293 The untamed powers

The noon long passed in the wet misty Wetlands as Sarcos was walking up the corridors of the dark Underworld. The last day was tomorrow for him and he was still not sure how to convince Ramse and Xander or how to test Mathyas!

Sarcos walked up into the Drawing Room to look at Sienna's paintings, but when he opened the door he found Miriam as she looked through Sienna's drawings in awe...

Miriam lifted her head and smiled at him."Your Queen is so talented, my King," she said sweetly.

Sarcos felt his heart in pain as he stared at Sienna's drawing. He wanted to hold Sienna in his arms instead...He felt as if Miriam ruined his day by her mere presence in that room! He felt a fit of strong jealousy towards Miriam because she was touching his one last straw reminding him of Sienna in there...

He loathed it...He wanted to punish her! He wanted to vent and rage and scream! His all body was in pain from it. He missed Sienna enormously and it was making him crazy! But he needed to finish with Mathyas as fast as possible and get out of there to hold Sienna again!

"Miriam, how do you like your King?" he looked at her seriously...

"He is becoming a better person," she smiled kindly.

"Really?"Sarcos asked."We will see!"He nodded his head. He felt so upset as he saw her touching Sienna's drawings that a horribly cruel idea struck him...

Sarcos went through Sienna's drawings one last time quickly. He took one picture and folded it inside his clothes, and then he went out of the Drawing Room without a word. He leaned at the carved stone wall closing his eyes in pain and imagined all Sienna's paintings on fire...nobody would ever watch them! Then he clicked his fingers as he decided.

A loud female scream pierced the air and Sarcos grinned as he opened his eyes abruptly.

The Drawing Room was on fire suddenly!

Miriam watched in shock how the hungry flames engulfed the paintings and drawings and she stared frozen as the flames danced around her!

Sarcos barged inside and pulled her out from the flames. Then he just clapped his hands and the fire stopped.

"What happened?" he asked Miriam seriously.

"I'm not sure..."She whispered still in shock."Suddenly was fire everywhere!" she called out distressed.

"You must be careless with torches...!" he growled. "Come with me!" He was looking so mad that Miriam followed him with a little heart. She really did not notice the torches at all!

Sarcos suddenly grabbed Miriam's arm strongly as they went down the corridors and dragged her down to the training ground where Ramse and Xander trained Mathyas. He pushed her to kneel on the floor into the dirt! Miriam felt her heart flinched in unspoken fear. Nobody wanted to anger Sarcos!

"What is going on?" Ramse asked shocked. All of them stopped fighting and stared at Sarcos!

"Why are you treating Miriam so roughly?" Xander furrowed his brows. 

"She destroyed the drawings of my beloved Queen!" Sarcos raged."She deserves death right now!"

"But I promised to protect her!"Xander stood up to Sarcos.

"Do you think you can fight over me?"Sarcos laughed coldly.

"Please, let her go, "Ramse begged horrified." He did not want to challenge him directly because it would enrage him more. Sarcos looked half crazy with cold rage and it needed a careful approach to save Miriam. Xander noticed and rather joined in.

"Please, you can't kill her, Sienna will not want it, she would rather burn that painting herself," Xander said carefully.

"My heart is bleeding in pain, and only blood can calm it down...!" Sarcos hissed viciously. " She deserves death...!"

"Don't you dare!" Mathyas who watched also shocked stood up to him too..." She is a good person, just let her go!" He came to Sarcos kind of bravely and stood up in front of Miriam. He had the King's Word to live till the next day, so he was sure Sarcos would not kill him on the spot!

"Only if you pay!"Sarcos growled after a bit of thinking and staring at Mathyas. 

"What do you want?"Mathyas asked.

"Your blood!"Sarcos noted coldly.

"You want to kill me now?"Mathyas asked surprised.

"Hm, kind of."Sarcos hissed.

"You can't kill him yet. He got one more day of life left for sure!" Said Ramse.

"Maybe just take off his finger, the one he flicked to drown Sienna," said Xander trying to calm Sarcos down.

"Not enough!"Sarcos shook his head.

"You are right, that will not look good, let's take off the whole hand then."Ramse nodded with a sweet revenge in his eyes.

"Your right hand then!"Said Sarcos.

"How I'm going to fight?"Asked Mathyas shocked at his request.

"Not my problem!"Sarcos shook his shoulder.

"Take it!"Mathyas bit his lips and glanced at Miriam. "I will probably die tomorrow anyway and at least she will stay alive. She was nice to me...I will die happy if she lives..." he thought." With a hand or without, Ramse will cut me into pieces...." his mind was racing frantically.

Sarcos nodded to Ramse and he took out his huge sword.

Mathyas stared in a weird daze as the burly Ape King just took his hand and placed it against the sturdy tree trunk.

"I will burn it slowly. You might watch."Ramse grinned a bit cruelly and looked at Sarcos. Ramse swished his sword and Mathyas hissed. He felt the sharp point pressed on his skin making a bloody line on his pale hand. 

"What are you doing?"Mathyas stared at Ramse with furrowed brows.

"A line to see where to cut...!" Ramse said and looked at Sarcos."Are you satisfied with this...?"

"Sure. "Sarcos nodded.

"Just cut it, ok?"Mathyas said because he had no more nerves to spare. He wanted to have it behind him. He felt so weak and that he lost already. With one hand he would be better off dead anyway...

Ramse grinned and swished his big sword again. Mathyas closed his eyes. He heard a hit but no pain.

He opened his eyes in surprise and his hand was still there!

"Good, you saved the old woman." Sarcos nodded.

"Well done!"Xander breathed out in relief. Sarcos was a really good actor...

"Now we need to teach you how to make better deals!"Ramse nodded a bit dazed...Sarcos almost fooled him too...if he didn't smirk at him in the last second he would cut off Mathyas's hand for real...

Mathyas rubbed his bleeding hand and watched in disbelief how Sarcos went to Miriam.

"I'm very sorry Miriam, I had to do it..."Sarcos lifted Miriam from the dust," Here is a balm for your troubles. It will restore your body. I bruised your knees..." he noted.

"Thank you, King Sarcos," Miriam said rather politely. She did not trust the Scorpion King anymore...he was unpredictable! She took the balm and ran to hug Mathyas."Thank you, my King," she kissed his cheek. Mathyas held her tight. She still felt shaken in his hands."At least you are ok."He tried to calm her down a bit."Come, I will put that balm on your knees."Mathyas picked Miriam up and carried her inside. He felt relief that she lived...

Sarcos watched a bit painfully as Mathyas changed. His heart was right! It had no more black splodges on it!

Mathyas carried Miriam through the dark corridors to her room. He felt his heart was getting angry at Sarcos. "He got no right to treat her so badly..." he thought. "She came here to help me, not to be killed!"His heart was raging. He was upset over his own weakness. He was not able to protect even his training Queen!

Miriam felt as he held her tight. She could feel his heart racing more than always when he carried her.

"You are so caring now."Miriam smiled at him.

"I can't believe he treated you so rough! I hope this balm is good."Mathyas sighted.

The three Kings were still in the garden. Ramse looked dazed thinking, Xander was sitting under the tree trying to collect his thoughts and Sarcos was watching coldly the plants moving in the wind. He wanted to be out! He felt tricked and angry inside as he realised how much time he wasted because he did not listen to Xander...Two minutes late! He could understand why Marath was playing his game...he was having fun at his account!

"It is up to you Ramse, "Sarcos turned to the burly Ape King. "That was the deal. Mathyas is cured and I expect your decision by tomorrow," he noted coldly and went inside the fortress...he hated it in there!!! The walls started speaking to him and showing him Sienna walking around with a sad and scared expression. It was like a live nightmare for him... He saw her in Marath's embrace, chased by a huge snake or with Mathyas dragging her around every time he passed through there! He could feel her pain, fear and ever-changing moods because her feelings were encased within the stone's memory! Sometimes she was passing as a see-through shadow sitting on a big black panther...it was like the ghostly pictures were coming out a layer from the walls and it was making him crazier...

Sarcos knew he would have powers to talk to stones and crystals, but he was still learning how to use them...he tried to talk to the stone walls once and kept it secret from everyone. But the walls have not shut up ever since! He tried to suppress it but it was not working...he went to Marath's library to search for more books about that crystal, but there was nothing! Sarcos could only suffer quietly and wait till he was out of there!