A Kingdom of Bloodshed

*¬*Chapter Nine*¬*

"Now no one can find you unless they are of my blood. May whoever finds you, wears you and uses you for good instead of evil."

Myra turns her face severe in ways I haven't seen it before, her eyes meet mine and she stops. "Althea? What are you doing here? It's not safe!" I blink, "I came to ask you more questions to get answers. What the hell is going on?" She shakes her head, "Now is not the time for answers. I promise, my child, you will have your answers but not right now. Not when we're both in danger."

I'm about to push for my answers, demand them, when the sound of the stone door far above us groaning shut rumbles through the entire tomb.

"What was that?"

"Trouble. We must leave now." She takes my hand, shuts the door behind us, sealing it then together we dash down the corridor and into the awaiting darkness.

⤗

Flying awake, sweat beads down my forehead my chest heaving. "What the fuck was that?" I gasp out, my breathing uneven. Reaching for my sketchbook I scribble out the words I heard, in case I forget them. Trying to pinpoint the language but I have no idea, I don't even know if I spelled them right.

Staring at the words, my brain hurts trying to decipher it. I don't even know where to start.

Kazimir will.

Groaning at the thought of going to see him, to ask for help again makes my stomach sick. I shouldn't depend on him for help, I don't know if I can trust him, but on the other hand; he's the only one who knows about any of this. Who can help me figure it out.

Against my better judgment, I throw on some comfortable clothes and grab the sketchbook before trudging towards the door.

Wrenching it open, I'm about to take a step outside when the hairs on my arms stand up. Something isn't right. Something feels very wrong. The hallway is too quiet, but that stillness seems to be coming from the end of the hall. Near Kazimir's room. There's shadows in the hallway, moving ones. Almost like they're alive. Reaching out, those shadows curl around my fingers, tugging my forward almost as if they're guiding me toward something. Sudden shivers cascade along my skin, the hall is chilled, I can see my breath pluming before me sending greay streaks amongst the dark.

What is happening? Following the pull of the darkness, I tread down the corridor, my feet silent on the cool wooden floor. Finally that dark seems to thicken, swelling just outside a dark wooden door.

This is Kaz's room. Why am I here?

The shadows press into the door, like silent fists pounding on it. Reaching for the knob, I knock then turn the handle, "Kazimir? Are you in here?" Silence. The room is quiet. Dark. Very dark. I can't even see a step in front of me.

Cursing, I fling my hand out to the side, blindly searching for a light switch but I can't find it. Grumbling I push deeper into the dark, aiming for the nightstand by memory. It's a slow process, brutal, but I finally bump my foot into a solid mass. Reaching froward, I feel the curve of the lamp stand, following it until I find the switch and trun it; light blazing into the room.

Turning, I let out a yelp.

"Kazimir, you scared me." I breathe, my hand on my chest over my racing heart. But he doesn't say anything. In fact, something is wrong. Very wrong. He's sitting on the edge of the bed, his bare skin gleaming in the light, a sheen of sweat dripping over his skin. He chest raises and falls in deep breaths, his eyes are open but the amber colour is gone, instead they're black. His mouth moves, as he mumbles something over and over again.