The Infernal Crown: Of Roses and Lies

Chapter 34

Alone and trapped in this bitter, broken clearing that housed a monster, I now knew the answer. It wasn't just my craving to regain my honour for my family that drove me this far, but rather the resentment and the thirst for revenge my ancestors had towards the fae. It wasn't just about me anymore, but rather the need to avenge my people's fallen heroes and soldiers.

A warm, tingling sensation pressed against my left breast and I loosed my grasp on my bow, drifting towards the strange warmth. Reaching into my jacket's inner pocket, I felt around before clutching the source of the heat.

The black milkweed lay on my palm, five silky petals fixed together to form this faevenom. Other than being a little scrunched up, it was otherwise undamaged. Surprise registered in me a few seconds later as I continued to stare at the strange weed. Japeth had never said anything about the black milkweed having the ability to emit heat, much less heat up so quickly and scaldingly. I didn't know if it was an ordinary happening. Didn't know if I had done something to cause it to react in such a way.

But I already had what I came here for.

All I needed now is a way to escape.

But I couldn't make a move as a sickening crack thundered in my ears, the air whooshing out of my lungs as my body was slammed against the ground—

A piercing wail sliced through the night.

Flinching and squirming, I couldn't do much as the beast pinned its stinger clean through my right arm.

Pain. Hot, sizzling pain ate away at my arm which only increased the nausea I was feeling caused by the acidic, charred smell of burning flesh.

In the span of a heartbeat, everything stopped. I became a living flame that burned everywhere I touched, became vulnerable like the black milkweed I still squeezed in my right hand.

The scorpion towered above me, staring at me with those cloudy eyes and with a screech, yanked its stinger out of skin and flesh and bone. Another scream tore past my lips but I didn't let myself stop—didn't allow myself a quick moment of peace before I dove between its legs and pulled myself onto my feet.

Frantic, heavy thumps had me quickly pocketing the black milkweed, careful to make sure none of the petals was ruined. Grabbing my dagger in one hand and my jacket in the other, I tore off a long strip, making quick work of bandaging the wound on my arm, eyes constantly flicking between the approaching beast and my wound.

A minute.

Thirty seconds.

Ten seconds.

Each harrowing breath brought the beast a few steps closer, a few seconds closer to the beckoning caress of twilight.

With a final firm tug, I tensed my muscles and retreated away slowly. Exhaustion and a dull throbbing wore down my limbs and I winced at my sluggish, anguished movements. The paralysis from before had sapped most of my strength and now I was nothing more than an easy prey delivered on a silver platter.

My eyes flicked back towards the scorpion and I observed as its pincers twitched again, legs scuttling around to try and track me down. Taking this as my opportunity, I crept through rows and rows of black milkweed, praying to the forgotten gods that the symphony of grunts and rustling wouldn't arouse suspicion from the creature.

Whatever gods I was praying to hadn't been doing a particularly great job.

There was a snap as the scorpion turned its head in my direction and it shrieked, legs clacking as it scuttled towards me. Under the canvas of stars and trapped in this clearing, it was like a game of hide and seek. I crept along the edges while the beast busied itself with searching the other side of the field.