Drip

Drop

Drip

Drop

Each drop falling slowly and methodically, causing small ripples in the puddle below

My skin scrawls at the chilling sight,

Karina turns her face away disgusted

Lyra stares at it distraught

Darius calmly investigates the area around,

Apollo says:

“Thank you,

Thank you. old man,

May you rest in peace,”

The body of the former royal knight hangs upside down from the ceiling in his house,

His body beaten, covered in burns as the blood from his wounds slowly trickle down into a pool below.

“This was a ceremony,” Apollo grimaces,

“In the old days of our kingdom, knights that were caught committing treason or as deserters was sentenced to be beaten bloody, and then be hung upside down so that they could slowly die of blood loss.”

“Who could have done this?

I know he’s old, but he is still really powerful

It can not have been a regular knight.” Karina comments

….

“Zinnia was with him,

Zinnia was here,

There are clearly signs of a fight,

I don’t see her body,

Where is she?” Darius rambles anxiously.

“Look at the vines on the floor,

She tried fighting,

She was here,

We have to find her!”

“Calm down, Darius,” Apollo coaxes

“We-”

{BRRRRRRRRR}

The floor trembles, everything starts shaking

(An earthquake?)

“Come see this!” Lyra says standing by the door.

…..

“Is that what I think it is?” Karina staring at the cause of the tremor

“If so then-”Apollo starts

“-We have to hurry now!” Darius yells,

***

“I can protect myself Herb,” Zinnia protest to the old man,

“I know you can Zinnia, but Darius would not forgive me if I let something happen to you,”

“Darius isn’t my parent,

Not normally at least.”

“I’m not even going to ask what you mean by the that,” the old man grouses,

“Whatever is happening out there, its best we stay out of it,

No need to put ourselves in harm’s way,

It isn’t worth it Zinnia.”

“……… Zinnia starts to say something

“Tut,tut,tut,

You’ve really gone old on me Herb,” A voice speaks crashing through the roof

“What happened to that brave knight from so long ago?

Are you really that scared to fight now?”

Zinnia and Herb stare surprised at the figure,

Draped in a glorious white robe with gold highlights,

His hair crimson red, matching his eyes that smile happily at them,

“King flint!?” Herb exclaims

“That’s head priest, but I will allow you to call me king.”

Zinnia, stand back,” Herb cautions

“Why should the girl Herb? Both of you should take me on at once,”

“Solar strike!” Herb jumps at him without waring

Flint darts back narrowly dodging the hit

“Waw, you’ve really resorted to cheap sucker punches now Herb, where is your knights honor?”

“I have no honor for a King who betrayed his people

Solar blast!”

“Emperor’s wall!”

A crimson wall of flames blocks the old man’s oncoming beam

“Wrong move Herb, I’m giving you one last chance”

“Solar-

Before he the old man could continue a tower flames blast upwards from beneath him

“Herb!” Zinnia runs to his side,

“Vine- she starts, but a flaming fist hammers down on her head, the girl slumps down unconscious,

Y, you, Herb stumbles to his feet,

Umph!

Flint gut punches him

“Dot worry, I won’t kill her,

You one the other hand,”

“..w…k…y...” the old man wheezes

“What was that you said?

Kill me please?

Very well then, as your king, I shall you execute as a knight.”

***

…….

…….

“Ugh my head!” Zinnia groans opening her eyes

“Zinnia?” a feminine voice whispers from across her,

“Queen?” Zinnia still seeing foggy,

The queen lay on floor across from girl, both chained down,

“What happened to you?

Why are you bleeding?” Zinnia notices Queen Patricia’s injuries

“I beat her obviously,” Flint’s voice booms as he enters the room,

“What do you want from us,” the queen begs

“Hmm well you see, my former love,

I don’t want anything form you,

Murdoc does,

He wants to kill everyone, however that boy Darius may be able to defeat him, so you two will be used as bargaining chips,”

Flint laughs to himself pleased at the fear in Zinnias eyes

“No, he mustn’t queen Patricia refutes

“Shut up woman, I don’t need you alive remember that.”

“Then kill me,” Patricia challenges

“No, my Queen!” Zinnia, “stops leave it”

“I’m sorry Zinnia but I can’t let this man get what he wants,”

Struggling to her feet the queen attempts to lash out at him

He lazily avoids her kicking her back to the ground

“Stop!” Zinnia cries

“Make me then,” Flint jeers stomping on the queen

“Stop!!” The girl yells trying to use her magic,

Everything goes dark

Both the Queen and King vanish

“Lady Patricia!?” Zinnia calls

“Anyone?”

***

“Aghh!” a woman falls backward,

A massive tree grows between her and Zinnia its roots digging through the floor, the ground begins to tremor,

“What happened?” Flint inquires, barging into the room

“I was trying to break her, but she used magic in the illusion that somehow worked out here”,

Zinnia lays softly on a bed her head wrapped in a dreamy orange mist,

“The tree isn’t stopping!” the king yells,

Its roots now beginning to move whilst underground,

“Get the girl then!” the woman orders, “we’ll finish the process in the cathedral”

The former king attempts to get near Zinnia a roots springs up in front of her almost taking off his shoulder,

“The tree, it’s defending her!

I’ll have to blow it up-”

***

“It’s coming from the orphanage!” Apollo points, as we near the giant growing tree,

Darius already a long distance ahead of us in a perilous sprint

Do you think the Queen is, ok?” Lyra asks Karina

“I hope so,” Karina replies

Apollo doesn’t comment instead picking up speed,

“Do you hate her?” I say catching up with him

“…..

No, she hates me,”

“Damn, Darius is really fast,” he changes the topic,

“Why?”

“Stop being so nosy Kage, if didn’t know any better I’d have thought you were a spy”

“I’m just curious,

I’ve noticed that both you and Pinoki don’t seem too fond of her,”

“Pinoki hates her not me” Apollo tells

“He says that she jeopardizes his claim of being the most deceitful person here or something like that,”

“…?”

“Don’t look at me, I don’t understand what he means by that,”

“And why do you ‘not’ hate her”

“I don’t appreciate the underlying tones of that question Kage,”, Apollo jokes

“Like I said before she hates me, been like that since I was born,

My mother, her sister, died giving birth to me, and no one besides her knew who my father was so I had to be raised by my aunt, the queen,

She sees me as the person who killed her sister,”

“Then I’m surprised she doesn’t hate me then if we go by that logic,

Shouldn’t she also hate me for ‘killing’ her son?” I bring up

“Maybe she does you never know………...”

………

Darius approaches the massive tree growing out from the queen’s orphanage

Two voces can be heard conversing inside

“Goliath sword!”

A sword as big as a tree, forms in his hand with one swing Darius fells the tree, while simultaneously cutting through the wooden house

Thud!

The tree hits the ground,

Apollo and the others now arrive catching up to Darius

“Whew!” He wheezes as the massive sword disappears,

“That one was a bit too heavy”

“Reckless again!” Karina fumes,

“Zinnia could be inside!”

“I’m not dumb,” Darius asserts

“I wouldn’t have done that in the first place if I thought she was going to get hit!”

……..

“Welll~ done my boy,” a voice familiar to Karina sings

“And here I was planning to blow it up,

How may I repay your favour?”

“Show yourself!” Karina bellows

“I haven’t forgotten that voice you bastard!”

“Sound girl?

You survived the fires after all,

I was planning to go back for you, but it looks like you brought yourself to me,”

The figure emerges from behind the fallen tree

“The former king,” Lyra scowls

“What did you do to Zinnia and the Queen!?”

“Nothing-”

“-Let me speak to them love,”, a voce cuts him off

Queen Patricia walks up elegantly from behind him,

Both Lyra and Karina let out loud gasp

Even Apollo looks shocked,

Darius clenches his sword tighter, unphased by the reveal,

“You, this can’t be true!” Karina stutters

“I’m afraid it is Karina, from day one, I’ve never cared about any one of you,

You see this whole underground has been an unvoluntary training grounds for you,

The ones with most potential, the magic most useful to God, were put into a situation where they could evolve, then sent here,”

“I thought you-” Lyra starts fighting back tears

“-Cared?” Patricia laughs mockingly

“I care about serving God,

I cared about my sister, my son,” her eyes staring daggers into Apollo and I

“You, Lyra weren’t even considered as potential, we wanted your brother, however he took the path of the occult, long before God ever arrived here,

He killed your family by his own will,

Same goes for you Apollo, you are not considered, you didn’t even evolve your magic, still using basic lighting

Such a disgrace your mother!”

“Is that all they meant to you!” I press angrily

“People u can manipulate, use, for your false god!”

“Watch your mouth boy,” the king antagonizes

“This is a joke, you people are a joke,” I continue

“You throw away, your kingdom, your loyal subjects,

For someone who calls himself God!?”

“We did what was best for this kingdom,” the queen disputes

“Then how come your son isn’t here with you?

Why didn’t Omari stay with you?

Why is he even dead right now?”

“DON’T YOU DARE MENTION MY SON!

He’s not here because of non-believers like yourself!

He’s not alive because of YOU!

Who even are you, Kage?

Nothing!

Nobody!

A person who should not be alive right now!

My request for you I’ve been wanting to ask for so long,

Was for you to die!

Die Kage!

Die please,

So that at least my son’s requiem can be released,”

“Well-” I start

(What do I even say to that?

I am noth-)

Lyra slaps me hard on the back her eyes watery,

“That makes you one of us then, a nobody,

Huhh,” she takes a deep breath

“I’ve heard enough of this,”

Her eyes now go cold and emotionless,

“Honestly, I just want to kill this bitch,

Karina, how about you?”

“I-, I can’t,” the girl still taken back at the revelation, her only reality now collapsing in on itself,

“How about we serve them justice without killing,” Apollo offers,

“She is still my aunt after all,”

……

Darius says nothing his eyes still fixated on every little movement form the king

“I maybe be a nobody,” I start,

Everything that you said maybe true,

But at least I am alive, unlike your pathetic son, he was nothing but a coward,

Even to his death, he killed himself to avoid getting killed

What an absolute fool,

Just like his parents,”

(I choose violence,)

“You are threading on thin ice, boy!

We only want Karina and Darius alive,

You three however, are disposable,”

The king’s fists flame a crimson red, his demeanour like a tiger ready to pounce at its prey

(I might regret this)

“I’m done talking,

Done asking question,”

The bow forms in my hand

“Fight me!”

Lifting the bow, I point it to the king’s head,

Reaching back, I……...

……

……

……

I forgot I’m out or arrows.