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@rose-colored-fancy @irishcelticredflowercrown

Just wanted to clarify for y’all that Niarok hasn’t been challenged yet. 🙂

Yila

Yila glared at the pool of blood which had once been a man.

This castle was just cruel.

The blood wasn’t the part that bothered her. Blood and guts she could handle. Evil and heartless killing she was done with.

She’d seen far too much in her lifetime.

“Now. Lets have some real fun,” the Castle chortled. “Moving onto the assassin with many names and yet still nameless.”

Yila choked. So you’re telling me that you didn’t consider that murder “real fun?” What was it then? Unmitigated cruelty for no reason?

Yep. That sounded about right.

Tiny particles of stone and dust motes swirled toward Lorcan, and Yila’s heart sped in her chest. Her heart sank.

If the castle killed that man, she would die. She would legitimately drop dead where she stood.

Lorcan caught her gaze and his lips twitched like he was trying to reassure her. He failed miserably.

“I could always make you relieve the Clash,” the Castle mused. Lorcan visibly stiffened.

“So many lives you took that day. When the judges entered the battlefield, they were expecting some unlucky few that had lost their lives. Instead – all the contestants had been killed, and you stood in the midst of all the carnage. And you – your own father barely recognized you. Because your face was soaked in the blood of all young men you had just brutally murdered.”

Yila winced. That was a bit graphic.

Lorcan’s forehead was pale and shiny. He looked sick.

Yila knew that feeling all too well.

“At the tender age of fifteen too,” the Castle finished.

Yila’s eyes widened. She’d been fifteen when she’d killed Aydin’s look-alike.

That was disturbing.

“Yeah. I was fifteen,” Lorcan growled, eyes and face flat. “I didn’t know any better. Treated like dirt my whole life – all I knew was that in order to survive, to live – you had to get to the very top. No matter what. I didn’t – I didn’t know nothing – you hear me?”

Lorcan was yelling, and Yila couldn’t blame him. She’d felt the same way pretty much every time she’d killed a person. She was doomed to fail Shadow-dom from the beginning.

“Or perhaps – I could make you relieve the time you betrayed the only one who truly understood you,” the Castle said, maniacal humor edging the words.

Lorcan’s face was turning red. Yila reminded herself never to get on his bad side. Even if she could probably defend herself against him, she didn’t want that bear attacking her.

“Shut – up,” Lorcan gritted. Yila shut her eyes. He would never know how deeply she understood every single one of these feelings.

“She’s dead because of you, Lorcan,” the Castle murmured.

She?

“Shut up! She’s not dead! She’s out there, she’s alive-” Lorcan yelled.

She’s not dead? But then what does that make me?

Yila’s heart pounded. Had it been a lie?

“When you found out what she really was – after all the days you spent together. Playing in the sand. Exploring the cliffs. Searching for shells. When she revealed what she really was – you didn’t hesitate, did you? You went straight to your father-

“Shut up!” Lorcan yelled, slamming a fist into the ground. “I order you-

“How old would she be now? No older than Yila perhaps? Of course you’ll never know, will you?”

Yila choked on tears. Betrayed.

Niarok appeared beside her, and she glanced at him. His eyes were red. Whether he was crying because of Qatar or because of Yila’s loss, she didn’t know.

She didn’t care.

“How about this? I will be generous and give you a choice – I will let you leave. You will forget about all that has transpired here and life will go on as normal – if you kill one of those two. I don’t care which. You may decide, lonely assassin,” the Castle said.

Dread struck Yila’s heart as Lorcan was shoved around to face her and Niarok.

Her brother gripped her shoulder.

Yila shut her eyes. Before now, she would have been fine with dying. But now was not the time. And certainly not at the hands of the only other man she’d ever deigned to put her trust in.

“Would you like to show your new friends then – what you really are?”, the Castle laughed. “Are you a man – or a monster?”

Lorcan’s eyes were wide and agonized, and Yila gritted her teeth.

No.

This couldn’t be happening.