Untold

20. And So It Begins

Our swords clashed together. Clangs echoed around the courtyard. The air around us was hot and humid, and after almost an hour of training, our movements had become slow and sluggish. 

The previous days had been used for war preparations. Hordes of demons had been leaving and entering the barracks at all hours of the day. The days at the palace were frequented with meetings. This was the first time Evaris and I had been able to get away from the hubbub of preparations, and we were using it to get a bit of practice in. 

My armour hung heavy off of me. Sweat oozed out of every one of my pores and I could see sweat gleaming on Evaris' brow, too. I shot a burst of magic at him. He dodged, his movement so slow he barely missed it. He flung one back at me and I batted it away with my sword. 

Demons cawed overhead and I made the mistake of glancing up. Evaris surged forward and slammed the flat of his blade against my wrist. My sword fell to the ground, clattering on the cobblestones. I stared down at it in surprise. "I win," he laughed. In a sudden burst of energy, I grinned and launched myself into the air, my wings lifting me into the air above him. I teleported behind him and pulled a dagger out of the sheath on my thigh. I swooped down, landing on his back and held the dagger to his throat. "I think not." I pressed a kiss to his neck and then hopped off of his back. 

"Well done," he chuckled as he handed me my sword back. I sheathed it in one smooth motion. "Thanks." I smiled and huffed a shaky breath. We both looked up, watching the demons fly overhead. They carried large crates, likely full of weapons and resources. Their dark silhouettes dropped below the skyline. I bit my lip, staring at where they disappeared. 

It took a lot to wrap my head around the fact that I was going to be part of a war. I was fine with being a queen, but part of a war? I was going to kill people. Blood was going to be on my hands and it was going to be written in history books that Ev and I led the Darkworld into war. To be remembered forever. 

We trudged back to our rooms in silence. My thoughts stayed close to the war. What would it be like? Bloody, I expected. Gruesome. I could already imagine the screams tearing out of throats. Bodies falling around us, the stench of death, the reek of unwashed bodies. Smoke filled air. 

"You get used to it eventually." Evaris' voice echoed through the empty hallway outside our rooms. "The death, I mean." At that moment, I realised just how broken he was. I could feel my heart shattering into a thousand tiny pieces for him. The thought of getting used to death, to killing someone was something I couldn't imagine. He must have gone through a lot, more than he's willing to tell me, if he was used to death. "I know that it makes me a monster," he whispered.

He avoided my gaze as he pushed open the doors and allowed me to step through first. My voice caught in my throat when I spoke. "It doesn't." He stepped past me, still not meeting my eyes. "Evaris." I followed him into our sitting room. "Look at me," I demanded. Slowly, he turned around. I stepped closer and closer until we were almost toe to toe. He looked away again. I reached up and nudged his chin with my finger, bringing his face around to look at me. Stubble scratched at the pad of my finger. His eyes were swimming with tears and his lower lip wobbled. A flush crept up his cheeks.

"Oh, Ev," I whispered and threw my arms around him. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and a sob escaped him. I held him as he cried, not saying anything, just letting him have that moment to himself. "I am," he choked out. "I've killed hundreds of people, rifled through their minds. I've seen their deepest, darkest secrets." He drew back to look at me. His eyes were red and puffy and tear tracks stained his cheeks. "There's so much blood on my hands." 

I reached up to wipe away his tears. He grabbed my wrist, holding my hand to his cheek. "Did you enjoy it?" I could already see what his answer was going to be. He looked horrified, his eyes wide. "No! Of course not!" I ran my thumb across his cheekbone. His skin was warm underneath my thumb. "You're not a monster," I murmured. "If you were a monster, you would enjoy it." He smoothed my hair away from my face with his free hand. "I don't know what you've been through before, or what we'll go through soon, but I know that we'll go through it together. We'll have each other."