Court of Nightmares and Ruin

Chapter 17

Icelyn

Two oversized silhouettes come toward us. A wave of their offending scent hit me like a tidal wave, nearly knocking me over. It was a combination of wet dog, decay, and piss. Never in my life had I smelled something so foul. I pushed Jen back as they came closer, their features finally becoming clear.

By the sprites, they were ugly. They had long, matted patches of fur on their heads and bodies, sharp yellow teeth, and dog-like ears sticking up from the fur on their heads.

"What are they?" I asked Jen, barely above a whisper.

"Coyotes." Jen had gone deathly still, and my heart lodged in my chest.

"What have we here?" One of them stepped a little closer but remained out of reach of my blade. He sniffed the air, inhaling deeply. "Ahhh...delicious."

"I've never tasted a human before." This voice came from behind us.

I lunged into action as I heard Jen scream, but the two before me pounced and twisted my arms behind my back. I watched in horror as two more pulled Jen away from me.

"Let her go!" I screamed and bucked, it took both of them to subdue me, but finally, they were able to overpower me and hold me back from helping Jen.

Jen whimpered as they pushed her to the ground. One creature blocked her escape, while the other pulled her forcibly by the hair and ran his snout down her neck.

"Kohl will kill you for this," Jen cried as tears streamed down her face.

They all howled with laughter. I jerked violently again in a desperate attempt to stop them, but the two holding me were much bigger than I was.

"Kohl is not here. By the time your king shows up, we will already have taken what we want." One of them answered, sneering at Jen, and she violently trembled.

One grabbed Jen by the arms and held her down as the other snatched off her pants. Jen screamed and tried desperately to get away, but she could not fight them off by herself.

"No!!" I fought with all that is within me and managed to free one of my arms, but they were fast and shoved me forcibly to my knees. Both of them put all their weight on my shoulders and prevented me from standing.

"Shut up, bitch. It will be your turn next, be patient." They both cackled.

The one before Jen was unbuckling his pants. Anger a million times more potent than what I felt that day when Kaah attacked me bubbles to the surface.

I opened my palms and released that anger in the form of ice. It hit the one before Jen directly in the chest, freezing him instantly, I should stop, but my wrath will not allow it. In a matter of seconds, he burst into thousands of pieces and fell to the ground like hail.

The two holding me released me instantly and ran towards the third one, that has just let go of Jen. She pulled the pants at her ankles back up and crawled towards me. She embraced me around the waist and sobbed into my back. I was also crying, and my breathing was so shallow I felt like I could not get enough oxygen.

The air around us became thick with a black mist, and I did not need to turn around to know that Kohl was behind us. The three remaining culprits do not even attempt to run. They know, at this point, flight is useless.

Kohl stepped to my side and looked down at me. I do not explain what happened. I don't need to. Deep down, I know he knows what has happened here. Kohl's eyes swirled like a mighty typhoon, and the coyotes dropped dead one by one in front of us. Blood seeped from their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears as they crumpled to the ground.

Kohl bent down, pried Jen from my back, picked her up, and cradled her tightly to his chest. He then used his other arm to pull me to his side. I glanced back over one last time at the three bodies and the shards of the fourth one's remains before we were whisked away in his mist.

We appeared almost instantly in Jen's room. He released the hold on me and placed Jen on her bed. She was still sobbing uncontrollably. Kohl sat next to her on the bed and squeezed her hand tight.

"I am sorry this happened to you, Jen. I have failed you."

I gasped at how tender Kohl was to Jen, and no matter what he said, I knew that none of this was his fault. Jen hiccuped as her tears continued to pour.

"Rest peacefully." Kohl touched Jen's jaw, and she calmed instantly and closed her eyes. Soon her breathing returned to normal, and a small smile appeared on her face as she slumbered.

I walked out of Jen's room and towards my own. I felt the dam inside of me burst as I entered my room. I fell on the bed and muffled my cries into my pillow. I cried until I didn't think I had any tears left.

The emotions inside of me were waging war. Everything that happened tonight was awful, but the worst part is that I feel guilty for killing that fae. Even though I knew he deserved it, I had never taken another's life.

I felt a portion of the bed behind me give way as someone lay behind me. Kohl's arm reached from behind, pulling my back tightly to his chest. I wiggled in his arms until I was facing him. We lay there face to face with our heads on the pillow, neither of us saying a word. Kohl finally broke the silence.

"It is not a weakness to value the lives of others."

I startled, shocked that Kohl knows what I am thinking, but he is the Night Realm king.

"It's rude to invade one's mind without permission." I scolded him, but in reality, I didn't care. If he already knew what was wrong, I didn't have to talk about it out loud.

"I don't need to look into your mind to know what is wrong. It is written all over your face. Besides, with you, I would never trespass in your mind without permission."

I don't know why, but I knew he was telling the truth. He leaned in and gently brushed his lips against mine.

"Just say the word, and I can put you in a peaceful sleep, just like I did, Jen. I can't stand to see you hurting like this. I would have given my very soul to keep you and Jen from going through that."

Another tear slipped down my cheek, not from our ordeal but from the tenderness in Kohl's words. I considered it for a moment. I knew I would not sleep a wink tonight without his help.

"No..." I finally answered him. "Just hold me."