"Missy can come out now."
River unhurriedly straightened up, finally stretching his limbs that had started to go numb from crouching. His knuckles ached from clutching the dagger Raven had pressed into his palms before ushering him behind the crumbled wall, with clear and crisp instructions to slash anyone's neck if they managed to lay hands on him.
Which, they didn't.
The metallic tang of blood slapped River across his face, the biting night air heavy with the acrid sharpness of mayhem.
"If even half of that blood is yours, you need to lie down." River hopped over the body of a groaning soldier, whose leg was twisted in an angle that allowed him a closeup view of the sole of his boot.
The overgrown courtyard of the Cinderlash Manor was strewn with white uniforms of fallen Northern soldiers, reminding River of a meadow speckled with flowers. There were at least fifty of them, if not more.
All struck down by a single man.
Raven Alistair hunched over, hand clasping his knee as he struggled to catch his breath. "Fuck, the world is spinning."
He swayed a little, dropping the blood drenched sword on the grass with a muffled clang. Beads of sweat trickled down his face and he wiped them off with a trembling hand, smearing his cheeks with fresh blood in the process.
River dashed over to his side, barely making it before Raven's legs buckled underneath him. However, River's heroic attempt to hold the man twice his size upright failed comically, so they both crashed down in one spectacularly ungraceful heap with the Southern king landing squarely on top of River. His groan reverberated against River's stomach, and it did not look like he had any intention to move away.
"I'm dying,"
Raven lamented dramatically, clutching at his waist. "Only a kiss of true love can save me."
River coughed violently, feeling the weight of Raven pressing against his midriff.
"Best I can do is a high five of semi-cordiality." he managed to gasp out, patting Raven's sweat-soaked back. "Get up!"
"But I'm dying" Raven panted, clinging tighter on to him.
"Go die somewhere else!" River pushed away his head, wincing at how disgustingly warm and wet his hair was from sweat. But his hand came off clean of blood, to River's massive relief. It was hard to say with Raven's all black clothing, but other than a busted lip, a shallow laceration on his bicep, another on his thigh and a sprained wrist, he showed no signs of actually dying.
Judging by how hard his bowels were getting crushed under Raven's dead weight, River was more likely to be the first to kick the bucket.
Raven rolled off , finally letting River breath. "Mean ass brat!"
His knuckles were bloody and bruised. He had also not used his holy sword on the soldiers, just a blade he snatched from an opponent during the fight.
The courtyard belonged to a former first lieutenant. When he was promoted to a higher rank, the family relocated to the capital leaving the once splendid manor to fall into ruination. Few years later, weeds and wilderness now claimed its territory; overgrowth reaching up to River's knees.
The weather-worn, crumbling structure of the manor was draped in an eerie embroidery of sickly green against an ash canvas, with tendrils of vines creeping into cracked stone walls. Moss-covered statues stood sentinel over the pathways and amidst overgrown flowerbeds, the only remnants left of the once-spectacular mansion.
After much debate the Verlice brothers and the Southern king decided to seek shelter in this abandoned and seemingly haunted place until they decided what to do next. The number of their allies have dwindled by two with the enigmatic disappearance of Aithan and Wolfram.
Val hesitantly agreed to go looking for the pair after Raven persuaded him for two hours. He set out with the sound threat to unalive the Southern king if he dared to pull anything funny on River.
Raven had the audacity to whine until River's ears fell off about his throbbing head and queasy stomach from too much drinking. He was clearly trying to annoy River into giving him attention, because his claims of being hungover were about as believable as a fish saying it's going to drown in water.
That was when a troop of Northern Soldiers ambushed them.
Long story short, Raven took down the entire troop of soldiers while being severely hungover.
"Your brother is right" Raven grunted, licking his bleeding lip. "We should elope."
I don't recall him saying such a thing, sir!
River made a face but kept silent. He busied himself examining the cut on his bicep instead.
"You know about the treaty, right?" Raven hissed, wriggling his arm out of River's grip. "Come to Sandgill. Your dickless farther can't follow you there."
Raven Alistair read a book!? Must take cover because one of those flying pigs might fall on my head!
The Accord of Sacred Truce, established in the aftermath of the great war a thousand years ago, stood as the cornerstone of the age of peace among the four kingdoms.
It was the invincible leash that kept the hotheaded rulers in check, preventing them from constantly waging war over every minor inconvenience, like stolen sacred cows or clashing aesthetics of flags.
Despite occasional saber rattling and threats of conflicts- like when Raek Wendigo attacked Queensend three years ago, it was the reason why Solina's intrusive thoughts didn't realize into a century of blood bath.
The treaty was why Kaizer dared to let Wolfram loose into other kingdoms, fully knowing his brother's capability to spark a war with a mere remark on someone's bad hair day.
It was the secret behind how Raven Alistair miraculously managed to rule South without turning it into a blazing inferno, despite punching everyone he meets in the face.
It restrained rulers from declaring war without the approval of the Gods. If a kingdom breaches this treaty, the gods reserve the right to intervene by punishing offending leaders as Gods see fit. The covenant also refrained children of gods from faking prophesies and God's orders.
The Treaty was a thousand paged document no one had the patience to read, but River knew unless Lucian Verlice got a divine nod, he could not recklessly attack South for shielding River. That's why even Kaizer made the diplomatic approach to exchange a region in return of River's life.
But since he was already in North, he could do as he wished, including unleashing the whole infantry after his second son.
"I will come to Sandgill" River sighed. "But after our job in Queensend is done."
Raven shook his head, brows knitted together tightly. "Aithan will take you to Sandgill. I will - "
"We can't split up" River ripped his bloody sleeve apart loudly, interrupting him. The wound was bleeding profusely and probably needed stiches. He hoped Val could find Wolfram soon, before Raven bled to death.
Failing to find a clean piece of fabric he could use as a makeshift bandage, River resigned to pulling his thin white shirt over his head. He inspected it and decided it could suffice to slow the bleeding for now, though it was a little sweaty.
This Sir once picked up a bun he dropped on the road, dusted, and ate it. He won't die from an infected wound.
"We will have to go through Elva Verlice if we want to take the metal piece. That will be not be easy." He explained. "I've heard she is a God's favorite."
Raven watched as River tore his own shirt apart, the sound of fabric ripping cutting through the air. Too engrossed in the task at hand, he seemed completely oblivious to the chilly wind that made his skin pebble and teeth chatter. He was equally blind to Raven's scrutiny and the way he gulped soundly.
"I never thought the day would come when Missy willingly strips for me." Raven remarked, his voice laced with a teasing tone that bellied the heat simmering beneath his skin. "I can die in peace now."
Please, do then.
River rolled his eyes in his head and kept on wrapping the gash. A soft chuckle escaped Raven's lips as he desperately hoped that River wouldn't notice the struggle he faced to keep his eyes from lingering too long on the exposed expanse of the porcelain skin.
"I don't know what powers she possesses," River inched closer to the Southern king to quicken the process of treating his injury. Time was of the essence, and they had to regroup and flee before the next troop of soldiers appeared. "We should ask Val."
Raven hummed in agreement, too distracted by their closeness to word a proper response.
River skillfully secured the wound on his arm and moved on to one on his thigh. This one was not as deep.
"It's kind of odd." He paused, pursing his lips. "No one really knows what powers Verlices hold."
"I know a one that can turn soft things hard." Raven smirked, wiggling his brows.
"Temporal Statis?" River tilted his head quizzingly. "That was from three generations ago, and it was a Wendigo."
"Does being fucking immune to flirting count?" Raven muttered under his breath.
River examined the bandaged slash, satisfied that it had stopped bleeding. They needed a splint to immobilize the damaged wrist, now. "Also, where is that book you said you will find?"
Raven held his sporting wrist while River blindly patted around to pick a suitable branch, "Give me two more days, Missy."
"It's only a guess, but I think the Whitlock clan built the temple Southern god struck down with lightening" River took Raven's swollen wrist in his hand and pressed a folded strip of fabric against it as cushioning. "Whitlocks might even have a connection to the origins of the metal pieces."
Raven nodded; his face scrunched up as River splinted his wrist. "But didn't you say they were wiped out?"
"Almost" River tied a tight knot over the branch with shivering fingers. The coldness was finally getting to him, and he started regretting ruining his shirt to tend to this waste of space. "There's one left. My master."
River paused, pulling back to check his earnest work. "Does it hurt anywhere else?"
"My lips" pouting, Raven pointed at the torn bottom lip.
"You will survive." River deadpanned, grudgingly tapping it with the last remaining strip of fabric.
"Kiss it better?"
"With all due respect, which is none," River declared, rising to his feet with a groan. "I'd sooner dive headfirst into a septic tank, drown and die than entertain the idea."
Raven clutched the side of his chest, his pout deepening into a frown. "How shall I ever recover from this wounded heart?"
"Go lie down and drink some water." Rubbing his hands together, River retorted, his breath coming out in small puffs.
"Come lie down with me?" Raven rested his chin on his good hand and winked. "I'll keep you warm."
Glaring at the Southern King as if he was a cockroach under his feet, the younger boy sighed, exasperated.
"How come you possess the beauty of the sea yet charm of barely filtered gutter water?"
"Ay, Missy thinks I'm beautiful?" Raven sprang to his feet with newfound vigor, seemingly only having heard the "beauty" part.
River nodded solemnly. "I do"
The Southern king's playful smirk died on his lips. A furious blush crept up his face, even turning the tips of his ears bright red. He skeptically eyed the blue-eyed boy as if trying to catch a hint of suppressed laughter but found none. "You are fucking with me."
"I don't know if that's a question, a statement or an order but the answer is no."
There was a movement in the distance, interrupting their conversation. River grabbed the sword Raven dropped off the ground, alerted to his bones.
If it was another troop, they had no way to left defend themselves. Raven had no stamina left to take down another fifty people. Their best option was to hide inside the ruined manor, until back up arrived.
"Fuukoo! I found them!"
Scream a little louder, brother, or they might miss our hiding spot.
Gladly it was Valor who was approaching them, closely followed by Aithan and Wolfram. River let out a breath he was holding in, relief flooding his aching muscles.
"Alistair!" Valor thundered as soon as he got close enough to grab him by his collar. "You have three seconds to explain why my brother is shirtless and has a hickey on his arm!"
"I'm more concerned about the way your thigh is bandaged." Wolfram pointed at the tightly dressed wound in mock horror. "Keep that on and you'll lose a leg to match that missing eye."
"There are dead bodies" A small voice commented from the background, and it turned out to be Aithan.
River wiped his hand across his face, wanting nothing but to take a small nap.
Underground.
Forever.
"We ran into your uncle" Wolfram quipped, smacking Valor's hand with his folded fan with a sharp thwak, somehow successfully preventing him from chocking Raven to death. "His company was as delightful as a rat in a granary."
He scrutinized River from head to toe, his pale eyes narrowed. "Do tell me, Riv. Why is there a hickey on your arm?"
"Why do you have several on your neck?"
"I fell"
Wolfram answered, without missing a beat.
"On your neck?"
"Yes"
"I'll pay you half of my lifespan if you can show me how you fell." River challenged, enjoying how flustered Wolfram looked under relentless teasing.
"I saw it" Valor made a face, going pale and slightly green the next second. He seemed like he was having vivid flashbacks to something that had traumatized him forever.
"The lesson to be learned is that one should always knock." Wolfram rolled his eyes and inspected the bluish-purple bruise on River's forearm. He poked the soft, sore flesh with his thumb, brows knitted.
"When did this happen?" He questioned; voice laced with worry. "Why didn't you-"
"Take a look at Raven first" River shrugged his arm out of Wolfram's hold and gave him a small reassuring smile. "Didn't you say my dressing was awful?"
Wolfram stared into his azure eyes and then at the considerably large bruise on his arm. His tense expression loosened gradually, and he took off his outer coat and handed it River.
"Cover up" he urged, turning his full attention to Raven's leg that had started to go blue and numb from lack of blood flow. "It's cold"
Author has something to say.
This author is having weird heart palpitations. Author also cant breath properly. If any kind readers know what the cause might be, please let this author know.
Also, this chapter had seen light thanks to a lovely reader who had left a kind message encouraging Author.
Author was in a really dark place until last night about the story, on the verge of crying because she felt like it was going nowhere. So she is infinitely grateful for this precious reader who took time to show some love for my hard work.
So this chapter is dedicated Imtakensorrybitches to Imtakensorrybitches
And my forever supporter and role model author ArkhaneArkhane_Remirez_Remirez.
Thank you for the continued support.
Author will get to comments asap.