The Beast Within

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

The rest of the women looked on forlornly, a riotous sound typical of executions and when a woman was being sought out because of it, it was clear as day what had occurred.

"Elder Feyrer is to be executed!" Viola finally got out, crying as she did so.

Tes felt her heart slow down and then stop entirely before going on to thump so hard she feared that it might burst free from her chest.

Then she broke free, unintentionally shoving Viola to the side as she ran.

The soldiers allowed it but the rest of the women were to continue their work.

Tes had never run so hard in her life, not when she was a child and she ran away from the ocean because she could not swim, not when she had broken her mother's favourite trinket, not even when her father had died or when she ran happily with her friend across the warm sand by the sea.

She lost her shoes at one point but ran ever harder, uncaring of the sharp rocks and pebbles cutting at her feet, her long hair came undone, falling around her in a waterfall of brown and grey.

She broke free of the cluster of huts just as Elder Feyrer roused.

He woke up to find himself shackled to a block at the end of the buildings erected for the soldiers, out of public view.

A weary sigh got dragged from the depths of his very soul, he wished that he was beheaded before he regained consciousness, he also wished he could see Tes and Ceraun before he died, he wished that he did not have to die, he wished a lot of things.

The soldiers wasted no time, it was one thing if they were to report to their higher-ups that a Mage was executed for stealing diamonds and it was another for a higher ranking soldier to walk up on the scene.

Because if they got to the bottom of the situation, the Mage was usually exonerated but not this time, he had also killed two soldiers in addition to the fabled accusation of stealing diamonds.

He only prayed to the Pillars to spare his wife and son, they did not make this life-ending decision with him, he did not wish them to suffer for his choices.

The rusted chains dug into the skin of his hands, weighing them down heavily where they were shackled behind him, the block where his head was placed upon was gritty and smelled of death, blood-stained and ugly.

A huge soldier walked up, dragging a heavy axe behind him while the rest watched on, their eyes glittering with hate.

Soldiers were positioned to keep Mages away from the execution ground proper but Tes paid no mind to the soldiers lined up with their swords.

They did not expect a woman to come crashing through their ranks, unfazed by their presence and weapons.

She broke through in time to catch the glint of sunlight against the cruel-looking axe, coming down upon the neck of the only man she ever loved.

"Elec!!!" His name got ripped out from her throat in a wailing cry.

Elec looked up in horror, this was what he most wanted for Tes to not see him die, he did not want her last memory of him to be getting his head separated from the rest of his body like a measly criminal.

He gave her a bright smile full of love, the one she said she always liked, when he would smile so wide that she could see his gums.

"I love you." He mouthed to her, the sound of the axe slicing through the air almost deafening.

He felt everything at once, cold and hurt, relief and rage, and then, he felt nothing.

Tes screamed so loud her throat ripped, blood dripping out the sides of her mouth as she rushed forward, half crawling.

Her reaction stunned the rest of the soldiers that it took a good long while to react, by then, Tes was already cradling the headless body of her husband.

Then they moved, trying to separate them.

Tes held on stubbornly with all of her strength, uncaring that she was bathed in her dead husband's blood.

When they finally got her away, she was holding a big part of his robe, her eyes wild and crazed.

She was turned away from the gate and with no other place to go, went in search of her son.

*×*×*×*×*

"Ceraun just because your Siren bite means that the water does not poison you does not mean you should get it on the rest of us." Haneul complained, scooting further away from the river with each bigger splash of water that the Mage caused.

"Might I add that dancing in the river does not make you faster than Auris?" Adrik added cruelly.

Haneul snorted. "He runs as fast as she does, what more does he want?"

"One more race, Auris." Ceraun implored, stomping out of the water, wet and petulant.

Auris was perched underneath the flat rock, peering up at the boys. "Adrik said to not race you again."

"Adrik does not own you." Ceraun grumbled, casting evil eyes in Adrik's direction.

This caused everyone to stare at him, expectant.

Adrik rolled his eyes in exasperation, knowing that Ceraun would not give it up till he got what he wanted. "Fine, one last race." He allowed grudgingly.

"I mean it, Feyrer." He tagged on, coming over to smack his friend hard on the head. "You can't keep taking out your frustration on Auris."

Ceraun just waved away his words like pesky flies. "Sure, sure, dry me up, Haneul." He asked the wind Mage, holding out his arms.

Haneul did as was asked of, Ceraun getting windblown from the powerful magic, tsking he rearranged his hair.

"You see that big rock in the distance?" Adrik pointed out when they were both ready to race.

They affirmed his question, it was difficult to miss because it was the biggest among the other rocks around it for miles.

"You race to it and back, mind you, you have to go around it." He explained lazily, weary of their endless races.