Flames

Chapter Forty

"Cassandra?" Nix reached out into the darkness he had found himself surrounded in, shutting his eyes tightly and reopening them in hopes of seeing a little better than he had seconds before but it was of no use. A storm brewed outside, the thunder shaking the building. Only the lightning provided him current light. As he grew more frustrated, he created a fire in his palm.

He was in his bedroom in Arienne's old home, everything perfectly in place. "Cassandra?" He called out again, being a little louder this time unsure why she wasn't replying to him. He couldn't hear anything over the rain, making him feel like she couldn't hear him either. Nix made his way to the bedroom door, swinging it open and peering into the hallway to see where she was but the hallway was empty.

"Phoenix!" The reply came from down the stairs.

It was her. It surprised him as he would have thought she would have been in her own bedroom, but it was the least of his concerns. Nix hurried down the stairs, ignoring the occasional flash of light from the lightning. She began to scream, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stick up. "Hold on! I'm coming!" He held his hand out further in front of him to try and see her better, but the downstairs was completely empty. "Cassandra?" He waited for her call again, but there was nothing.

Nix cursed underneath his breath as he tried to go back up the stairs. When the next flash of lightning came, Roman was suddenly standing at the top of the staircase. He gasped, staring wide eyed up at his former king.

"Well done, Phoenix. I knew you wouldn't disappoint me." The old man grinned, putting most of his weight onto his cane. "You took longer than expected, but that's alright. Everyone has their battle at some point. I'm delighted to see you made the right choice."

Nix stood his ground. He had cowered behind Roman for too long. He had let the king control him and had suffered because of it. "What are you talking about?" He growled, pushing past the man who dissipated in the air, reappearing behind him as Nix pressed on, looking into each room for Cassandra.

Roman began to laugh, the sound echoing throughout the walls. "The princess is dead!"

"No!" Nix glared at him over his shoulder. "She still lives, I know she does! I heard her!" Despite believing that Cassandra lived, Roman's words were heavy on his heart. "You're lying!" There was only one room left to check; her bedroom. He hurried to the door, his hand hesitating on the handle. He felt frightened yet couldn't figure why. "What... What have you done to her?" Nix swallowed, careful to meet Roman's gaze again.

The king smirked. "I haven't done a single thing. It's what you, my loyal general, have done."

"I didn't do anything! I vowed I wouldn't!"

"Vows can be broken, my boy, just as this one was."

Nix wanted him to be wrong. He wanted Roman to be terribly wrong. He pushed open the door, his stomach instantly twisting as the truth was revealed to him.

Cassandra laid upon the ground beside her bed, frozen eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling. Blood pooled around her, mainly coming from a wound dealt to her head and chest. The blood stained her white nightgown. Roman had been telling the truth. Cassandra really was dead.

"Cassandra..." Nix held onto the doorframe, slowly falling to his knees as he stared at her body. He had seen victims of assassinations before, but this felt different. This was more real. He started to shake his head as he felt his eyes and throat begin to burn, a sign that he was about to start crying. "I didn't do this!" He yelled as the thunder roared around him as if it were crying too.