mistake. He kept his head low, failing to notice his new company.

  "Is the demon so afraid of us that he's just going to keep his head low?" the individual jested in the common tongue, informing Amnur that his new companions were angels. He jerked his head up and glanced behind him, spotting a total of three angels, all males.

  "The demon queries what you're doing so far into enemy territory," Amnur spat back, hearing one of the three scoff. A glint from a polished steel blade gave him his answer, though why they had come so far, he didn't know.

  "This tell you enough?" the angel in front of him teased as he charged Amnur; his thin, beautiful blade reflecting the evening sunset. Amnur backed up but soon found the situation behind him to be the same, cutting off his escape. Unwilling to sit down and die, he crouched down and engulfed the area in flames, dodging the blades and sending the angels scrambling. One brave individual tried to slip through the flame wall, but Amnur spotted him, wrapping him in violent flames and swiftly extinguishing his life. The others became wary on seeing the charred body of their friend, shouting out in rage in the angelic tongue before splitting up and charging Amnur in tandem. He was, however, too quick for their dual attack, moving away from his fiery circle and collapsing it on them as they entered. They desperately tried to escape the fiery blaze but realised that they were severely outmatched, gasping their last breaths while staring at Amnur with dread. He glared at them, watching them until they too had perished.

  Once they had passed, he continued and soon began to feel sickened by his actions and his lack of remorse. Angels and demons were enemies, being able to kill them should be second nature and he shouldn't feel anything over their deaths. Being able to take life so easily turned his stomach though, feeling that power between his fingers before directing it to burn them to death.

  As he went, a campsite caught his attention, nestled between the trees. The mage approached carefully, sticking his head inside one of the tents in case there were any angels were still alive. Bundled covers were spread around the tent, along with a few bags that appeared to contain supplies. Amnur started examining the backpacks, picking through to see if there were any items of interest.

  On hearing the sound, an angel sat up and took a deep breath, attracting his attention. He stiffened, staring at the female angel that was staring at him. She pulled the covers up to her chest and screamed, her eyes darting around to see if anyone answered her plight. Amnur too looked around but they both came to the same conclusion, no one was coming. Distraught, she started sobbing which unnerved him. If she continued to make noise, she'd attract more attention than just him.

  With a swift movement forward, Amnur placed a hand over her mouth and put a finger to his lips, telling her to keep silent. "If you want to live, follow me to the coast and leave," Amnur spoke in the common tongue, pausing for a moment before removing his hand from her face. She nodded between her sobs, pushing the covers off to follow behind him. Amnur directed her east, hoping that the fading light would attract demons to their beds as opposed to the forest.

  As they walked, he noted her attire; it was a sleek, beautiful dress, hardly combat gear. She also appeared to lack a weapon, although her magical potency was unknown. If she were a mage, she was making no effort to attack him, although she may realise that such an action was not to her benefit. Just what she was doing with the male angels, Amnur was unsure. Perhaps she was one of their partners, but it seemed suicidal to bring her along considering she appeared defenceless. Considering it had been him to kill them, it came over morbid that it was he who found her, but anyone else would've likely killed her.

  Conveniently, his guess about demons being asleep had been correct. The way had been clear, so he got her to the coast without issue, letting out a relieved sigh as he saw the darkened horizon. He turned to her, causing her to flinch as she doubted his intentions.

  "Before you go, pass a message on for me. Tell your leader that if the angels encroach further, there will only be slaughter as Nathaniel is more than willing to draw rivers of blood from his own kind, without yours," Amnur pleaded, watching as she took a sharp breath and once again nodded. "Thank you; now go before anyone spots you."

  The angel took to the skies with haste, disappearing off in the direction of the angelic capital. He gazed into the distance as she vanished from sight, glad that she was safe. Innocents of either side shouldn't be killed in cold blood, her companions were a different story. Content, he started to head back to Shadekeep, hoping Shae had already returned home.

  ***


  Eriden was unusually noisy considering the time of day, the arrival of a rather distraught angel had spurred others into action as they helped her up the stairs, all the way up to the top. The guards knocked briskly on the Monarch's door, jolting him awake. He dressed himself and answered the summons, irritated at the disturbance to his sleep.

  "What is it?" Uriel groaned.

  "A message Sire, we considered it to be of importance," the guard replied, gesturing to the woman that Amnur had saved.

  "Go on."

  "We went out to the Umbral forest and set up camp, but after a while, all that returned was a demon," she started, pausing to briefly take a sip of breath. Uriel raised an eyebrow at the idiocy, but considering she was still alive, he allowed her to continue. "He told me that if I wished to live, I would follow him to the coast and leave, so I did. Once we arrived, he asked me to pass on this message to you, Sire; if angels continue to encroach, there will only be slaughter, as Nathaniel is more than willing to draw blood from his own kind, without us also."

  Uriel heeded the message with some interest, curious as to what the demon meant by that last part. There had been trouble brewing in Shadekeep for some time, with attacks being pinned on angels that the Monarch knew for a fact weren't related. Had Nathaniel decided to thin out dissidents? Or those who he thought to be against him; he was a vile individual, he had made that known to Uriel previously.

  "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, get some rest."

  His company offered him a respectful farewell and departed, leaving him to his thoughts. The ideal one to question would be the demon that gave the message, but if Nathaniel had decided to aggressively act out, trying to explicitly communicate with that one individual could put them in danger. For now, he would advise angels to avoid aggravating any demons, while he contemplated a method to deal with Nathaniel. Someone that dangerous would not bode well for either race, keeping him alive would put Eriden and the other settlements at risk.

  ***

  Kyrith had managed to slip out of the keep. While his absence would be noticed, the soldiers didn't appear to be wanting to attract Nathaniel's attention for now so he doubted anyone would act on it. He headed for home, eager to catch up with his sister.

  The familiar house appeared in front of him, and he smiled, opening the door to allow himself access. As he entered, he could see Shae hunched over the table, gasping for breath. He immediately knew something was wrong, but he didn't know what. "Shae?"

  She tilted her head towards him but didn't reply, causing him to worry.

  "Shae, what's wrong?" he asked, coming up beside her and placing his hand on her shoulder. The action caused her to flinch, but he kept the reassuring hand there.

  "Just leave me alone," Shae spat, keeping her hunched position. Kyrith, however, remained next to her, unwilling to leave until he knew what was bothering her. The move appeared to irritate her, she pulled away from him but remained seated. "I said, leave."

  Kyrith was not to be dissuaded. He moved along, so he was once again at her side. The demon went to say something when he felt a sharp, powerful force hit his face; his sister had slapped him. The demon sat there stunned, a sense of dread coming over him as he saw her anger change to sorrow as she realised what she did. "I'm sorry, it's just..."

  "What happened to you?" he replied, leaning in close and embracing her. The action caused her notable pain, so Kyrith looked closer at her skin and noticed she was covered in blood and dirt, with parts of her clothes showing a similar thing. Shae leant against him and began to cry, listening to her brother softly soothe her. "Take your time, it's fine, I'm here now."

  They sat together for a while, with Kyrith tending to his sister, desperately trying to work out what happened. She was still too distraught to speak. His comfort was greatly appreciated though, Shae lay buried against his chest with him softly stroking her hair. "What happened?" he queried once more, keeping his tone soft.

  "Nathaniel," Shae managed to reply wearily, tensing up at the mention of his name. "He... He..."

  "Shhhh," Kyrith whispered, feeling Shae once again fall back into sorrow. He didn't need her to finish the sentence to know what had occurred and it sickened him. Nathaniel had raped his sister and judging by the dirt and blood that clung to her, it was aggressive. "I've heard enough, you don't need to tell me anything more. When you feel able, we can go and wash all that dirt off."

  "Thanks."

  "He'll pay, don't you worry about that." Kyrith let out a deep breath. After this, Nathaniel defiantly was going to pay. He just needed to figure out a method to ensure that he died, regardless of the consequences for him.

  The night went on, and eventually, Shae felt up to having a shower, allowing Kyrith to see the extent of her ordeal for the first time. Multiple cuts covered her body, all raw and rugged in nature. Based on their location and size, they appeared to originate from Nathaniel's sharp fingers. He intended to make the situation as horrifying as possible, capitalising on his physical strength to dominate her. She also had what appeared to be rope burns on her wrists, Nathaniel must've bound her to keep her from retaliating. Kyrith gently cleaned them after she was done, tending to anything larger with stitches. Shae was uncomfortable during the whole thing, but it was only Kyrith she was going to allow that close to her. Any wounds that warranted worry were bandaged, although his first aid knowledge was limited.

  "Take it easy, okay?" he commented as he finished up, passing her a new set of clothing that he had collected along the way. She slipped them on and sighed, pulling at the large, loose nightgown. "If you need me, I'll just be in the next room to yours, get some sleep sis."

  "Kyrith wait," Shae spoke up as she saw him stand up to leave, taking a deep breath. "Could you maybe sleep in my room tonight? I just don't want to be alone."

  "Sure thing," he smiled, beckoning her to join him. Shae's room held a large, double bed as she had inherited from their parents before they left to explore the South. He walked by her side down the corridor, pushing her door open as they reached her bedroom. Shae froze up as she went to enter the room, her mind nagging that there may be sudden dangers in the previously familiar rooms. She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder and took a deep breath, stepping into the chamber.

  Once she was inside, the danger alleviated, allowing her to relax. Kyrith trailed behind and settled down on the bed, yanking his boots off before settling down under the covers. Shae followed suit, sliding her hand over the rune that controlled the aether lamps in the room. The darkness frightened her, and soon Kyrith found his sister huddling in close to his chest, allowing him to reassure her once more. Eventually, under his tender watch, Shae managed to fall asleep. Kyrith too dozed off in the end, although his sleep ended up being interrupted with worry.

  Morning slowly dawned, and Kyrith was already awake, although he remained still to allow Shae to sleep as long as she wished. After a while she started to rouse, gazing up to Kyrith with calmer eyes, although he could still see the pain.

  "Feeling any better?" he queried, brushing her hair away from her face.

  "The physical pain has lapsed slightly, everything else well," Shae sighed, ending her sentence early.

  "I can stay as long as you need me."

  "Isn't that going to get you in trouble?"

  "Screw them, I'd like to see Nathaniel try after this, he'd be on the receiving end of my blade," he replied, causing Shae to show a small smile for the first time.

  "Thanks."

  Chapter 15: Tipping Point

  A few days had passed, and Amnur had not seen Shae again, so he assumed that she didn't wish to see him again after the misunderstanding. Dumon wasn't so sure, considering Kyrith had been absent for a few days from what he had managed to find out. They didn't appear to be dead though, that would've been obvious by Nathaniel's behaviour.

  Amnur had decided to take a walk through the keep for a reason unknown to himself and ended up back outside of his room, feeling the metal
lic key in his hand. He went to unlock the door when he was interrupted by someone; Nathaniel. Amnur did little to hide his displeasure at the encounter, the same was true for the King. Nathaniel glared at him, but Amnur was rather numb emotionally, reducing the effect of the gesture.

  "There you are," the King growled, attempting to tower over Amnur as he saw his dominance was faltering. "You have one last chance to prove yourself, understood?"

  "Understood, sir," Amnur said. Nathaniel debated acting on his lack of enthusiasm, but perhaps being negative wasn't the best way to go forward.

  "This is your target location, you should know your task," Nathaniel spoke as he handed him a map; Amnur opened it briefly and saw that the site was still within the Umbral forest. He debated telling the King to just get it over with, he already knew how this would end. Instead, he merely grunted and sauntered off past Nathaniel, back towards the entrance. This time he didn't slip Dumon a note. The demon was aware that he was likely being followed to the doors.

  He strolled through the rustling trees, idly fiddling with the rugged scrap of parchment, mumbling to himself. The slow pace allowed him to check for any followers, or specifically Iomor. So far, he had yet to hear any armour jostling, although that assumed someone would be wearing a suit of armour. His pace eventually brought him to his location, where he stopped to check his surroundings. This time he was near certain he hadn't been followed, the added aggression in the barracks helped keep the soldiers inside.

  Once again, some houses were evidently permanent in nature, their wooden hulls showing visible signs of age. Amnur slunk over to the houses and let out an exacerbated sigh when he became aware of a presence. He turned his head warily and spotted an unarmoured, elderly looking demon.

  "Nathaniel's not going to quit, is he? Not until you spill blood," he spoke to Amnur, catching him by surprise. "Your treatment has become known to those that care, Kyrith and Shae told their trusted much."