Death

The days went by so fast, so similar. A routine of eating (or trying to) picking out some other snack for Viktor, and burying the poor girl, seeing my mother for an hour, bathing, and coming back to the chambers, sleeping at night knowing that Garrett was strong, and had nearly no weakness with the sun gone from the sky.
Viktor’s birthday would be tomorrow night. The stars were fading from the sky, Garrett and I were tense. Both armoured, swords at the ready. We weren’t alone either, there was Griever vicious member of the Blood Brigade, and Asher, a fellow Daylight Guardian. The windows were boarded up heavily, the door barricaded, more guards outside. My father, Lucid and my trainer Hunter a young but incredible fighter all were guarding King Vincent.
My body was tense, we all knew the daylight was coming, it was only a matter of minutes. Silence in the usually busy, rowdy castle. I could hear my heart thumping, my shallow breaths, I swallowed trying to calm my self I focussed on my breathing. Deep breaths, hold, exhale slowly, controlled; repeat.
I looked over my shoulder at the bed, Viktor was sitting cross legged, he wasn’t trained to fight, he was trained to rule. He looked at me, his eyes boring into me, I turned away from his black eyes, my breathing jagged now.
I heard the steel gate bash in on the village wall, I couldn’t hear everything like I was sure that the Night Children were doing with their sensitive hearing, but I heard the front gates to the castle bash open too. A howl that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight. I had never been in a real fight before. Training only.
A female cry of anguish made the breath get caught in my throat, fears black wings wrapped around me. I wanted to run, to hide, to hope for some sort of salvation from the slaughter going on, on the lower floor. My mother was on the lower floor.
Cries ripped through the night, as much as I wished to flee my feet stayed planted where they were. I looked back at Viktor, his eyes were shut, my heart fluttered, he was my reason for living. Also the reason I was upstairs pretending to be a boy. I wondered if I were killed, would they give me a proper burial? Or would I be thrown into a huge pile of other villagers. I looked back to the door as I heard a cry of horror; Jordan- a man I trained with, a fellow Daylight Guardian, I knew with a cry like that he was dead.
The door smashed open and a Moon Child was in front of us, bright blue eyes, short brown fur, blood soaked fangs and paws. I took a step back, it wasn’t alone. Five more came in, similar in stature all of them came up higher than my hip, walking on all fours, different colours of fur. I had to remind myself to breathe.
One lunged for the door and I jumped in front of it slashing my sword ripping through fur, flesh and muscle of its one arm, it fell to the floor and rolled to it’s feet. It was paying attention solely to me, Griever grabbed it’s tail and whipped the great beast into the wall.
One lunged at Griever, another at Garrett, one at Asher. I couldn’t pay any attention to them, the fourth of the remaining beasts was growling at me, advancing slowly looking for a weak point. It decided on my leg lunging low, I dodged and stabbed downward into the torso of the wolf. It howled and fell down leaving a bloody streak on the blade. Griever was busy with both the one that lunged at him, Garrett busy fighting the biggest of the wolves. Asher! Lying in a pool of blood, his face scratched with teeth so much he was unrecognisable. His insides were on the outside, I took a step back fear rippling through me, "Asher," I whispered.
In my peripheral vision I seen a blur of movement and I didn’t think. I lunged at the beast with rubble in it’s fur, the one that was thrown against the wall, as it pounced at Viktor. The beast and I hit the floor hard, me on top, it’s heavy paw scratched my chest plate as it pushed me off. I hit the bed post and flopped to the floor. I pulled out a dagger but felt the fear and also the overwhelming need to protect Viktor. He was the prince, my friend, and I wasn’t about to let him die.
The beast snarled at me and shifted slightly I heard bones break and crack into a new position. Fur shrunk back into it’s body for the most part, it stood on two legs now, but it snapped at me with it’s giant jaw. I decided to attack while it was shifting to the two legged creature- still as lethal as the four legged, less powerful in it’s strike, but faster as I had learned in class. I drove the knife up in hopes of getting the dagger inside its ribs. I didn’t get close enough to do it because of the quick swipe of its massive paw/hand that smashed me into the wall. I lifted my arms to guard as it swung down, I heard the crack, I felt the bone rip through muscle and skin my stomach flipped I screamed out in anguish.
The beast went for my face but it was gone in an instant.
Viktor’s hand through the beast’s skull.
I passed out.
"Garrett!" I heard a male voice shout out. My body wasn’t ready to move, someone had their arm around my shoulder, I felt my head against silk. My body screamed at me to embrace darkness and numbness. My mind screamed to open my eyes.
I listened to my mind. My eyes flickered open, in the darkest corner of the room I was sitting against Viktor, I looked up at him through my protective mask. He noticed my movement and smiled down at me. "Your arm is broken, don’t look at it," his voice was warm, seductive. A voice like his you have to obey.
My mind thought of the yell that had made me awaken. Garrett.
I searched the room for him, but I didn’t see him, two snarling beasts and Griever. "Where is..."
"Shh, look at me," Viktor said, his voice was smooth, calming, his eyes showed panic and pain. "Just pay attention to me."
The voice so tempting, but I fought it, where was my comrade? Where was Garrett? Why was he not fighting? Why did Viktor look so afraid? My mind could figure out the answers but ignored them to protect my heart. My eyes once again searched for Garrett, he just had to be alright!
When Viktor realized I wasn’t paying attention to him he grabbed my arm, the searing pain made me grit my teeth, tears welled in my eyes. What cruel torture, but at that moment I forgot about Garrett. I saw a sword on the ground, my left arm maybe completely screwed over, but I was right handed anyways. I stood nausea hit me and I swayed on my feet. "What are you doing?" Viktor said in my ear, "you can’t fight like that."
"I won’t let anything happen to you," I responded, picking up the sword and moving quickly. My left arm, numb, and hanging uselessly, my right was slashing, thrusting and blocking.
It attacked again and I dodged bumping into Griever and the Moon Child he was fighting bit my right shoulder. I seen out of the corner of my eye the one I had been fighting look hungrily at me and jumped, I put up an arm to block but the hit never came. Griever ripped his fangs into the beast biting me and it let go of me. I fell to the floor. Griever was ripping the jaw off the head of the wolf. I looked to where the other one had been coming from Viktor delivered a swift kick to it smashing it into the wall. Griever came over and finished the job.
Silence came over the castle.
Something warm touched my hand, I looked at it, dark pooling blood. I looked back to see Garrett’s body face down and completely smashed. Skull fragments meshed in with the floor, I couldn’t stop myself from turning away and puking on the floor.
I heard footsteps in the hallway. Griever grabbed a weapon from the floor, Viktor looked at him- both their hands and lower arms were coated in blood. Dead wolves lay in the room with the bodies of Asher and Garrett.
A body in front of the door. Griever raised his sword but then lowered it, "Sir John."
"Griever," John, my father, said back. Behind him was King Vincent and Lucid. My father’s eyes met mine, he turned to Vincent who nodded. My father ran to me, "Evan," I couldn’t help it but his sudden hand on my shoulder, the slight push back he gave my body caused my eyes to roll back in my head, "Ev! Stay with me son!"
King Vincent was down beside my father, "a very bad break," he muttered, "a bad bite."
I fell forward slightly and my father caught me in his arms. Our armour clanging slightly as we fell together. "Garrett! Asher!" My voice was frantic, but weak.
"I know," my father said soothingly. It wasn’t a comfort.
I noted that he was bleeding, his chest plate had been torn open, broken skin. "You are bleeding," I pointed with my right hand.
"I know," my father said once more, "I’ll be fine, you just stay awake."
My arm was in so much pain I just wished for rest. My father hulled me to my feet and I nearly fell back down. "Evan!" He scolded, like I could help it.
"Here, let me," Griever said stepping toward me, his voice dropped for his next line, "come, Evan, we will make you all better." His arm curled under mine and supported more of my weight than my currently weakened father.
My mind grew foggy at the stairs, unknowing how I managed down them I was lying in the infirmary. Hundreds of others there too, human and Night Child alike.
They re-broke my arm back into place, I don’t know how but I didn’t pass out. I fell asleep quick once they gave me the go-ahead. I dreamt of beautiful girl, in a stunning dress, she danced in the grass under the moonlight... before she was slaughtered. I awoke with the realization that the girl in the dream was me.