Blood for the Blood Gods: A Skepnoblade Fanfic (ON HIATUS)

Chapter Seventeen

Dave blinked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Was that a dream? He thought as he staggered out of bed and to his cracked mirror.

A man had struck him last night. Dried blood was caked onto the side of his face, and an ugly tear in his cheek nearly touched his eye. It would most likely scar. Shaking his head, he turned around to go back to his bed before his saw an envelope on his pillow.

Picking up the ebony-black paper, he slipped it open, revealing a crisp white piece of parchment with only two words on its surface written in bright red ink:

Thomas Jennings.

"That name sounds familiar..." Clay remarked. "Isn't there like a Tommy Jennings Jr.? He's annoying..." Clay squinted angrily.

"Possibly," Darryl replied. "Possibly..."

Thomas Jennings, of course. Starting off easy with the murder. Surprisingly, he didn't feel any remorse for eventually killing this man/manchild. He did, after all, commit several crimes while trying to pass it off as the pig's orders. Basically using him. He'd been postponing his eventual execution for a while now. The boy's antics had grown on him. But now it was necessary. God knows what will happen if he doesn't complete the 'taking out' before the week's end.

Changing into clean clothes, he washed the blood off his face and tried to smile in the mirror. Everything would be alright, right? Kill someone here and there, and save Zak in the process. Easy peasy. Glaring at his lopsided grimace, he walked out the door and made his way to the dungeons.

"See you've made a return, Dave," the boy remarked as the king strode across the dark room to face him in his cell. "What do you want this time?"

He exhaled. "Actually, I've come to say today's your execution."

Thomas blinked, leaning back into the wall. Shaking his head, he gave a shrug. "Expected. Can't put up with me forever. Rather be dead than in this hellhole." He spat out the last words.

"Look, I'm sorry," Dave said, his words spilling out. "I've got this thing I need to do, it's the only way I can get Zak back!"

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "Somebody's simping hard."

Dave sighed. "Now I remember why I want to kill you. But hey, I'll be nice. How do you want to go out? Decapitation? Drowning? Mauled by a pack of dogs?"

Thomas drummed his fingers on the ground. "Can I have 500 scorpions sting me to death while my naked body is suspended from your castle's flagpole?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Fine. Surprise me."

Giving a curt nod, Dave exited the room, a bit awkward at the cool tone they shared. And he'd spilled the beans on why he had to die! I mean, he wouldn't tell anyone, right? He'd be dead by then...

And now all he had to do was wait for the right time to announce it.

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It was time. He'd already figured out how he'd be killed and who would do it, and all he had to do now was tell the kingdom it was time.

So there he was, standing on his balcony and looking down at his subjects. Taking a deep breath, he started to speak.

"Citizens of Porcus. Today I announce that we will be hosting the execution of Thomas Jennings, for arson, treason, thieving, and false pretenses. I sentence him to a death by crossbow."

The crowd murmured, but they weren't surprised. Everyone seemed to hate the boy. On top of all his crimes, he was just downright annoying.

"Bring him forward," Dave said in a deathly calm voice. Two guards appeared, holding the boy roughly between them. He didn't struggle, but he did have an almost bored look on his face.

"Can we get on with this?" He called out to Dave. He had to strain his ears a bit to hear, but the tone was unmistakable.

"We may as well. As you've heard, you'll be sentenced to death by crossbow."

A person walked out from underneath Dave's balcony. He couldn't see the face, but he knew Finn was now going to be shooting the boy.

The guards set him on a platform, facing the man. With a confused face, Thomas growled.

"A woman? Please, I thought you were better than that, Dave."

He didn't reply, only starting to count down.

"3..."

"2..."

"1..."

"Fire."

There was a snap of the arrow firing, and the silver tip embedded itself into the boy's heart. He gurgled, blood spilling out from his mouth.

"Just killed by a woman..." he gasped between feeble breaths. "Feeling...good..." He slumped backwards, his ratty shirt stained with his own blood.

Eyes narrowed, the king waved his hand as he exited the balcony. The body was taken away, either to be buried or given to family.

He entered his room, only mildly surprised at the envelope sitting on his pillow. Tearing it open, he smiled at the words. He was already one step closer to finding his lover with a few simple words.

King Zak is being held in Everdalia.