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42
I stare at my bedroom door, knowing who lingers outside it.
Tai brought me up to my room only twenty minutes ago, having danced with me until my feet ached, which they currently still do. He was almost too polite, telling me firmly not to leave my room before leaving.
I may not be planning to leave my room, however it's not as if I'm about to sleep with the alcohol still streaming through my blood. In fact, this strange buzz has me itching to open my door and speak to Marek, who I know is guarding my door like he is supposed to, on high alert due to the increased number of people mulling a
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The King’s Possession 43 - Part One
I stare out the window of the carriage, watching the blur of the forest pass by. The last time I was in a carriage like this, it came to a stop and Tai's men interrupted us. Now, not only does Marek sit in front of me, him and his dark clothing nearly melting into the shadows in the corner, Tai sits beside me. Today is the day. Together, the three of us are heading deep into the Jade Provinces main forest, close to my home village outside Tai's territory to kill the Beast. For once, I have no desire to return home, where my mother will be, disgusted by the mention of my name. I'm still numb from that night. Only a few days have passed, and yet every time the thought of my mother passes through my mind, my stomach twists and my heart aches.
The King’s Possession 43 - Part Two
For a moment, there's just darkness, and then I hit water.I don't manage much of a scream as I plummet into the icy cold grasp of pure obsidian coloured water. Pushing up toward the water, I remerge, gasping for air as I cough water from my mouth. Paddling to keep myself afloat, I look up, seeing a bright hole in the shroud of darkness, where two heads look through. I seriously fell from all the way up there?I've either fallen into some elaborate trap created by a hunter, or I'm in some kind of underground pool."Akara!" Tai and Marek yell in unison."I'
The King’s Possession 44
I've never witnessed a more terrifying sight.There is no doubting this is the Beast, standing tall and large at the mouth of the cave, staring at us with striking green eyes, the emerald shade almost exactly the same as the necklace I once wore around my neck, having only tugged it off yesterday morning before we left.It's almost impossible to believe that looking at this creature, it was once human. It stands far taller than all of us, broad shouldered with thick arms that lead down to clenched fists, thick, yellowy claws. There are no clothes on it's muscled, yet bent figure, instead the creature being covered in a coarse layer of brown fur, so damp it's flattened against its skin.
The King’s Possession 45
The panic is unbearable.Crawling on my hands and knees, my body is so numb I hardly notice the painful jabs of sharp rocks against my limbs, my clothing dampening as I fall against Tai's body. His limbs are weighted as I shake him, grabbing a hold of his face with both my hands to try catch a glimpse of the life he had only moments ago.The clatter of Marek's weapons close by make me flinch, as he approaches, grabbing at Tai with the same intensity as I do. The King's usually immaculate skin is marred with dirt and grime, a sight that doesn't belong to him."No...No, you idiot," Marek curses frantically.
The King’s Possession 46
Rain lashes violently outside, wind carrying it sideways, accompanied by a bitter chill.Marek and I sit out on the front porch of my family home, the moment strangely nostalgic, reminding me of when him and I would sit in Tai's outdoor area. We managed to escape my fathers incessant questioning on Marek and where he came from, while mother dwells in her room, avoiding us both at all costs.She isn't taking this well, having a King near dead in her home...and having a daughter who betrayed her under her roof.I still haven't slept, the morning having shifted into afternoon, bringing with it a brutal storm. Thankfully I was able to shower, still flinching each
The King’s Possession 47
I only slept for a few hours, waking just as dusk bled into night.I know why I couldn't sleep. Being wrapped up in blankets that smell like my old life, seeing books on Tani and the Beast pressed tightly into my sagging bookshelf and knowing my mother is in the next room, pretending I'm not here...it's maddening.Tugging my hair back into a braid behind my shoulders, I examine myself in my old mirror, the frame still chipping off white paint how I remember, stickers from childhood having peeled back, stained by the sun. I haven't changed, aside from slightly fuller cheeks from the decadent food at court and minor scratches and bruises that litter my skin from yesterdays ordeal.
The King’s Possession 48
I stare out the kitchen window, watching Marek and the stranger outside.Marek has pulled the man's hood back, tearing the cloth from around his mouth, revealing his identity. From here I can't see the man's face, but I know I wouldn't know him anyway. The man sits on the steps of the porch, head bowed weakly as he holds a palm over the wound in his neck. Marek stands before him, twisting the rope intended for me in his hand.Marek's presence alone has rendered the man passive. I can't hear what they are discussing, but at the beginning, it seemed awfully heated. Now it's calmed down, Marek's expression solemn as he listens intently to what the stranger has to say.
The King’s Possession 49
Tai spent the next week being closely monitored by healers, leaving me to my own vices.Most of the week I spent writing, trying to make sense of my tumultuous thoughts, finding a place for it all within my brain. When I finally felt like I had compartmentalised it all, I was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. At least I've healed, only what appears to be small scars the last reminder of what happened that night in the cave.Today I've forced myself outside. The morning has been glorious, the dewy grass glistening under the sunlight as I wander aimlessly through the gardens. However dark clouds chased me back inside, yet another storm threatening to roll in.
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