ASHES OF BETRAYAL THE SORCERER'S VENGEANCE

CHAPTER 11

Kael struggled to maintain his stance as the ground shook violently and his heart raced. 

“Marcus!” He cried, still not wanting to let go. It was still a shock to him that they actually left him here.

“Lynna! Please! Don't do this to me!”

But he got no response. The cold thick sound of the massive gates echoed loudly and shook me further. Goose bumps prickled his skin, and his heart froze.

The constant rattling of the crystals that sealed the gates roared and his head pounded harder with aches.

He saw death staring him right in the face and the thought of being disassembled, piece by piece sent 

cold shivers down his spine.

His eyes scanned through the darkness closing in and his fist clenched. His jaw tightened as he maintained his stance, but the ground quaked with a force that overwhelmed him and threw him down to the ground.

In that brief second, his poor life flashed before him. A short reflection of the last twenty-four hours projected before him.

He remembered Lyanna’s warm touch. He remembered her soft smile, he remembered all her words, and tears rolled down his face.

The King's pride shone before his eyes once again, and Marcus’ soft chuckle pricked his heart; the reality of the fake toast hit him even harder in that moment.

The words played again in his mind as he saw the creatures creeping out.

The cruelty embedded in just those words pierced his heart like daggers as it replayed again.

“Your parents will be glad you died.”

Now it struck him what those words meant. Was he never loved at home? But that was the least of his problems now.

The most annoying part was the fact that it wasn't just a mere insult, it was a factual statement that told him that the life he had been living all these years was a bloody lie all along.

However, he stood up again; of course, he couldn't lie down so long, and his eyes shone brightly, scanning the surroundings carefully.

Slowly, a sharp breath filled the air from a creature hiding in the darkness. His soul trembled as he stood. His voice was faint but still, in that fear, he screamed.

“Show yourself!” His body shivered as he stood, and the massive beast crept out of the shadows. His heart stopped for a brief second and his breath caught in his throat as he scanned the beast thoroughly.

Its eyes were glowing like the sun, but in a dreaded way. Its fangs were like blades and its massive legs shook the ground as though mountains moved on it. 

The word horror was an understatement of what he saw. He couldn't move his feet; the earth had glued them to the ground, and his teeth gnashed in fear.

Immediately, it lunged at him, the ground shaking violently beneath him. With a trembling heart, he managed to slip off from its path, but it was quick like the speed of light and turned around, continuing the chase.

He sped away, moving with every ounce of strength left in his weak body, but the massive vibrations from the ground threw him overboard and he kissed the ground once again.

Its breath was heavy on his skin as it observed him. His body trembled and he couldn't raise his face. With a loud cry, it raised its massive mountainous legs up to crush him for good. In that brief moment, he felt a surge of energy flow through him, and he quickly dodged and slid away, but the vibrations from the impact of its feet on the ground tossed him away to the corner like a piece of loose paper.

He rushed up immediately, death staring him in the face, and his hand reached for his blade, but still panting heavily, he could barely hold the sword properly.

But he was unrelenting, despite the gnashing of his teeth, he stood firm, and once again, the beast lunged at him, this time, not alone, but was accompanied by a host of others, seeking to finish him off once and for all.

Their size wasn't enough reason to slow them down as they moved like shadows in the dark and in a twinkling of an eye, were all around him.

He quickly swung his knife weakly in the air, and the soft whooshing that followed was overwhelmed by the greater force of their breath that threw him away.

He was on the ground, but suddenly felt his body being lifted freely, more like he was ascending to the heavens.

He wiggled hard, but the teeth of the beast dug into his skin and he screamed loudly, blood gushing out freely.

It tossed him away with immense force, and he flung against the ground, barely breathing, and before he could regain his stance, the angry creatures showed up once again and grabbed him, this time, together, holding him like a crucifix and dragging him to shreds.

The air around him was heavy with the stench of blood and the loud cries of the beasts as they tore his skin off, piece by piece. The sound of his muscles being torn apart rang in his ears and he couldn't scream anymore. 

Their fangs tore through his skin, crushing every muscle and bone that stood in the way and tossing his remains to every corner of the dark arena.

They grabbed him again, his breath fading softly. He could see his soul leaving his body already, but couldn't do anything to stop it. Pain burned through his dying body like an electric surge and his feeble eyes could barely see anything.

With one bite, what was left of his limbs was torn away from his body and crushed quickly; the sound of his own body being eaten rang in his ear.

He was grabbed again, already decapitated and immobile and stared at by the mighty and shapeless beasts. Confusion rocked his mind as his vision faded away slowly.

The beasts cried loudly, warming up and shaking the ground to finish him off, but the poor soul was in a solitude, locked away from the outside world and wandering alone in his broken mind.

The desperation for answers still clawed at him in the face of death.

In the moment, he just thought.

“Why do I have to die now? I really don't want to die, not like this, not here. Not when there are still millions of answers I need.”

But without warning, the remaining parts of his upper limbs were divided amongst the beasts and his life wire was cut out completely. The sound of his faint cries was overshadowed by the sound of his brains being crushed in the teeth of these mighty beasts, and thereafter, they retired to the darkness.