The Blood of Darkness

Chapter 24

The Lost Prince

The sun shines down on Nieves, illuminating the white buildings lining the streets so that the marble seems to glow with a bluish light. At first glance, everything seems beautiful. Perfect.

But then you notice the soldiers patrolling the streets, faces split with sneers. The dark flags hanging off of the buildings, all embossed with the symbol of Rurik and the Dark King. The corpses hanging in the center of the market. The corpses that the Dark King demands me to create more of every few days. "Choose whoever you want. Then kill them. Hang them so that everyone can see." He lets me leave the castle, for he knows that there's nowhere for me to go. Besides, the kingdom is crawling with soldiers.

Then there are the people. Gaunt faces, sunken cheekbones, and hopeless eyes. Most of them wear scarves around their faces and cloaks on their bodies, trying to blend in. I can barely bring myself to look at them.

But I force myself to. For they are my people. In another life, I would be their king right now. My coronation would have been seven months ago, when I turned eighteen. But seven months ago, I was laboring in a Lychnus mine in the heart of Rurik while the Dark King ruled over my kingdom.

As I make my way through the streets, observing, everyone hurries away from me. Doors are quickly locked, children are called inside, and the streets go quiet, few remaining out and about. I wear a black and silver cloak, emblazoned with the Dark King's personal insignia. My hood is pulled high over my head, and to the people, I am death incarnate.

They don't recognize me. They think their prince is dead. Apparently, the Dark King even went as far as finding someone who looked relatively similar to me, mutilating them, then hanging their body next to Coryza's rotting one, leaving the corpses on the castle gates until they were picked clean by crows.

Coryza. My little sister. With her silver hair, ringing laugh, and shining sapphire eyes.

I was supposed to protect her.

But I failed. Just as I failed Zeke, Val, my parents, and everyone in my kingdom.

Now, the people know me as someone else: the Dark King's Silent Torturer. And they fear me, for death follows me everywhere I go.

I head to a familiar brothel, one with white pillars in the front and silvery flowers on the blue-tinged paneling. It'a mid-afternoon, so the brothel isn't open. I'm sure I will be back again tonight.

I make my way down an alley and enter through the side door, which is already unlocked. Miss Blanche is expecting me.

She's the only one who knows who I am. When I first came to her weeks ago, I pulled down my hood, and she thankfully recognized me. Then insisted on helping me. She didn't even find it strange how I didn't, and still don't, speak.

Maybe she understands. That's my only form of defiance, and helping me is hers.

Striding down a long corridor to her office, I wonder what name she will give me today. It will undoubtedly be one of the many Dark-King sympathizers that frequent the brothel, for they are the only ones with enough money to come here anymore, besides the Rurikan soldiers. All Miss Blanche has to do is get the name and description of one of them, and I will do the rest.

If I'm forced to kill one of my people, then I'd rather it be someone who I have a reason to kill, no matter how unsound of a reason it may be.

It's the only way I can keep my sanity through all this killing.

I knock on Miss Blanche's door three short times, and after a long, unusual pause, the door opens. Her platinum hair is twisted up into a tight top knot, and everything about her appears prim and tidy except for her gray eyes, which dart around the room nervously.