Telash Castle was a bit bigger than Merak, with taller walls, a larger keep and stables, as well as extra buildings to house more troops. A pair of doors with the kingdom’s emblem inside a wreath of claws marked a chapel that was connected to the wall. He was glad Merak Castle didn’t have one, otherwise ‘quiet reflection’ might’ve been one of the things he was forced to do as punishment. As if he didn’t already do it enough.

Three towers formed a slightly misshapen triangle, overlooking the dirt paths. No fourth tower was needed as the northeast was inaccessible due to a two hundred foot drop into the forest below. Since the royal family was here, multiple patrols were sent out and switched every hour during the morning to keep the men sharp. By now, dozens had returned and nothing seemed out of place.

Kieran and Teal spoke with a guard, asking about possible reports. He directed them toward the barracks. Teal led the way, navigating through the rather simple building until they stopped at a closed door. Voices from inside seeped out, and he strained his ears trying to catch a piece of the conversation, but it was too muffled. He knocked on the door. There was silence for a second and then, “Come in.”

Inside the small room with only one desk was the captain of the guard, a strong-jawed man with scruffy brown hair and a piece of his bottom lip missing. There were no signs of another person. However, though the door muffled their words, he knew the captain was speaking to someone else.

“Your Highness, what can I do for you?”

“Oh, nothing much. I’m just curious if you’ve heard anything from the patrols.”

“No, Your Highness. Nothing of the sort, thankfully.”

“If you have heard anything at all, no matter how small, please tell us,” Teal said.

The captain shuffled in his seat, planting his elbows on the desk and resting his chin on his locked hands. He smiled and said, “Of course.”

After leaving the barracks Kieran turned to Teal, “Don’t you think that was a bit weird?”

“I thought I heard another person, but it’s not unlikely he has a crystal for communication considering the entire royal family is here. Otherwise, a bit, yes. I’ve thought of the various ways the castle could be assaulted and none hold up when considering the number of royal guards. I can believe that the castle’s guards are overwhelmed and taken out quickly enough if they were to somehow break through the walls, however, that doesn’t apply to the royal guard. Their senses are rather sharp too. A surprise attack is unlikely to succeed.”

“You were thinking about that since I told you?”

Teal half nodded, “Um, A-Alexandra would sometimes make me think about such things back in Merak Castle. So, I suppose I was actually thinking about possible ways we could be attacked before I heard from you this morning...”

Although he didn’t tell her in the last two tries, she still helped him as best she could. It was reassuring that she knew now and that they could make progress together. A part of him wished Alexandra was also there. If she was, could she make the difference or would she die too? If it was the latter, then he was glad she was gone.

There wasn’t much time left. He didn’t count the minutes, or have anything like a clock, but based on his gut, things were going to come to a head soon. They went to the top of the wall, just as the guards were changing posts. A patrol of five men arrived sooner than the others and waved at them to open the gate. As the iron grate was slowly raised, Kieran caught sight of something moving among the trees. His eyes darted back toward the patrol. There were large tears in their padded jackets by the shoulders. A closer look revealed deep wounds. However, they acted normal, a feat impossible for normal garrisoned troops.

“Don’t open the gate!” he shouted. It was too late. Knights rushed in from underneath the trees and the patrol of five scrambled under the rising portcullis. Kieran shuddered when they ignored the men raising the gate and ran inside. Royal guards were being surrounded, herd into corners where their halberds and martial prowess were less effective.

A group of the royal guards pushed through the enemy and rejoined another group. Together they’d be able to weather the enemy. But, right when they thought they’d gained more allies, they were turned on. The second group of royal guards stabbed them from behind, holding them in place so they could be skewered by dozens of spears and swords.

What the hell?

It was absolute chaos, yet there was little sound. Even as the garrison were crushed under the weight of the royal guards’ halberds, they were silent as the night and put fights fiercer than the soldiers he’d seen die on the Red Hills. When the knights flooded through the gates, it was too late. The castle had fallen in mere seconds.

How was it possible? How could an entire retinue of royal guards and a whole castle fail to detect impostors?

A garrison troop who had been a few feet away on the wall drew his sword and rushed him. Kieran stepped back and called upon his shadows to entangle his feet. Wind blades tore his chest open and Teal grabbed his hand. She pulled him toward a tower as knights ascended the stairs. One took a great leap and landed in front of them. Through his visored helm, Kieran could feel the man’s heavy gaze. A dominating aura radiated from him, one unbefitting of the two stars marking his left shoulder.

Three knights blocked the path from where they came while Two Star blocked the other way. Teal whispered to him, “Get down,” as she muttered something under her breath. A powerful blast of wind erupted from her body, and he had to plant an arm just so he would fall over. The trio of knights stumbled back, but Two Star didn’t waver. He unsheathed his longsword.

Teal dodged the first swing and retaliated with a wind blade. Each step he took was met with resistance, but he kept closing the gap. Kieran tried destabilizing the trio’s footing with his shadows. They were occupied for mere moments before breaking free. Kieran desperately avoided their swords, striking back with full power shadow bolts that drained him of his strength.

In this game of endurance, they would lose. The royal guard had unleashed their gifts and were still at a disadvantage. For Kieran and Teal who had little to no blessings at all, they had no chance. He took a debilitating cut to his shoulder that rattled his body. If adrenaline wasn’t pumping throughout his body, he’d have fallen to his knees awaiting death.

The trio guarded against his most powerful shadow bolt yet. He took the second to catch his breath. Teal, who had miraculously managed to defeat some of these same knights in his previous attempts, barely made a dent in Two Star. Two Star’s visor was partially dented and a tear in his chestpiece’s lower left side was all the damage he’d taken. As for Teal, She pressed a hand against her stomach to stem the flow of blood as her other arm sagged uselessly.

The trio of knights recovered.

A halberd flew toward the three knights from below. They avoided it by a hair and the royal guard who had thrown it quickly used the garrison guards as footing for him to climb the wall. He placed himself in front of Kieran. “Your Highness, I apologize for what I am about to do.” With a single hand, he unstrapped his chestplate and flung Kieran over his shoulder. He felt the royal guard’s claws dig into his back as he turned away from the keep and leapt off the wall.

They landed with a thud, the air getting knocked out of his lungs as the guard’s shoulder pushed into his stomach. The royal guard groaned as he rose to his feet and ran with Kieran still over his shoulder. “T-Teal…” Kieran croaked as they went further and further away from the wall.

Two Star jumped and landed near the trees with a force that shook the ground. The royal guard looked back and set him down. “Please flee, Your Highness. I will buy you time.”

He hesitated. His family was back there inside the castle about to be slaughtered. Teal was back there. How could he leave them all behind?

That hesitation vanished when Two Star started running toward them. It wasn’t the ferocious bounding of the Corrupted nor the uncanny movements of the angels, but it scared him nonetheless. He sprinted deeper into the forest, dipping and dodging branches and trees, refusing to stop until he was safe.

How much time did he spend running? There was no answer he could come to. All he knew was that he could no longer see the castle’s walls from where he was. Animals and the like were absent. Completely gone as if they knew of the danger residing close by.

Pain from his wounds began gnawing at his already tired body. At some point, he tripped over something. Kieran tumbled into the dirt and grass, hitting his elbow against the ground and stopping once he slammed into a tree. He looked to see what had tripped him.

What the fuck!?

A leg. It was a leg that tripped him. He got up and hobbled over. His stomach churned at the sight and he pressed a hand over his mouth. Thrown into a pile were the bodies of tens of men, stripped bare of their clothes. Wounds covered their entire bodies and most were stabbed in the back. He knew none of them, but in the mix were some who wore chest pieces and padded armor.

These were garrison troops and royal guards alike.

When Kieran heard the rush of clanging metal, it was too late. Two Star, his blade stained red, stood before him. He knew that running was impossible, but his mind still screamed at him to turn tail.

He didn’t want to die.

A sword thrust at him with lightning speed. He raised his hands to block, and it cut through both, stopping short at his nose. In one swift motion, the sword tore through his hands, severing the tendons and bones. He let out a cry, pulling his hands to his chest while trying to deal with the pain.

Two Star swung. Kieran stumbled out of the way, countering with a shadow bolt that Two Star blocked. The knight shook his arm as if surprised. It lasted for only a second. Kieran was running out of breath trying to dodge all the attacks. He coated his arm in shadows and used it to deflect an attack while his free hand raised up for another shadow bolt.

...

An azure sky peeked through the crowded treetops with ghost thin clouds. Flocks of birds flew overhead, some circling around while others dived and flipped midair in pairs, enjoying the last few weeks of the springtime air. Why was he looking at the sky again? Wasn’t he just in a fight with someone? Why did his head hurt?

As he held his aching head, warm liquid trailed down into his eye. “Augh…” he groaned as he tried to wipe it away. It stung and no matter how many times he tried, more kept getting in. Then, he saw his bloody hands and terror threw his mind into disarray. He rolled over but jolted as a sharp pain wracked his chest.

Two Star pushed him onto his back with his boot. “You are Kieran, the fifth prince. You should be proud, much like your servant. You have hurt me despite all I have heard about your foolishness.”

And with that, his fourth day was over with no hope in sight.