Calamity Falls | Wattys 2019

LXI

The dark kingdom came into Calamity's line of sight. She stopped her horse and held her arm out, gesturing for everyone behind her to stop as well. The land before them was level enough that they could see the dark army even though it was still three miles away. It stood about a mile in front of the kingdom's entrance. It spanned at least a mile, but Calamity still felt confident of their chances. The other two armies would be flanking them from the right and the left. She had nothing to worry about.

She alone galloped her horse at a slow trot closer to the dark forces. A figure that she knew all too well approached her. His dark intent emanated in waves of malice that sent goosebumps across her skin. She raised her chin at the powerful man with the dark hair and crimson eyes.

"Calamity," he grumbled.

His voice sent a shock of fear and childish anxiety through her. "King Avarice," she greeted indifferently.

Are you okay? Leopold asked through their bond, sensing her anxiousness immediately.

She didn't see any point in lying. He's right in front of me.

She instantly felt his mind prodding her own, a pressure behind her eyes, attempting to see what she saw. She felt anger ignite a passionate flame from the other side of the bond. He stared at the man that hurt his mate through her own eyes, quite a surreal experience.

Avarice stole her attention from the mate at the back of her mind. "I have decided..." he paused for a moment, considering his words. "I will allow you to come back."

Confusion laced her expression. She had no idea what he was talking about.

Avarice pursed his lips and tilted his head slightly. "Of course there will be due punishment for your traitorous actions, but I will over look that for now. Right now there is a war to be fought. If you join me, I will be much more lenient in your discipline."

The smug look on his face infuriated Calamity. "Why would I ever fight alongside you?" She questioned through clenched teeth.

He rolled his eyes at her childish anger. "I understand why you left, but Dimitri was dealt with. You made sure of that. However, your temper tantrum has gotten old, Calamity. It's time to stop acting like a child."

Of course--he thought that Dimitri was the only issue. His arrogant pride could never allow him to believe that he was at fault as well. Red hot anger flared inside Calamity, overriding any prior fear. "Temper tantrum? You were awful not only to me, but everyone you ever encountered. You are a pompous prick whose pride blinds him to his own ignorant shortcomings. We will take you and your empire down." Calamity's eyes flashed black briefly.

Avarice narrowed his eyes at his insolent daughter. "Then you have forced my hand." He raised his hand toward the army behind Calamity.

The waves of power radiating from him were tangible. He was trying to invade the minds of her soldiers. Calamity smirked. Did he really think she wouldn't have prepared for that?

Irritation grew on his face when the dark tendrils of control failed to leech onto any of their minds. He looked around, growing increasingly nervous. He glared at Calamity. "What did you do?"

"I have given them all runes that make them impervious to your mind control. You have no power over them--or me," she quipped.

Avarice smirked at his stupid daughter. "Which means that you must be drained. Capturing you just became rather easy."

Cold terror washed over her. She wouldn't be able to fight him properly in her current state. Before she could think to react she felt her form fly off of her horse and slam into the ground violently. She shuffled onto her hands and knees to figure out what had happened. She located her poor horse, front right ankle slit to the bone, a knife a few inches away. She had unintentionally bucked her off in her sudden pain.

Expensive leather dress shoes invaded her vision. She looked up to the man that haunted every nightmare. Her lips pulled back in a snarl. She whipped out an onyx blade swiftly. Before she could incise his ankle like he had done to her mare, he had her in the air by her throat. His tight grasp blocked her wind pipes. Her blade slashed across his face, determined to leave a lasting impression.

Avarice ripped the knife from her hand and tossed it several yards away. He squeezed harder. Black spots clouded her vision, and her limbs struck randomly in oxygen-deprived spasms.

Finally, sight failed her and consciousness evaded her desperate pleas.

Help...

~~~

Leopold slit the throat of yet another demon. It had been an hour--an hour--since he had heard Calamity's desperate cry for help. She would never ask for help unless she had no other choice.

Everytime he thought he could make it into the castle another swarm of demons blocked any entrance. He needed to find his mate. He was going crazy without her by his side, but knowing she was in danger, that was a whole different type of insane. He would kill everyone in his path to get to her. So far, that's what he had been doing.

What makes it worse is that he knew she was awake, but she blocked out the bond. He couldn't feel what she felt or see what she saw. Whatever they were doing to her prevented her from reaching out again. The thought infuriated him further.

He growled as he mowed through another ten low-level demons. He searched desperately for an opening, and, finally, he found it. Only one demon stood in his way, but he smelled different. He looked familiar. General Armani. The name flashed through his mind as he recalled the man Calamity had spoken with before they fought Dimitri's army.

"Move!" He demanded from the man he knew to be upper-level.

Armani found himself in a dilemma. As much as he wanted to remain faithful to his king, he knew that what they were doing was wrong. Armani didn't want to die for something he didn't believe in, so he did something that would have him branded as a traitor.

He moved out of the way.

Leopold wasted no time dwelling on his unexpected submission. He had to find Calamity. There were too many scents in the air, too much chaos in the long, stone corridor. The pungent, metallic scent of blood was dizzying.

His ears perked at a maniacal laugh echoing from deep with the castle. Somehow, he knew that he would find Calamity wherever that laugh came from. He sprinted following the dark chuckles that reverberated through the halls. Large iron doors came into view. He barely made out the scent of chocolate covered cherries from the other side of the heavy door. With a mighty push, the door toppled to the ground with a loud thud.

There she was wrists and ankles bound in chains, head bowed lowly. Slowly, she lifted her head tiredly. Small, calculated incisions littered her soft, pale skin.

"No..." she slurred. "You... can't be here. You... have to leave. Run."

His face hardened. The heat coursing through his veins only increased at the sight of his beaten mate. "I will never leave you. I will get you out of here."

Suddenly, his balance left him as his knees met the ground. The person who had kicked the back of his knees out stood over him with a twisted smirk. It was someone completely foreign to him.

A woman with platinum blonde hair with shining crimson eyes held a knife to his throat. "He said that you would come."

Calamity bucked against the chains holding her down. "Leave him alone!" She screamed at her torturer.

"Holly," the blonde called. Another girl emerged from the shadows, a perfect mirror image.

"Yes Molly?" Her twin called with the same wicked smirk.

Molly's eyes widened with sadistic insanity. "We can finally make her scream!" She declared cheerily.

Holly clapped her hands, a similar expression dominating her face. "Fantastic!" Her eyes narrowed with dark amusement. "Let the fun begin!"