"VASILE!"
I burst out of the corridor, my voice tearing through the chaos. The room was scattered—guards rushing, carrying loads, dragging weapons. Smoke curled through the air.
"Vasile!" I kept screaming. The smoke burned my throat. I began to cough.
I was choking, but all I could think of was where that fool was!
Thud.
A force slammed into me. My spine struck the wall.
"What are you doing here?" Vasile's voice screamed out. His hand pressed against my chest, pinning me in place.
"Can we go outside?" I gasped. "This environment is unsa—"
"GET OUT OF HERE!" He seized my collar, dragging me out.
Did he take me for a stray dog? LET ME GO.
"Dominus, I could not find the lord's royal cape—" A guard emerged from the smoke.
"Aurelia, wait here. Do not move an inch." Vasile disappeared back into the chaos.
I leaned against the corridor wall, gasping for clean air. My lungs burned. My mind raced.
When will that coward be back!
Thud.
He was back before I knew it.
"I am busy," he said. "I will give you a moment... do not waste my time."
"Do you know we are leaving today? For the palace?"
"And why should I care?"
"You should! We had a deal—and we will keep it!"
"I advise you to prepare for life in the palace rather than wander about like a jobless fool."
"What of our deal?"
"It is over. I. Cut. It."
"You cannot—"
I seized his arm. He squeezed my wrist until I released him.
TASS!
I slapped him.
"CURSE YOU! CURSE YOU!" I kept slapping him, my palms stinging, my breath ragged.
"Stop that!" He seized my shoulders, his grip like iron. "Do you hear me? Stop!"
I struggled. He held me until I stilled, until my chest heaved with exhaustion.
"It is over," he said, his voice softer now. "Our deal ends now."
He turned. Walking away.
"No! Vasile, you will not!"
He ignored me.
"You coward!" I screamed. "You got your way between my sister's legs! You licked her! You tasted her! And now you say it is over!"
He stopped. Then rushed back.
I would lie if I said I was not shocked by the swiftness with which he returned.
"You are the biggest fool I have seen in my whole life," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "You are broken. Stupid. Foolish. You do not deserve to live."
I flinched.
"And do not ever speak of Carla like that again. She is wiser than you will ever be."
"Wiser?" I laughed—a bitter, hollow sound. "That fool who only knows how to open her legs? I will never be Carla. I will never be worthless! I will kill Tenebrarum and every monster behind him!"
"Then happy doing that. Because I am out."
He walked out, the door slamming shut behind him.
---
I stood alone in the corridor, my hands trembling.
How dare he speak to me like that?
It must be Carla's fault. What had she said to him? What had she done to my plans?
I was not like her—selfish, just like Mother. I was risking my life for the whole of humanity.
I was trying my best.
I hope I never see her again.
I would pluck out her lying tongue and feed it to dogs.
She should wait and see.
---
The carpentum waited in the courtyard—a heavy, ornate thing of dark oak and gilded bronze, its iron-bound wheels resting on the paved stones. Four horses stood harnessed at the front, their breath misting in the morning air. The driver, a thin man with nervous eyes, bowed as I approached.
I climbed inside. The interior was lined with crimson cushions and silk drapes, soft as a lover's sigh. But the road beneath was ancient—paved with lapis stones worn smooth by centuries of wheels and hooves and marching feet.
The driver cracked the reins. The horses lurched forward. The carpentum groaned and began to move.
---
The first hour was tolerable. The road wound through the estate's outer lands—olive groves, vineyards, fields of wheat golden in the morning sun. Shepherds tended their flocks on distant hills. A river glittered like a ribbon of silver.
But then the road changed.
The smooth lapis gave way to dirt and gravel, rutted by the passage of countless carts. The carpentum lurched and swayed. My spine slammed against the wooden frame. My teeth clacked together. The cushions offered little comfort against the violence of the road.
I gripped the edge of the seat, my knuckles white.
Through the small window, the countryside rolled past in a blur. The hills grew steeper. The olive groves gave way to rocky scrubland. The sun climbed higher, burning through the morning mist, casting long shadows across the land.
I should have felt something—awe, perhaps, or fear. But all I felt was the cold, hard knot of purpose in my chest.
The palace. Mortifer. Tenebrarum. The seven brothers.
I counted their names in my mind like a litany of death. Each one would fall. I swore it by my father's grave.
The carpentum hit a deep rut. I was thrown forward, my head nearly striking the wooden panel. I cursed under my breath, gripping the seat harder.
"How long is the journey?" I called out.
"Five hours or more, my lady," the driver replied, his voice barely audible over the creaking of the wheels.
Five hours.
Five hours of this misery. Five hours of my bones rattling and my head aching.
I pulled back the curtain and peered outside. The road ahead was little more than a dirt track, hemmed in by ancient stone walls. Beyond the walls, I could see the faint outline of a distant city—the capital, perhaps. The palace would be there, waiting for me like a beast in its lair.
I let the curtain fall.
I closed my eyes and imagined it—the moment when I would finally strike. The poison would be sweet on their tongues. The screams would be music to my ears. And Tenebrarum—Tenebrarum would watch as everything he loved burned to ash.
How do you like my plan?
I am a work of art.
The carpentum hit another rut. My teeth clacked together, and I bit my tongue. The taste of blood filled my mouth.
"Are you personally trying to pinch me?" I screamed, my voice raw. "You made the ride worse!"
"I am sorry, my lady," the driver called back. "The road is not smooth—"
"NOT SMOOTH?" I laughed—a bitter, hollow sound. "After all the wickedness and power you creatures feel you have against my kind, I thought your roads would be made of gold! But even stones would be better than this!"
The driver said nothing.
I leaned back against the cushions, my chest heaving. My words had been foolish—childish, even. But I could not help it. The anger was a living thing inside me, coiling and striking like a serpent.
Be careful, I reminded myself. You have work to do in the palace. You cannot afford to be reckless.
I took a deep breath. Then another.
The palace was waiting.
And I surely would not disappoint it.
---
The journey stretched on. The sun climbed higher, then began its slow descent toward the horizon. My stomach growled, but I ignored it. My back ached, but I ignored that too.
Through the window, I watched the landscape change. The rolling hills gave way to flat plains. The olive groves disappeared, replaced by vast estates—villas with marble columns and tiled roofs, their gardens bursting with roses and lavender.
Rich creatures, I thought bitterly. Living in luxury while humans starve.
The road grew smoother as we approached the city. The dirt track became a paved street, lined with statues of gods and heroes. The statues stared down at me with empty eyes, their stone faces frozen in expressions of pride and power.
I hated them.
The carpentum passed through a gate—a massive arch of black stone, carved with scenes of battle and conquest. Guards stood at attention on either side, their armor gleaming in the fading light. They did not look at me. They did not need to.
We were in the capital now.
The streets were crowded—merchants hawking their wares, slaves carrying palanquins, nobles in fine robes strolling along the colonnades. The noise was overwhelming—a cacophony of voices, hoofbeats, and creaking wheels.
I pulled the curtain shut.
I did not want to see their faces. I did not want to see their wealth. I did not want to see their happiness.
I wanted to see them burn.
---
The carpentum stopped.
"We have arrived, my lady."
I opened my eyes.
The door swung open, and a servant helped me down. My legs were unsteady, my body stiff from the long ride. I stood in a courtyard of polished marble, surrounded by towering walls and soaring columns.
And there, at the top of a grand staircase, stood the palace.
It was massive—a sprawling complex of white stone and gold, its towers reaching toward the heavens. Banners fluttered from every parapet. Guards stood at every entrance.
This is it, I thought. This is where it all ends.
I straightened my stola, lifted my chin, and walked toward the stairs.
The game had begun.
Here I come...
------------------
To be continued...