By Your Side
Karrise's eye flamed with raging fury, at the disruption, no doubt. Maya rubbed her stinging cheek, with a pleading look on her face. The Queen was perched at the head of the bed, watching and waiting. That he didn't see coming. The old crone liked to watch.
A shuddering shiver coursed through him at the imagery evoked by one simple thought.
" You'll have the forgive me for interrupting your little soirée," Karrise brushed his lengthy silver robe, in an attempt to compose himself.
" You're not supposed to be here. You were supposed to be with the others," He said in a trembling tone, more to himself than to him.
The old crone pushed herself off the bed, fluffing the hundreds of layers of her skirt, and draped a cloak over her shoulders.
" No. He should be dead," She piped in the most annoying squeally voice that grated every single nerve ending in his body.
" Well, " He smirked as he rolled the hilt of the blade in his hand. Karrise hadn't moved, he was still a few paces away from Maya. It was time for the little white feathered bird to sully her pristine plumage.
" Things change. People die and when they do, they rarely tend to come back," A savage smile crept on his lips.
" Whenever you're ready little red," That caught Maya's attention, her eye flew to the blade, and slightly nodded. He would give her the edge over the man who was trying to do the ungodly thing to a woman.
It was swift and bloody. Maya caught the blade as he threw it at her and in a single swipe, Karrise's head tumbled on the floor, at the Queen's feet. Shirkieng, filled with horror, the Queen picked up the severed head and desperately tried to reattach it back to his body.
Birds of feather. It made his stomach turn, as she wept for a man that was trying to bed another woman against her will in front of her. He never felt more disgusted in his life. And he'd seen pretty awful things over the ages.
Maya froze in place as she watched the whole travesty in front of her; the king had fallen by her hand no less.
" It's time to get to the others," He reached a hand to her, and while she stared at Queen curled up on the floor hugging a headless body.
The clattering of the blade falling jolted Maya awake from wherever she'd gone in those few moments. And turned to look at him, mortified at her deed. It would haunt her for many moons, but now she knew what she was made of.
As he picked up his blade off the floor and Karrise's bloody head, Maya pushed past him and ran out of the room.
As he followed behind her, keeping an eye to see if there were any more guards peppered throughout Ironstone. Her soft sobs and the sound of rushed footsteps were the only things that filled those corridors devoid of life.
When she reached the top of the steps, Maya abruptly stopped and the green faint light that seeped through had his full attention.
Iris had made it to Irostone grounds. There was no telling what she had done.
The closer he got, he could hear the screams and cries of help coming from the grounds. She unleashed the sisters. Hopefully, she won't wipe everyone and everything in existence.
Hopefully, the potion he had Pelham make had served the intended purpose.
" Come," He urged Maya, as they both watched abreast, the flames slowly dying down.
Maya rushed down the two flights of stairs and stopped in the doorway at the main entrance. Dakran was nowhere in sight, or perhaps he'd run taking cover from the flames. As he did in Caral.
The flames were bigger, brighter than the last time he'd seen them. The sisters were getting stronger. Soon, she won't be able to hold them off. It was only a matter of time.
Edýia's screams dragged him back to the moment they were living in as Iris looked over her shoulder and nodded. There was nothing left of whoever was on the grounds. And there were quite a few people, Dakran and the calvary along with the few Inari he'd recognised.
" Where is everyone?" Maya asked, frightened," Where are the children?" She yelled as she rushed down the steps and charged for Iris.
" You killed them all," Maya screamed while Iris caught Maya's fisted hand when she tried to strike. Grief filled her tone and expression as she threw him a glance over her shoulder.
" Maya," Iris calmly called, " They are in the infirmary," She calmly said, lowering their joined hands to her side and pulling her into an embrace.
" I would never hurt those whom you hold dear to your heart," Iris said as she rubbed Maya's back, trying to comfort her and settle her spirit.
As she pulled away from the embrace Maya nodded, and wiped away the tears of joy, and sorrow.
" Go tell them that it is safe," Iris urged as Maya sprinted over the grounds towards the infirmary.
" You could have left some for me," He taunted as he threw Karrise's head at her feet.
" Killing the King wasn't enough for you," She smirked as she looked at the bastard's head, and pushed it around with her foot.
" It wasn't me," He shrugged, " Maya wielded the blade that curbed his lifeline," He felt the need to let out a relieved sigh as he took stock of the grounds.
" What now?" Iris asked, sheathing her daggers, and stepping over Karrise's head to close the distance between them.
" Now, we send a message to the next in line. And next, we show Umayad that they should let sleeping dogs lie," It was time for a change. It was time to wipe the slate clean and begin anew.
He wanted peace more than anyone else, but sometimes....sometimes a sacrifice must be made. Maybe it was a way for the old gods to claim their tribute, or perhaps the world was just filled with rotten souls and boundless greed.