COLONY WARS

CHAPTER 39-SOLDIER DOWN IN THAT ICY GROUND

When the sun rose the next morning, I left for home. I rode into the castle, where Bjorn resided. I was eager to have a word with him, to ask him where Piper was and who I was. The cold did not hinder me, not knowing was worse.

When I reached the castle, I was escorted to the king's throne by one of the guards. The walls looked different suddenly and I could see it as it was, a prison than a home. I had spent twenty-four years in this place, trapped, following the orders of a man that was never my father.

"My lord," the young man knocked on the double doors that led inside the throne room.

"Ye may enter!"

There was fear in the man's eyes as he stepped inside, and I followed him. As we entered the dark room, the evil energy within the room was almost too strong that I could touch it. He was not alone in this dark room.

The tall, inhuman shadow rose from behind his chair and my hand reached for my knife within my coat.

"Halt!" Bjorn hissed in his shallow voice, "Do not attack!"

I froze, disbelief and disappointment on my face. Piper was right. He was consoling with Necromancers.

"Halt, now my dear..." he begged the shadow.

She hissed, slowly disappearing into the darkness behind him, merging with the throne that he sat upon. The guard who had let me in was as pale as snow, from fear of that he had witnessed.

"Leave us be!" Bjorn scolded at him, "Go, now!"

"Yes, my king," he timidly rushed out, closing the doors behind. There was a moment of silence as we listened to the fading footsteps of the man.

"Winter is not over...why are ye here?" Bjorn asked me,

"Where is Piper?" I spoke, my heart racing on my chest.

I was beyond livid, seeing him after so long reminded me just how much I wanted to kill him. I loathed him and he knew that very well, another reason he taunted me so much. Bjorn was a man child, a fool.

"Piper?" he rose an eyebrow. "I thought ye knew, she married and left."

"Where? She married and left to where?"

He bellowed with laughter, his voice echoing and scaring me so much that I moved a step back and pulled out my knife. The shadow rose again, and he raised his hand, ordering it to stop.

"Halt ye bloody beast!" he spoke between laughter.

"Ye are sick!" I said, "Necromancy out of everything?!"

This caused his laugh to die, and his smile faded instantly. His grey, hazy eyes stared at me and there was silence.

"Where is my sister?!"

"Ye mad woman." He said in a clam but angry voice. "Ye come into my castle, in the middle of Winter just to ask me where the sister ye saw leave is. Are ye mad? Is that it?"

"Give me the family name that ye married her into."

"Or what? Ye think I am a fool now? As soon as I tell ye where she is, ye will run out into the cold and return her here."

"She deserves to be here."

"Says who?"

"Me."

"You?"

"Aye. Ye are her father, yer should protect..."

"Do not tell me what to do with my children! Ye want to protect someone? Go ahead, marry, and have yers, ye darn fool! Ye have some nerve I must admit, ye are brave for coming into my castle just to spew rubbish."