Page 82 of Memory of Ashes

In the distance, he could see dust kicked up from galloping horses and hoped that she was safe.

His body went and unshackled the guards as they regained consciousness, confused about what had happened. Casyl had his suspicions of what had happened and hoped he was right.

The king had sent men with extra horses to retrieve them.

When he returned to the camp, his body went straight to his father.

“She got away then. I could always send men to hunt her down. Ah, well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. We have the mine and the Lifesource. It’s just a shame that you didn’t get to kill her.” The king smiled cruelly at him.

Casyl swore in his mind that if he ever got control of his body back, the first thing he would do was kill him. He’d kill him slowly. He’d fantasised about it. He’d show him just how much pain he could cause.

The king was enjoying his punishment. He continued to talk to him about his plans, knowing that he could hear and couldn’t react.

A scout entered the king’s tent with news. A human army was approaching the capital from the west.

“This should be interesting,” the king said. “Casyl, ready the army. We’ll go and meet them and fetch Tharos. I think we’ll play a little game with them.”

*

Casyl led his men to meet the approaching human army. The further west they travelled, the hotter and drier it became. The land cracked under the heat of the blazing sun.

The human army came into view as the dust cleared. A wave of iron shimmered under the sun. It was an army of cavalry. They must have received word from the capital before it had been attacked and come to aid their allies.

Unfortunately for them, they were too late and would all end up either dead or enslaved.

The shadows deepened around Casyl as he watched his father destroy a world, annihilating an entire people so that he could have their land and resources. He’d waited centuries for the opportunity to return to their ancestral lands.

He’d never realised how dark his father’s ambitions were. He would have tried to stop him. He was sure that they all would have.

The fae came to a halt and readied themselves as the human army came closer, jolting him from his thoughts. He could make out human faces in the distance. The smooth skin signalled the youth of some of them.

Tharos revealed the army as if it had appeared from nowhere.

The human army stopped abruptly, and Casyl signalled for the fae to charge.

There was no chance to prepare and fight with honour. It was a dirty tactic, but nothing was beneath them now, with no one to stop them.

To give them credit, the humans reacted as fast as they could, pulling out their weapons and fighting viciously for their lives. Their shock was replaced by desperation.

He watched the inevitable downfall of one soldier. His moves were expert, explosive. He danced and parried, his sword shining in the sun. He struck a fae warrior with deadly force, the blood splashing back into his face. The blow he dealt the fae warrior should have been devastating.

The human was cut down a moment later. There would be no honour for him. They were outnumbered. They never had a chance.

The sour stench of sweat and human waste lingered in the air, turning his stomach.

The fae archers stood to one side and rained down arrows upon the humans while the warriors in the melee slashed their way through their ranks.

Horses and men screamed alike as they fell one by one. It was a bloodbath. Most of the human soldiers had been killed, and those who survived would soon regret it.

They rounded up the prisoners. They had captured the human army’s leader. He was brought before the king and pushed onto his knees before him.

“Where did you come from?” the king asked. The man remained silent and spat on the ground in defiance.

The king gave the signal, and Casyl brought his sword across the man’s neck. His head fell to the ground and rolled towards the king’s feet.

Yet another person killed unfairly. Casyl pushed back his feelings. He was hardened to battle, but injustice still bothered him.

The king shrugged.