A King's Mistress

Attack

"What do you mean under attack?" King Sian's voice was filled with rage.

"Shadows." I whispered out. "Men in black - these are not knights." My eyes were seeing everything. These were not men; no, they were magic. And yet - my sight took me once more.

They raided the castle, raided the rooms. Steel met flesh. Doren, he was fighting along the halls and his breath was even. Northern knights also fought alongside him; they met the shadows. But soon the shadows gathered and made way for-

"Mitus!" It was all I could bellow out before the shadows gathered in the dining hall. It was like a swirl of tar and smoke before they detached and form into men once more. Grossly figures of men, dripping onto the floor of the dining halls. Everyone was still. Mitus and the four knights stood in front of the Kings, the Kings having released their own steel. Alxander stood in front of his mother. It was maybe a second before the shadows lunged. My barrier lashed out from my hands. Wrapping around the Kings, the Knights, Mitus. The shadows bounced off and recoiled, then struck once again. The barrier flared with light. A groan let out my mouth. I could not hold this for long.

"Where are your witches?" I huffed out to the Kings. Another recoil and what sounded like glass shattering. And my body - it started to hum with power, with pain. I sucked in a breath as the feeling grew.

"In our quarters, of course." The glass broke and the shadows speared toward us. Queen Dasyna let out a scream as a shadow made its way through one of the Knights but bounced off him and fell to the floor. My eyes found the door where the mother witch of Anna stood, her hands in fists as she used her magic to send the shadows out the window of the dining hall. More glass shattered and wretched screams of the outside reached our ears. It was an attack. The lawn of the castle was littered with men fighting to keep the shadows at bay, but where they dissipated, they reformed all the same.

"Lyia!" King Dota barked out to the witch. But she was solely focused on me, on my face as she moved past Mitus to stand in front of me.

"My daughter. Anna. Please" She fell to her knees. The screams, the shouts, the sounds of the many swords clashing around us faded quickly as my heart sank at her next words. "They have her." She barely whispered out.

I dropped to her. "Where? What happened?"

"She was seeing. I know not of what but they came as she was still under and...and, they entered her, they have her. Her eyes glow of black ore. It speaks through her." Her haunted eyes found mine. "You." A shudder ran through me. This magic, it was like that of Damaris's caves. Though... I turned to the Queen who was still frozen in shock.

"Where are the girls?" Her face turned to me, and her lips dared not move. "Where are they?" A strong wind suddenly found my cheek, so strong that I think I was bleeding now. I must have been bleeding because her eyes widened, and gasps of the Kings sounded around me. Then my neck, a stinging pain. My hand lifted to my face. It was wet. It was red. Aryk. He was must have been in the battle, outside or in I had no knowledge. Mitus walked to me, placed his hand on my back, where I let out a hiss. His hand that he now showed me was also bright with blood.

"Nasya." The Queen's voice shuddered. My eyes found hers.

"Where are the girls?" My voice was hard. It was Alxander that spoke.

"The cellar beneath the library." My eyes narrowed. "Mitus will take you." I looked to the mother witch.

"Please, lead them to their men." She looked like she was ready to refuse, to demand she be with me. I shook my head slightly. "I cannot get to her if this castle is overrun. Please." She looked to King Dota who simply nodded for her to stand. I went to grab Mitus and one of the Knights. Mitus who looked at my face with unease as the mother witch and the remaining knights made their way to the back door of the kitchen. It would lead them around to the front of the castle and a back gate that met the lawns of the castle. Hopefully, they would make it to regroup. The Kings followed with tense air and swords ready until King Dota only stood. His eyes looked at me with everything he had.