𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐄

Chapter 28

"Usurper. Get up!"

The last bit of Cal's word slurs, just from pure fatigue.

Adrien leans forward.

"You alright there, champ?"

There is mock concern in Adrien's voice. He had always wanted to fight a Calore.

"Finally come to contest your crown? Fair enough, I suppose."

Adrien drums his fingers on the arm rest. Slowly.

"You are a worthy King... strong, formidable. Your only mistake was crossing paths with those Red unfortunates. They weaken you. Unforgivable, Tiberius."

Adrien tuts.

"Either way, you are the one factor I have no defences against. I couldn't account for you. I had hoped my horsemen would handle you. Keep you out of the equation. But here you stand. Which tells me all I need to know."

His men were with the lost souls now. Adrien stands, relinquishing his comfort.

"I don't care much for family politics. But, it makes sense to fight a Calore with a Calore. Even if Maven loses, you'll be banged up so much, it'll take a fraction of my efforts to kill you. Regrettably. I hate to see fine warriors go to waste."

Cal reaches up to rip the remnants of the collar from his neck, in a rather attractive tug it breaks apart, and a little more of his strength is restored.

"You talk so much."

Cal wants to get this over with, tired of his ear being yapped off.

"Maven, we take him. And it's over."

Adrien liked his odds a lot better now.

But Maven isn't listening to them. Cal hadn't seen Kaida yet, so he waits...

Adrien looks at Maven expectantly, but Maven ignores him.

In a split second Maven's eyes dart to Kaida's body and Cal follows his brother's line of vision.

In Cal's anger and with his sole focus on Adrien, he had not spotted the body that lay disregarded. That lay wholly forgotten about amongst the men's contest.

The red armour was a dead giveaway but the red blood, even more so.

Cal feels white hot, and alarm bells RING in his head, he loses all sense of self. And all sense of awareness.

His natural reaction is to take a step towards her.

"Kaida?"

She does not answer. She is still. Seemingly lifeless.

Cal goes into autopilot, and the lava in his blood begins to bubble and broth, until he is emitting scorching temperatures.

"Kaida?"

Cal asks again, more frantically, almost going into shock. He feels his battle clarity completely falter.

He had lost everything, all over again.

The kelvin scale creeps up and up, and the corpses around Cal literally begin to melt, their rotted flesh not durable enough to withstand such heat.

He has only one thought. Vengeance.

"Cal, WAIT!"

Maven shouts, finally making his presence known and his voice heard.

Cal's head whips to Maven with ferocity.

"You did this didn't you? Even after what I told you. Your chaos always happens to bleed into my life. My life. You're rotten. To the core. She deserved better than this. Better than you."