Three Lies, All True || ONC2021 Longlister

Chapter 14: Same Narrator, Different Story

If Petra was going to patrol the castle one more time without doing anything apart from walking, she wouldn’t hesitate to stab either one of her higher ups or guards around the castle and throw their corpse on the snowy grounds just so her hands could do something.

She was one of the elite soldiers, a commander for the Magi Brigade in Royisa’s Army, and one of the strongest ones they had ever made. Yet, here she was, patrolling the castle grounds just to keep watch of the other soldiers while also making sure that everyone in the castle was safe.

If she had a lower rank, she would have accepted her guarding duties with pride. Though she would prefer it if they would bring her brother as well. Keeping watch on her own was boring, and even more boring now that she was a higher ranking soldier.

So, once she was by the Royal Gardens, she turned around. Every soldier was positioned on their stations, and everyone was looking outside the walls. Just in case, she flicked her finger to her side, making sure they were all focused on the snowy exterior of the castle, before turning around.

Despite the cold, her palms were beginning to sweat, and her chest was beating louder than a dying army. Still, she took a deep breath and continued walking down the Royal Gardens, making sure that no one was there to see her.

No one could, and no one should.

She passed by the flowerbeds and lake, making sure that every step she took was careful. The gardens were massive, and she was lucky she didn't think of going anywhere near the hedge maze.

Finally, after a long while of walking, she reached it.

Just by the trees, a man stood. His black cloak covered his body completely, and Petra found it hard to see his features. But the quick glimpse of gold on his chest was the only thing she needed to know.

"You know, it's not really common for people to be walking by the gardens."

The man jumped up and snapped his fingers. A sword appeared in his hand, its blade reflecting almost every detail in the garden.

Immediately, Alejandro lowered his sword and sighed, before placing a hand on his chest. "Commander Petra, I apologize. I was here for a… break."

She crossed her arms and smiled. "Are you new?"

"Y- Yes, Commander. My name is Doston, from the Potions Brigade."

"Interesting. Why would anyone from the Potions Brigade be here?" Before he could answer, she lifted up her hand and looked away. "It doesn't matter. Get back inside."

The soldier nodded, and he took slow steps forward. As soon as his shoulders bumped into hers, her hands reached for his neck and pressed a light suffocation spell on it. One so thin that it could easily dissolve along with the wind.

"Didn't do much research, did you, Nuryyn?" She scoffed and inched his face forward. "I don't know how it works for you, but unless you're a commander, you don't call me by my name. You call me by my number."

"Q- Quick to judge, are we?" The soldier scoffed. "Quick to act, as well. N- no wonder you're a- you're a commander."

The Nuryynian soldier gasped for air, making the hood on his head fall down. And just like what the stars have prophesied, an important Nuryynian figure stood in front of her, squirming in her hands like the despicable worm that he was.

"General Alejandro," she spat. "I should have known it was a noble, a royalty no matter. You Nuryynians don't even bother sharing magic to common people."

Alejandro gasped again, and his hands reached for her wrist. Petra tightened her hold around his neck, but made sure it wasn't too tight for her magic to be detected. Even the smallest burst of her magic would make everything crumble down.

She needed to make sure everything was going to fall perfectly.

Without letting go, she shoved him down the snow. Both of her hands were on Alejandro's neck, and she distanced her body so that not a single inch of her touched any part of him. His hands kept tugging her own out of the way, but they slowly were starting to lose their grip.

Once she was certain he wouldn't move, Petra removed her hands and snapped her fingers. A flask fell onto her hands, and the black liquid almost made her gag. Almost.

"Adrien's been wondering what this thing does, so you wouldn't mind tasting it, would you?" She turned to him, unsurprised to see he was still breathing for air. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

When Alejandro sat up, Petra used one hand to wrap it around his neck while the other shoved the potion down his throat. Once the last drop fell to his mouth, she stood up and took a step back.

Gasps left Alejandro's lips as his hand reached for his neck. Just the sight of it made her stomach twist, and she wished to turn off her hearing to not head his final cries.

Petra closed her eyes and turned around.

Then, everything went silent.

As soon as she turned her head back to Alejandro again, he was lying dead in the snow.

She pressed a hand to her face, forcing back the laughter building in her throat. Not yet. Not when this was just the first step of the plan.

It was just the first part, and there were more to go.

She looked at the flask in her hands and crushed it, before summoning a wind strong enough to blow the shards away.

With a nod, she turned around and returned to her post. Her brows furrowed down, and she couldn't calm her chest. It even felt like her stomach dropped, and she wanted to go back inside the castle to calm herself down.

The snow wasn’t helping her, either. Every time she took a step, her feet would leave deep prints on the snow. She was slightly worried that people would notice the prints and see that she was sneaking out, or maybe even someone from their enemy kingdom, Nuryyn, would follow her tracks and use it against her.

Fortunately, every time she turned around, there was nothing except the empty, snowy fields.