The Blood King

Chapter 8

Neytiri

The King meant what he said. He wanted to get away. An escort has been arranged, but not at the front of the kingdom. At the back of the castle.

"I will miss you," Ismena says as she pulls me in for a warm hug. I hug her back enjoying the contact. In all honesty, I don't know if this will be my last time to see her. I don't know the king's plan, or his men's orders. This may be a mission to kill the last Ikniri when she's least expecting it. But then again, Cassian did say he wanted me alive.

I look around at the entire castle staff who have come to see me off. Some out of respect for their master, and others out of curiosity. Rumors of the Ikniri have been circulating the halls for weeks, and with the castle being so big only a handful of staff have seen me. I turn away from Ismena and see Caius coming towards me with a soft smile on his face.

"The King is waiting," he says. I look around for Cassian, or even what I might imagine him to look like, but see him nowhere. My gaze shifts back to Caius when I hear soft chuckles. He has a blindfold in his hands, and motions for me to spin around.

I wait patiently as he fastens the cloth around my eyes. I know this is the normal routine so I try and reign in my patience and Cassian promised that once this was over he would reveal himself.

"Don't be nervous," Caius whispers behind me. I know he has walked away from me when I feel the absence of his heat. I know the exact moment Cassian sets foot on the grounds. It's as if the quiet murmurs, even the breathing stops as they take in their king. Something that they don't realize is a privelage in itself.

His footstpes come towards me and I hear Ismena take in a soft breath as she backs away. I can feel the moment Cassian stands in front of me. His hand gently presses against my cheek earning a small gasp from my lips.

"Neytiri. You look radiant," he says softly. I can practically hear the smile in his voice.

"Thank you," I murmur.

"I see everyone turned out to see the legendary Inkiri depart," he chuckles placing his hand in mine.

"Come."

He gently leads me toward the waiting carriage, helping me the entire way as I step inside taking a seat. The cushions are soft and feel like velvet against my skin. I can hear him murmuring to someone, but I can't make out what he's saying because it's so low.

So, I focus on my breathing. I'm scared, I'm not afraid to admit that. He's taking me somewhere that could possibly mean my death and when I think about it, I know next to nothing about Cassian himself, only the terrifying rumors that circulate his rule.

I feel a dip as he steps into the carriage with me, and the doors are closed, shutting me off from the rest of the world, locking me away with Cassian.

The first half of the trip is suffocatingly silent. Only the random whinny of the horses or passing over deformities in the road fill my dark world with sound and proof of existence. Cassian doesn't seem inclined to start the conversation, so I take it into my own hands.

"Where are we going?" I ask, breaking the deafening silence.

"Neighboring kingdom," he says.

"Why?" I ask.

"I have business there, and I enjoy the pleasure of your company. Besides, I fear if I left you in that castle longer than necessary someone would fill your head with the wrong ideas about me. And, that's the last thing I want from you," he says.

I shake my head.

"So you want to keep an eye on me," I clarify. He laughs softly at my response and I hear the sound of him shifting.