FOREVER KNIGHTS: #13 Salvaging Souls
Not What She Expected

“What’ve you done?” She dropped to her knees, hands fluttering over the bodies of her dungeon men.

“It was the last mistake I’ll let you make.” He growled.

She looked up at him. Pain written over her pretty face. “You mean that.”

His anger vibrated through the room. Nearly stifling the air from it. “I do.”

“I didn’t know you were capable of this.” She mourned the bodies surrounding her.

“What did you think I’d do? Let them torture me until you told them to stop?” He scoffed coldly. “Not a chance, Ri.”

“This part of you.” She gestured to him half naked, chained, and bloodied. “This is the part that kills my people, isn’t it?”

It’s not me? Will you ever get it through your head? But the fact that she’d brought him here with this intent made the answer he so didn’t want to accept, clear.

“Not in the least.” He grated out.

“This is what you meant when you said there were things about you I wouldn’t understand!” She shook her head sadly. “You’re right. This is an evil I never wanted to see.”

“Yet, it was okay when I killed in your name. Wasn’t it, Little Queen?”

The sound of them arguing must’ve startled someone on the ground nearby. There was a desperate gasp and a gargling cough.

Someone is still slightly alive. His gaze fell impassively to the man.

Riaura dropped her torch which clattered to the floor and nearly doused. The flame shrinking as a portion of the torch soaked in a puddle.

She leapt over to the prone form the sounds came from. Rolling the man over. In the dim light, all she saw were the whites of the man’s frightened eyes.

“Greius.” A hand covered her mouth as she pulled his bloodied head into her lap. Her eyes teared to see such a strong man so vulnerable. “Greius?”

The Master of Torture.

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Who did you let into our dungeons? Alazar knew what the dying man was asking. And from the look on Riaura’s face, so did she.

“Alazar.”

This isn’t my fault. He glared down at her.

“The Nauvree.” Alazar supplied coldly.

Greius choked, coughing and spasming, and making small, pained noises. Blood pooled around him from several wounds in his chest as he grabbed her wrist.

“Y-you a-allowed the Nauvree in-into Nightway?” Greius gasped for air and Riaura put a hand to his chest, wishing to steal his suffering.

“He w-will d-destroy all he touches.” Grieus sucked in a sharp breath, and then went still.

She cried out and shook him, but he was dead.

Alazar caught the distinct smells that told him death had occurred.

“Now you’ve forced my hand.” She shook her head sadly and turned to look over her shoulder and up to Alazar. “The people will demand I put you to death, Alazareth.”

“Will they?” He asked dangerously. “Do you even know the hearts of your people?”

He saw the first flickers of fear on her face. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you know nothing about what they want...But you soon shall.” The threat was clear in his voice.

“Do you dare threaten me? Careful who you’re talking to!” She gasped in affront.

Climbing to her feet, she clutched her red skirts in a shaking grip. Stepping over a body as though aiming to stand over him in all her queenly glory. “How many men and women have you killed, Alazareth?”

Not a chance. He jerked his shackled wrist and snapped the chain from the wall. Then reached around it and violently yanked the manacle open. Ripping it as though it were no more than parchment before tossing it to the stone floor.

She yelped and retreated a step. Stumbling back over the corpse of one of her guards.

Alazar leaned over and shredded the ankle shackles that bound him to the torture table. Throwing them aside and hopping down.

“My God.” She clambered to her feet to back up. “You truly aren’t human!”

No. No, I’m not.

“This night,” He walked purposefully toward her. Barely clad body wound with tension. Stepping over the piled bodies of the men that’d fumbled to attack him when he’d snapped the first shackle. “Will linger in your mind for years to come. What you’ve done now, cannot be undone…”

You’ve begun something, you’ll sorely regret.

“Why would you do this?” She asked to distract him from the fact that she was backing up toward the stairs.

Preparing to flee from me. His eyes lit yellow in the dark as the torch faded. Glowing in the dark.

She fumbled for the rail in horror.

Truly terrified now.

“Don’t play foolish.” He snarled through gritted teeth. “It’s not becoming on such a clever woman.”

Alazar knew his words were bordering on cruel. I’ve had it with her.

But kindness has not made her hear me.

“It was you that came into my den. You,” He charged as he backed her up. “that brought your NightGuard to my door to put me in manacles.”

He lifted his bruised wrists as testament to his accusations.

“This is not my fault!” She gestured to the bodies. “You’re afraid because you know that I’ll have to have you put to death now.”

“Will you?” He smirked evilly. Yellow eyes brightening his face.

“You know what you’ve done!” She charged. Lifting a foot to find the bottom step.

Preparing to bolt.

“The Hell it’s not!” His lip curled in contempt. “You’re wrong this time, Ri. The only thing I fear is what I’ll have to do now to finish what you’ve begun.”

“Make you do?” She frowned. “What do you mean, Alazareth?”

She eyed him quizzically.

Alazareth eyed her hand on the railing and knew he could snatch her arm and keep her from fleeing but letting her terror mount seemed more penance this moment.

Go ahead and run from me, Riaura. Hide wherever you can...I’ll still find you.

You’ve no idea what’s coming...

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