The Crown of Ashes and Blood
Part XXI In the Shadows
The iron scent of blood was fainter here, but not absent. The opulent walls of the citadel loomed above us, Kaspar still ran it for gambling but removed the crooked games from Sekaroth’s reign. My father crouched behind an outpost wall, scanning the perimeter. Kavi mirrored him, eyes sharp, fingers twitching near the hilt of his dagger. I stood behind them both, heart hammering in my chest.
Hollow screams cut through the courtyard, from the distant clamor of battle at the front gates, just beastly howls. I imagined Kade in the thick of it, swinging his blade. I knew him and his departed brother Stroud were not warriors, they were merchants. I prayed to the suns his blade would land true.
"Now," my father whispered breaking my thought.
We moved. Fast and low. The old servant passage that Kavi had spoken of was still there, half-hidden by years of neglect. My father shoved the rotted door open with his shoulder. The hinges groaned, protesting the intrusion, but we slipped inside.
Darkness swallowed us.
The corridor was narrow and choked with dust. I could barely see the outlines of my father ahead, only the faint glint of his sword guiding the way. My foot slipped on something soft, and I didn’t want to guess what it was. Kavi’s hand found my arm, steadying me.
“You alright?” he whispered.
I nodded. My voice felt trapped in my throat. The quiet here felt more dangerous than the screaming chaos outside.
As we crept deeper, the sounds of the outer world dulled. The passage curved, revealing a staircase that spiraled upward into pitch black. My father paused, motioning for silence.
We heard it. Footsteps above.
He gestured for us to hold.
A shadow passed the gap above, followed by a low, gravelly voice speaking.
Kavi’s hand dropped from my arm to his dagger.
My father pointed up the stairs, then toward Kavi. You flank right. I go first. Then he looked to me. His eyes were iron.
You stay behind us.
I nodded, trying to smother the fear inside me.
The steps were slick and narrow. I tried to move like Kavi, light, and quiet, but my guilt was loud. If this went wrong, it would be on me.
We reached the top. A crack in the wall let in light, giving us a narrow view into the wide corridor beyond, and in it, two figures stood whispering, unaware of us.
My father raised his hand. The signal.
Kavi vanished into shadow.
Then everything exploded in motion.
Kavi struck first, fast, clean, silent. The first Shalvasan dropped before he could scream. The second turned just as my father leapt forward, blade flashing.
Steel met steel.
I froze, watching the enemy overpower my father, forcing his blade back as he gritted his teeth and struggled to hold his ground, his clawed feet digging into the floor. I watched his claws scraped backward as the foe’s strength proved greater.
Without thinking, I lunged. My blade pierced flesh. The soldier’s body crumpled beside my father’s feet.
Silence again.
I was shaking. My hands were wet with blood. My father looked at me. I didn’t know if it was approval or not. Disappointed, maybe? Ashamed that I had to step in. I just saw him faltering and acted. I had a feeling that I’d crossed a line I wasn’t meant to.
“Move,” he said quietly. “We don’t have long.”
We slipped deeper into the heart of the citadel, into the main room where King Kaspar was being held, and where, I suspected, it might all come to an end.
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