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“You guys can stay here, but I have to know who and what is left outside.” Unlocking the door, I cracked it open. There was no noise or movement, so I slid out of the door quietly. To my surprise, Kaz, Kai, and Sybil followed.
What we were met with was a massacre. Almost half the town was burned down, and dead fae littered the pathways. My eyes didn’t know where to look first. My chest tugged with sadness.
I walked forward and stopped when I spotted her. The woman and her young child lay in a small opening between the buildings. The boy lay in the blanket I had given her in secret. I rushed over to them and begged the Gods above to let them be okay. Falling to my knees I assessed both of them, but they were long gone.
No.
Tears threatened to escape when the wounds and blood came into view. It wasn’t fair. They had deserved to live.
“Thea,” Sybil sobbed quietly. I glanced up with tears in my eyes. Fae were starting to come out of their homes to witness for themselves what had happened. Horrified sobs escaped many of them. Some begged for their loved ones or friends to wake up. Numbness spread over me as I stared at the woman who sacrificed her happiness to follow her child here and for what? To be murdered in an unprovoked attack?
A spark of rage ignited deep in my chest. Someone would pay for this. I locked eyes with Fallon as he assessed the damage. It was the first time I saw absolute total fear consume his features. All of this destruction within minutes when it had taken us years to build it.
Time stood still as we realized the amount of destruction that occurred. Smoke lingered in the air, small fires still raged, and half our buildings were leveled. This was the only home I had ever remembered and more than half of it was gone. We would never be able to recover what we lost today.
“Everyone!” Fallon yelled, standing on a piece of wood to gain extra height. “Did anyone notice what attacked us?”
No one spoke a word. Of course, no one here did, we were all inside. Fallon looked as if he didn’t know what to do or say, so I spoke up.
“Was anyone outside while they attacked?”
The fae shook their heads no.
“Whatever it was couldn't open our door but tried. I don’t think they can enter homes. We should enforce a strict curfew until we know what we are dealing with. Every fae that was outdoors was slaughtered, so perhaps staying inside will help protect us. If there is a sighting of something unusual, we will go into lockdown. Fallon can sound the bell to notify everyone.”
Fallon nodded in agreement. “I’ll take the bell to my home for quick access.”
“Now let’s give those we lost today proper burials,” I shouted. Everyone got to work. I went to the woman and her small son. I would make sure they were properly buried.
Kai and Kaz helped me carry them to the edge of the forest near the boundary. No thoughts entered my mind as I dug a grave big enough for them to be together. My body was numb from any feeling. If I let myself acknowledge what had happened, I would explode, and I didn’t know if I could control myself if that happened.
When I shoveled the last bit of dirt on them, I sat there next to them. Gone in the blink of an eye.
Sybil and the twins went to help others, but I couldn’t force myself to leave them yet. This had to stop. The king had gone too far this time. We were defenseless and weak. Even by the king’s standards, this was a disgusting act of power. He didn’t even kill us in the first place, he sent us into Exile. So that begs the question of why now?
A brief thought flitted through my mind that maybe this wasn’t the Crimson King’s doing, but who else would have done it? I shook the foolish thoughts away. Of course, it was the Crimson King. He hated us for simply existing.
After a long while, I stood up to head back home. I picked up my cloak from the ground next to the grave. The sound of something hitting the ground caused me to look back.
There on the dry dirt lay the red envelope I had stolen. Looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching, I picked it up. I had forgotten I hid the envelope in my cloak last night. I didn’t know what would be in this envelope, but I didn’t want anyone to see I even had it.
My hands dirtied the fancy crimson-colored envelope as I fumbled to open it. The paper inside was also red and adorned with the Crimson King’s crest. My eyes scanned the page quickly.
Congratulations!
Your family has the honor of being randomly selected to participate in the King’s Guard for a special mission. The rules are as follows:
Only one member of your family can participate, so choose wisely.
Your family may choose not to participate. If that is your wish, then you must find someone to take your place.
