Blood Knight

Capitolo XVI

As Monticello and I fell, I waited for the impending impact of solid ground. Only a second later did I realize we were suddenly submerged in water. Monticello's grip on my arms tightened as we paddled to the surface. My lungs started to burn and my body was succumbing to the shock of the cold water. As soon as we broke the surface, I sucked in as deep of breaths as I could to ease the fire in my chest.

Coughing heavily, I opened my eyes, trying to rub away the water that was lodged in them. "Monticello?"

Monticello's already dark hair was slick black against his head, strands falling into his eyes. "I'm alright. Hurry, swim to the shore," his arm slid around my waist, holding me above water as we paddled towards the shore that seemed to be miles away. My feet that were kicking against the icy water struck loose riverbed, and I pushed myself to my feet. The night air was warm against my skin as we emerged from the water, but it didn't keep the shivers from shaking my body. I collapsed swiftly to the ground, coughing the rest of the water from my lungs.

"Where...where are we?" I asked, wincing at how rough my voice sounded.

Monticello pushed the wet hair out of his eyes, shrugging off his heavy black coat. "Outside the Blood Court, or what is left of it." 

I pushed myself to my elbows, taking in the site before us. Across the river I could barely make out what might have been the Blood Court. What was once a solid structure had now been reduced to mostly rubble. A few remaining parts of it had remained standing, although they were disfigured.

"Do you know what happened in there?" I asked, coming to a sitting position. "Why we were attacked?"

Monticello ground his fist into the dirt. "I don't know..." he spoke, rubbing the back of his neck. "...I don't know..." he said again, his hand falling into his lap. I pushed the wet hair out of my face, trying to ignore how cold I was. Monticello exhaled sharply, and I noticed how white his knuckles were as he ground his fists together. Droplets of water dripped from the strands of his hair, landing against the white button-up that he was currently wearing. His chest rose up and down quickly as if he were in pain. 

"Monticello...did...are you, okay? Back to normal I mean," I asked, bringing my hand up to rest it on his shoulder. His skin was so icy I shivered involuntarily. Monticello tilted his head upwards, glancing at me between dark, glistening locks of hair. Despite how cold he felt, his eyes were a blazing inferno. 

"Don't worry-" his head suddenly snapped to the side, as if he had seen something. "Stella, hide in the underbrush, quickly."

My heart skipped a beat as I scrambled to my feet, diving into a clump of bushes that lined the shoreline of the river. I tried ignoring the sting of the branches cutting into my skin. Monticello crouched low beside me, pushing me further into the ground.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Don't speak. Just-" Monticello stopped again, bringing a finger to his lips. Curious and very frightened, I peaked between the thorny branches of the bush, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever he was seeing through the darkness. I could suddenly hear the sound of muffled voices over the gargled sound of the flowing river. A sudden bright, orange light cut through the pitch black night. The shadows of humanoid figures emerged in the distance, across the narrow river. Firelight danced across the active water as more and more people materialized out of the dim. As they drew closer, Monticello's icy hand found my shoulder as he crouched even lower, hovering over me with statuesque grace. My ears then picked up the sound of voices. 

"What are they saying?" I asked as quietly as I could, trying to discern the dialect. Italian.

Monticello's hold on me tightened slightly. "They are asking about survivors."