The Crimson King

Chapter 9 | Embers

Here it is! A little bit late, but here none the less :)

It is unedited sorry, and I may go back through to add more detail tomorrow, but I hope you enjoy it!

Love always,
Daisy x

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Chapter Nine | Embers

*

We are the decendants
of the wild woman you forgot.
We are the stories you thought
would not be taught.

They should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive.
Because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life.

-Nikita Gill (Wild Embers)

*

IRIS

By the time, the message about Iris's disappearance had been conveyed to Aether's guards, Iris had already slipped through the throng of people converging at the entrance the bridge, a cloak that was not her own covering her face discreetly.

She could not help the smile that tugged at the edges of her lips as she passed easily by the Kings soldiers – some of whom were racing in the opposite direction, no doubt having just received the message of her escape.

They would not be able to do much though, of this she was sure. Arlo had told her to conceal her face upon entering the city, and she had not been allowed out of it in the two weeks she was here, so it was extremely unlikely that the public of Aether knew that they had welcomed one more royal in the past few weeks.

Keeping this in mind, Iris knew it was extremely unlikely the King would be willing to expose her existence to the public over an incident such as this – especially when said public may then very well turn around and question why she was kept hidden in the first place.

She smiled viciously as she neared the end of the bridge, her feet picking up the pace instinctively as she drew closer to the forest. She hoped that he was now regretting the choices he had made that had led to such inconvenience. And at the same time, she fervently desired to aggravate him further.

Under her feet, the pathway widened as the bridge ended, and Iris paused at the crossroads, hovering for a moment amidst the flow of people, like a broken branch caught on a rock in the river – unsure of which way to turn.

Eventually a memory surfaced in her mind and she swayed south, back the way they had come, remembering what Ezekiel had said about the first of the twin falls being located south of Aether. Although the blonde lycan had said the trip was equal to a whole day's riding, Iris did not expect that she would be able to evade the grasp of the guard for that long.

That and the mainstream of traffic was heading towards the town of Lunex that was located in the other direction. The path Iris headed down was deserted, and she felt like being alone.

Cautious that her solitary figure may draw stares, she hurried down the road at pace before diving off into the forest at the first bend.

And then, with her internal compass pointing her southward, Iris began to run.

*

DARIUS

"God damnit!"

Standing outside in the cool night air did nothing to dispel Darius's temper and he turned to plough his fist into one of the jade pillars that decorated the front entrance of the palace. The polished stone groaned, and a crack split the previously unblemished surface.