Chapter 14- Serrina

There was no way the king had summoned her for another meeting; that was the first thought that came to Serrina’s mind when she woke up to a knock at night the second time in a row. She cursed under her breath, sending a prayer to her gods, hoping that it was nothing special and that she could go back to sleep after it. She’d had to deal with another argument in council that afternoon, and it had taken too much of her energy.

Alina was not around, which was strange. Usually answering knocks at night were a maid’s duty. She went to the door, not bothering to change the nightgown that exposed most of her body. As she turned the handle and opened the door, the view to outside of her chambers became clear. More than ten guards stood outside, each having their hands on their swords. Serrina’s own guards were nowhere to be found.

She blinked a few times, trying to take in the situation and understand what was happening. Nothing came to her, her thoughts utterly and completely blank.

After a moment of observing her surroundings, she realized that they were not wearing the royal seal, and in the middle of the men general Dormer stood smiling. There was blood on his…. armor? General Dormer was wearing an armor? And one drenched in fresh blood…Serrina’s eyes became wide.

The general came forward. The stench of blood on his body filled Serrina’s nose, she frowned. Holding her hands on her face, she tried to ignore the voices in her head asking whose blood that was. “My lady Serrina, what a delight to see you tonight.” There was a disgusting smile on the man’s face, one that made Serrina want to hide in a corner and never see it again.

“Would you mind changing into a more proper…. nightwear? You need to come with me.” His eyes traveled around her body. Despite her pride, one look at the bloodied sword in the general’s hands made her nod and go back in her bed chamber.

She released a breath. Her guards were not in their posts, Alina was nowhere to be seen and general Dormer was at her door with his own unit of men. She thought of a way that could get her out of this room without Dormer noticing, maybe she could find Azriel then and find out what was wrong. Even the thought of getting help from her parents seemed more pleasing compared to going with Dormer in the dead of night.

If she hid in her rooms and refused to answer them, would they barge in? Taking in Dormer’s current state made her think that they would. There was nowhere for her to run, she had to go with the men and maybe find a way out later.

Quickly, she found a robe and put it on. She then opened the doors and found Dormer leaning on the wall, smirking at her face. “Take her” he said, and Serrina did not quite understand what he meant until one of his men bound her hands with a rope, another man pulling it and forcing her to step forward.

They were treating her like a slave.

She opened her mouth to speak but then Dormer’s next words shut her up, “Bear with it and you won’t be in much of a trouble.” He whispered on her neck. She shivered, and not from the cold.

She truly wanted to protest, she really did, but would her blood cover Dormer’s sword if she made the wrong move or said the wrong words? That question was enough to keep her still, obedient.

They were headed towards the throne room, that much she was aware of. For whatever reason this did not seem to be the king’s doing. Serrina was frightened, but not frightened enough to lose her mind. Her senses were working, and she tried reading her company. The men were smiling, as if they’d just won a tournament and Dormer with that terrifying smirk still on his face seemed like the god of death in human form.

Could it be what she was guessing, what her father had claimed in the council? No, there was no way it was. At least she hoped not.

They reached the huge doors of the throne room, Dormer swung them open giving view to a bloodied scene. The smell of death filled the air, Serrina held in her breath.

She did not want to see whose blood was on the floor, she did not want to look but she did. And she saw the most terrifying of images. There were three heads in each corner, three headless bodies beside them and a few royal guards who were unconscious. Blood was everywhere and in the middle of the room, right in front of the throne two people knelt; their hands bound behind them with ropes like her own.

The two were Azriel and Logan who were staring at her with absolute look of terror eyes.

And even though Serrina did not look, she already knew who the heads belonged to. Her mother, her father and the king.

Serrina screamed when she finally saw Lady Jane’s red hair and open eyes that gazed into the darkness.