The Blood King - Chapter Twenty-Seven (Patreon)

Cassian

This fortress has been in my family for generations. It was created by my great-grandfather as a place where Dragonborn who wished to travel beyond our lands could rest. It was watched over by my family for generations until my father’s reign. Or rather, mine, when it was turned into a battleground. It was another place where my people were forced to defend themselves. And upon my arrival, it became the final resting place of our enemies.

It has been years, and the lands still have yet to recover from the war. They remain scorched from hundreds of Dragon’s breath and infertile from soaking up the bloody remains of thousands. I despise being here with everything in me, and as I stand over the large window that overlooks the damage, my hatred for the Ikniri intensifies altogether.

All Ikniri except for one.

I look away from the scenery, no longer able to ignore the unconscious Ikniri Silas’s healer is looking over. The room is thick with heat from the stoked fire, and we’ve covered her in multiple furs. And still, her body remains cool to the touch, her brow furrowed from the nightmare that plagues her because of Silas’s attack.

“Must you take so long?” I say in irritation, coming to stand behind the healer. He tenses from my proximity, his fingers trembling slightly as he continues to touch her forearm.

“My apologies, Your Majesty. I was never versed in treating Ikniri. And due to the war…there was never a need—”

“You are useless,” I snap. “Get out.”

He quickly stands, bowing before scurrying from the room, leaving me alone with Nymira. The crackle of the fire does little to comfort me as I kneel next to her bedside. Her skin is smooth, the firelight casting a warm glow on her unique features. I find myself once again enamored by them instead of disgusted as I once was with her people.

I slowly reach for her cheek, her skin cool to the touch. Whatever is happening with her isn’t physical; it is mental. I recall the way I found her curled up and terrified like a child. Nymira has never been one to cower. Even if she felt fear, she ignored it, standing against anyone she saw as a threat, including me.

But that moment, something was triggered in her, forcing her to release a deadly wave of her power as she remained paralyzed in terror for her life. Ikniri are strong by nature, but that kind of force from an Ikniri is reserved for someone within their line of succession. And if that is the case, I need to kill her now.

I narrow my gaze, rubbing my thumb gently over her cheek. Her skin is smooth to the touch, and the longer I look into her face, the more I focus on the length of her pale lashes, the wisps similar to snowflakes in their gentleness. It’s been so long since anyone has seen an Ikniri, and now I find myself eager for her to open her eyes one last time, so that I can take in the storm that swirls within them, unable to tame her natural state.

I push those thoughts from my mind, focusing on the flow of her blood. I slowly release heat from my fingertips, focusing on her bloodstream. It will take seconds to heat her up from within and swiftly take her life. She has been around long enough to bring her people, if any are left, out of hiding.

She trembles from the heat, gasping as she releases a soft whimper.

I rip my hand away from her, quickly moving away from her bedside. My heart beats rapidly as I continue to watch her in panic. I am unfamiliar with the feelings rushing over me. They don’t make sense to me. I need to kill her, especially if my speculation is correct. She cannot be allowed to live.

Her eyes flutter open, and she blinks rapidly, finding me. I don’t know how I look to her in this moment. I don’t even know if she recognizes me. But she releases a breath of relief when she sees me, a weak smile forming as if she feels safe from seeing me before she closes her eyes again.

I don’t know how long I remain here, waiting with bated breath for her breathing to return to normal. When it finally does, I have the strength to move. I release a breath, making my way to the door. There’s no way she is part of the line of succession. They were all killed that day.

I made sure of it myself.

It isn’t until I reach the door that I slowly look back to her in that bed, as vulnerable as I’ve seen her since she was dragged into the castle and thrown at my feet, that I remember she is not a threat. If humans could capture her, even if she was part of the line of succession, she is so far from her culture that she will never be able to reach any potential. Especially if she is the last of her kind.

I smile to myself as I imagine the bloodshed if she is not. It’s as I said before: the Ikniri would not leave her to me if there are any out there. And when they show themselves, I will be sure to end them as I always have.

Then, I will keep her as a prize.

Nymira

There are flames everywhere. They cover my home, melting the ice with their intensity. But no one is focused on the homes. Their eyes remain on the sky. They don’t bother trying to put out the flames. They have weapons drawn, screaming as they try to protect their loved ones.

“Nymira!”

I pull in a sharp breath, opening my eyes to unfamiliar surroundings. My skin is warm, giving me discomfort. But I slowly realize I am covered in furs, while a fire rages in the fireplace. I don’t recognize this room. The walls are stone, and the window overlooks a scorched landscape. I close my eyes for a moment, trying to relive that dream. It felt so real, so terrifying, but I don’t remember it ever happening. And as I look around, I can’t even recall how I got here.

I groan in pain, sitting up.

“You’re awake.” It is Caius who greets me. His warm smile a breath of fresh air as he gently places his arms on me, helping me up to a sitting position. I look around the room in confusion.

“What…happened?” I ask. The last thing I remember is riding at the back of the caravan with Cassian. We were talking and then…

“Silas didn’t quite understand that you were a guest of the king,” Caius says.

My confusion deepens, and nausea hits me as I remember the wave of flames that almost took my life. Cassian said Silas wouldn’t be pleased to see that an Ikniri still existed, but he never said he would make an attempt on my life.

I shiver as I recall that moment—the helplessness that I felt. Cassian has at most threatened me. But the heat that I felt, the scorch of death lingering so near, makes me tremble. I slowly reach behind me, pressing my palm against the burn I’ve always lived with. Peyra always kept the details of the war to a minimum when it came to raising me. Now I’m curious if I was somehow part of it. And if I were, how could she keep something so important, especially involving Dragonborn, from me?

“Nymira?” Caius pulls me from my thoughts. His expression is concerned as he reaches for me, but I clutch the sheets tighter and pull away.

“You’re safe now. Cassian has ensured Silas stays away from you while we’re here,” he says.

I chuckle.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better about the Dragonborn who tried to kill me?” I ask.

Caius doesn’t respond.

“Why did he even bring me? Does he think this doesn’t affect me? Constantly being attacked by strangers who hate me for what I am? For having nothing to do with this war?” I ask.

“I can’t speak for the king. But Silas wasn’t always this way. The war hardened him. It hardened a lot of us,” Caius says.

He looks at me after a moment.

“You have to understand that for some, seeing you is a reminder of everything that was lost,” he says.

I shake my head, looking away, my eyes burning with unshed tears. But I blink them away, what he said registering with me.

“What exactly was lost? What did Silas lose for him to want to kill me on sight? Did Cassian not lose anything as well?” I ask, looking at my hands.

Cassian could have slaughtered me when I was captured, along with those men, and according to Caius, he has every reason to, just like Silas. But he didn't. How is Cassian any different? Does that make him more or less trustworthy?

“Why would he spare me if that kind of hatred is reserved for my kind?” I whisper.

Caius takes a deep breath, and I can tell from his expression I’ve wandered into forbidden territory. He watches me carefully, and I can see from his expression he wants to tell me something.

But he looks away, the moment of free will gone as he speaks.

“You forget that you are under Cassian’s rule. All of us are. And as such, we don’t have the right to ask certain questions. You should remember that, Nymira. Cassian has been tolerating you because you have not proven a threat. But I cannot speak for what he will do if you continue to show signs of becoming one. Please… be careful.”