Blood of Vengeance by Angel Haze

Author:Angel Haze [Haze, Angel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Angel Haze
Published: 2022-04-25T16:00:00+00:00

12. The Monster Within

Blood streamed down Killien’s face from the lacerations on his forehead. One eye was swollen shut. His muscles ached fiercely, and every breath caused a sharp pain in the side of his chest. It would not have surprised him to learn at least one of his ribs was broken.

Gods, that was a brutal night. The moment he returned from the pits and stumbled into his cell, he lay on his pallet, hoping to lose himself to sleep ... or death. Whichever came first. The wood pressed against his wounds, and no matter which way he shifted, he could not get comfortable.

Sleep was nearly impossible in his dank, hard-edged cell. He sighed and sat upright, rolling his shoulders to loosen his tense muscles. A metallic tang filled his mouth and he spat a dark brown clot on the dirty, stone floor.

He felt dead. Given the blows he’d taken in the pit that night, he probably should have been. But the gods’ cruelty knew no bounds.

Live to fight another day. The words echoed in his mind like a mantra. It had been so long since he’d been free he hardly remembered what he was fighting for anymore. Why bother to carry on such a meaningless existence?

He closed his good eye and dropped his head to his hand. He knew why. Everything he did was for his mother. Each night he heard her terrified screams, heard Lord Tamas’ raucous laughter…

Your family has not seen you in eight years. They have turned their backs on you, on your very existence. The things you’ve done ... there’s no coming back from them. You are a murderer, a beast. The voice inside his head, his only companion in these desperate hours, had become louder, more insistent.

They don’t know where I am, he argued silently. For all they know, I’m dead in a dungeon somewhere or on the streets. I was only twelve. Who could survive life on their own at that age?

Your stepfather is one of the most revered mages in Aradia. Surely they have the resources to track down a lone boy. Dark laughter rippled through his thoughts, the laughter of the monster within. No. There’s a reason no one has come to save you from this wretched life. What you did is unforgivable. Return to the mages and they will cast you out. Or kill you.

Killien pressed his fingers to his temples. I cannot live like this, as a creature whose only purpose is to kill. I have to return to them. I will not give up now. Even if they turn me away, at least I will know. I must see that she’s safe and that what I did so many years ago has not stained my family. I, alone, carry this burden. No one else shall suffer for my crimes.

Foolish words, the monster within chided. You will die here.

A soft orange light appeared beyond Killien’s closed eyelids. He opened his eyes and his head swam as a wave of vertigo threatened to take hold.

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