Wings, Beasts and Claws: Violet Embers

Ch. 7 : Crimson Dance

The flurry of congratulations and compliments soon died down and many families started to leave with their tired kids in tow. The Delegates from the other two Kingdoms had already retired for the night and our own kids were beginning to yawn and rub their little eyes. So, with the help of Ivy, my father-in-law, Morina and Lanalee, we gathered the kids and started saying our last goodbyes to the remaining families that were closest to us. Dorian and Arden were talking to the glamoured Azuren King and Queen near the main table, with Arden glaring at the young Calix that was holding Reya’s hand as the kids followed us towards the door.

But as we neared the last of the tables nearest to the double doors, a sudden, ear piercing scream broke out over the music.

All heads whipped towards the sound, looking at a very pale woman whose name and House I couldn’t recall. The front of her dress was splattered in what looked like red wine and the people around her were backing away from something at their feet. The windows behind her were then shattered and a wave of masked men barged into the ballroom. I quickly tensed as I watched them draw their weapons and begin attacking the guests right in front of them.

“To the corner!” I shouted, rushing back to the one area furthest away from the men as more masked assailants crashed through the double doors.

Drako quickly pushed the kids behind him along with Ivy while Morina and Lanalee flanked him, shielding the kids as much as possible. I stood a few feet in front of them with a bow made out of my amethyst flames and started taking down the men that were attacking Nobles and servants alike.

I caught a glimpse of my husband and brother beside King Galen, their swords drawn and fighting off the attackers while rushing families towards our corner. Panicked mothers held their children close while their husbands trailed behind them, making sure nothing snuck up on them as they began to crowd behind me. I stayed in place and shot down those that targeted the people seeking safety, noticing how more and more of the masked men were aiming for the mothers… and trying to rip their kids away from them.

“They’re going for the children!”

Turning towards the voice, I found Lauri standing next to me with a glowing whip of ice in her hand, the three-pronged tips stained with blood. I nodded, and returned my focus to the assailants, shooting them down as quickly as I could. Lauri would snap her whip out and strike those closest to us while I went for the others furthest away, keeping the people around us safe. My heart hammered in my chest as we continued to protect the families that gathered behind us, the cries of the children fueling my anger as I took more and more down.

One man reached out and grabbed a hold of a little boy that had tripped and slipped out of his fathers hand. I aimed my bow and shot three arrows one after the other, striking his chest and allowing the father enough time to pull his son away. Another had dragged a mother down by her hair, forcing her to the ground while her little girl slid away from her. My amethyst arrows soon buried themselves into his neck and arm, the mother weeping as she scrambled to her child. An older man near the doors was then knocked onto his back as his daughter and grandchildren cowered beside him, too afraid to move. So I let loose two arrows that knocked down their attacker after piercing his legs, giving the older man time to usher his family towards us.

The chaos was spread throughout the room and a growing panic grew within my chest as I found more and more scenes similar to what I had just witnessed. And I feared that I would miss someone and have to see a child get ripped away from their parents.

Then, as suddenly as they had appeared, they stopped and rushed back out through the windows and doors. Some even tried to carry their dead and wounded with them, but were quickly caught or killed. The eerie silence that followed made my ears ring and it took me a moment to truly focus on the room around me, the adrenaline blurring my eyes as it slowly faded from my body.

The ballroom was stained in crimson, the once polished and shining white marble floors and stone walls now coated with death. Bodies were strewn about all over the empty space that we had used as a dancefloor, some posed in macabre ways as if they were waltzing with death himself. Tables and chairs were overturned. Plates and glasses were shattered. The flowers, ribbons and crystals used for decoration were torn down and destroyed. Everything that was used to celebrate the birth of my son, my sweet Prince, was now reduced to trash that had been trampled in the panic.

As my breathing and heartbeat returned to normal, I turned and looked at the people behind me. Mothers were hugging their children with their husbands covering them or standing in front of them. And many poor innocent kids were weeping and trembling, their round faces stained with tears.

My eyes shifted more and I could now see my kids as my father-in-law moved away to assess the people near him. At the very front was Calix who had his dagger in his hands and a fierce look in his amber eyes as he stood in front of Reya and Cal. To the left of them were Pallas and Rhoda who were clinging to their mothers skirt and shaking violently. And to the right were my precious twins who were hugging each other with their eyes squeezed shut. Ivy was the last one in the very back of the corner, kneeling down with my baby Thea squirming in her arms while she whispered soft words to all the children.

“Are you hurt?”

I turned and nearly crashed into Dorian who was scanning over my body as he reached out to me, his eyes quickly looking over to our kids once he knew I was alright.

“What… what just happened?” I whispered, looking back at the disaster that had become the ballroom as the people around us began to move.

“I don’t know.” Dorian’s words vibrated with a growl that echoed in his chest, his deep red eyes narrowing as he looked towards the few attackers that had been captured alive. “I’ll find out soon.”

He held me close and kissed me, my arms wrapping around his neck as the rush of fear, confusion and bone-crushing relief passed between us. Once we broke apart, I began to help the servants and families that had been injured, motioning to the growing number of Knights to safely escort each Noble family out and to their carriage. Drako, along with Ivy, Morina and Lanalee reassured me that they would take our kids upstairs and watch over them until Arden, Dorian and I returned. So I swiftly dropped down and hugged each of my little stars before they were huddled out of the room, the adults doing everything they could to block their innocent eyes from seeing the chaos and bloodshed.

I then spent the rest of that night gathering information, healing those around me and coordinating with the Knights on what to do with the many bodies. Servants that had had the day off during the attack came in to help as well and started to clear up the shards of glass and porcelain that littered the floor. Soon the sun began to climb into the sky and the exhaustion and stress of the attack left me weak and unable to stand for very long. Dorian noticed and scooped me up in his arms after giving a few last orders to the Commander and Noctern.

“You should’ve gone to sleep hours ago.” He whispered to me as he carried me up the many flights of stairs. “You would’ve felt better with our children near you instead of pushing yourself this much.”

I shook my head, smiling weakly as my body ached with each step he took.

“I may not be trained to keep going as long as you and my brother, but that doesn’t mean that I should leave you alone during something like this.” I raised my hand and softly cupped his face as we neared our rooms. “I am your partner in everything Dorian, not just the good, so even though I would’ve loved to stay with our little stars and sleep, I will brave many hours in heels and miss out on sleep to help you.” I chuckled softly at the end, losing strength in my arm and dropping my hand onto my chest.

He smiled as he made his way into our sitting room and through the open door of our bathroom, setting me down on a cushioned bench beside the large stone bath.

“I know, and I love you for wanting to push through your exhaustion and help out like you did.” He kneeled before me and took my hands in his, frowning slightly as he looked into my eyes. “But you need to put yourself and our children first… because if something happens to me, you’ll need to prepare our kids for the madness that will come crashing in…” I shook my head and tried to block out his words, my body shaking against the very image of a world where he wasn’t beside me. “You need to live far longer than I do and-” I reached out quickly, yanking my hands out of his, covering his mouth with my palms while my eyes filled with the sting of unshed tears.

“You’re not going anywhere.” My voice trembled as I spoke, but the demand was there, punching through every word. “You, Arden, Morina, our kids and their kids, your father, Lana and Calix… you are all going to stay here, in this world and in my life, do you understand?” My body started to tremble then and a warm stream of tears began to spill from my eyes. “You’re not allowed to leave me.”

The cold stabbing fear and darkness that had been pushed away during the attack was now seeping in, and I fought against my mind as the very thought of losing anyone of the precious people in my life started to strangle me. I couldn’t breathe right, and as I clamped my eyes shut, the memory of my mothers dead body lying in the middle of a dirt road flashed in my mind. She was drenched in blood and dirt with bruises and cuts visible on her arms and legs. Then the memory of Dorian's mother Avelia who I had fought tooth and nail to heal with my flames while she was bed ridden invaded my mind’s eye. Her body had been drained of all life and cold to the touch when I had found her the next morning, and I nearly burned her arm in a panic trying to bring her back.

‘I can’t become a witness to more death among those I love…’ I thought, my body soon engulfed in my husband's embrace as I sobbed and whimpered. ‘I can’t say goodbye anymore…’