บท 24: Bloodshed {23}

Bloodshed reined supreme, and spun the heads of dazed expressions as the civilians watched the soldiers being slaughtered one by one... Not even faltering once, her slashes were precise, perfectly angled with each death-bringing blow.

Moving quickly, she was untouchable. The sunlight only enhanced the blood shining off the mucky ground, as her perfect body avoided any attack, using her bow to remove the further targets.

The hood swaying with the cloak was clenched firmly around her eyes, her very eyes that were glowing red, like a lit match to sparks ready to ignite.

The brightness bounced off the inside walls of her hood lighting her face. With the sun's beams overshadowing the red glow, it was untraceable.

—

Aloysia could only hear the screams of her victims being mowed down effortlessly, only inhale the stench of the blood splatter, only see the darkness of the hood hiding the darkness from her blackened soul; only feel iron meet flesh as it ground against human bones, bringing lives to an end.

The power flooding her veins roared her into submission as it took over.

Blinded by death, her mind was empty, with only one prominent word edged, scratched, engraved into the back of her dammed skull. 'Kill'.

No hesitation to stop, no mercy...

Suddenly, a pulse of pain flashed through her, like a heartbeat thrumming at her to stop. It had a certain lightness to it that was a shock to the system.

Hissing at the impact and stumbling forward as it struck up her back, she turned her body to face the direction of the sun, baring her teeth at it in anger and ignoring everything else.

As if hit, her face was engulfed by the sunlight, slowly putting out the fire roaring in her veins and allowing her body to slowly unwind.

Her eyes began to dwindle until the glowing submerged, when her face released the tenseness overwhelming her muscles.

Her sight came crawling back to her as she witnessed the butcher, the massacre that lay before her.

Swinging her head from the sun, her hearing returned, only to be sliced with the screams of innocence.

The feeling of blisters covered her hands as she dropped the drenched daggers from her shaking skin. Reality had hit her hard from her unconscious state. Remorse came seeping in as the sun retracted its rays from her. She could breathe again...

What happened? How did she lose control?

Peering upon all angles she saw the horrified faces, the fear that was rolling off the civilians in waves was enough to drag Aloysia to the floor.

Hitting the ground with a squelch, the blood soaked into her puppet of a body.

The remaining few soldiers from the hundreds clambered on her, restraining her hands, arms, and legs while crushing her, stopping any attempt of escape.

Trapped under the soldiers and the suns intensity, she shut her eyes.

The feeling of rope burning her wrists was welcomed. She deserved this.

Hands clenched her back as she was violently hoisted off from the ground.

Aloysia made no attempt to halt it.

She was slapped.

She allowed it.

She was dragged into a cart that was abandoned by the chaos.

She allowed it.

She deserved it.

"How can you sleep at night when your very existence causes this?" a soldier gripped the back of her head through the hood and violently twisted her head to face the path they had just walked.

The massacre of over 100 soldiers. His voice was laced with disgust.

She made no reply.

Aloysia, once released, merely hung her head low, allowing pain to burn away the guilt that resided in every cell of her god forsaken body.

1 day.

Less than 1 day and she was caught. The king will be pleased.

She sneered at the thought of him, earning a tug at the wrists with the rope, now leaving a mark.

The sound of horse trotting away awoke the cart as Aloysia, stained throughout with blood, was detained and held by 4 men to ensure she would stay put.

Not one though to escape went through her mind.

No.

She needed to be put under control. She had run away out of fear. A foolish intention. The queen's request was too much to handle, too complicated to decipher.

'Cured', she wasn't a disease, even with her very being brining death, she had no cure. She was helpless and would forever be cursed. No. It was better if she just rid the world of its evil source. The same source that she was heading towards, the one currently sitting on the throne, waiting, for her very arrival.

But what was that sudden pain? That flash of a heartbeat awakening... It had overpowered the darkness within- how.

Liam, who's body lay sprawled on his bed, heavy as can be, winced as he felt something burn in his pocket. Reaching for it, the ring his mother had given him pulsed within his grasp, the light radiation of it immense. Almost like it was... alive.

What did it mean?

What Aloysia didn't realise however, was that she was being watched.

From the moment she awoke in the forest, to the very second her foot stepped out onto the street. Hours they had observed... they needed to be sure.

"Are you sure Zelek?" the woman under the hood croaked, edging her face towards her company.

Her companion lifted his hood, revealing a well-built man, muscular, a pale complexion with no blemishes, very handsome. Short blonde hair with a parting on the far left cushioned his head, and under it, his ruby red eyes shone like the sun.

As did hers... She removed her own hood, matching his complexion, hair colour, but hers a straight long-length that caressed her shoulders down to her stomach. Same eye colour, they were like twins. No. Exactly twins.

Their eyes met, digging deep into the other for reassurance.

"It's her" he breathed, "We found her Zillah, at last"

She sighed a sigh of relief, one quite overdue.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" she smiled extensively, "let's bring her home".

Nodding with a firm face of determination the twins hid themselves under their cloaks and emerged from a corner, just in time to watch Aloysia depart, strapped to the bare skin of a wagon. Her head was being yanked harshly, and she was being spoken too.

Yet she displayed no sign of resistance, as if she wanted this to happen.

"Trail it", Zillah demanded, and instantly, her brother trotted ahead with the shield of a dark hood, following the wagon, as it dug its large wheels into the squelching mud.

Acting like a normal person, acting to fit in was their speciality. They were masters at it, masters of deception as well, so was she...

—-

Breathing slowly, -almost undetected- sat Aloysia on the hard oak. Ropes slicing at her wrists, and men holding her down with all the force they could muster.

She could spit. 'It' found this disgusting.

As the bumpy ride along the forest road jolted everyone behind, she raised her head. The hood still perched over her eyes.

"So, who do you work for?", she asked with a tone of sarcasm. He raised an eyebrow at her cheek to even speak.

"If you value your life, I suggest you change that tone of yours young lady".

"Young lady? Why thank you, what a gentleman".

He huffed. The wind was biting away at her exposed skin, and the rough, uneven ride only engraved the rope further. She winced at its pain, but she didn't show it.

"What is it with you-", he gestured his hand, asking for a name, "-Aloysia Tamala" she replied.

"Aloysia".

He sighed at her mannerisms before continuing, being so calm when you are a prisoner requested by the king is down right suicide. "Why do you do what you do, its monstrous behaviour and it only asks for trouble".

Her cocky smile faded, "Its not monstrous, do you even pay attention to who is being killed rather than by who?" she spat, anger clearly evident. This was true in every case, even when she was just starting out at 13 in the North; the soldiers target was always her.

"The last assassination, a few months ago was it-", tilting her head to seem as if she were thinking,

"-was of someone who did something to over 14 females that is quite inappropriate and down right filthy. It disgusts me".

The grip on her restraints tightened. Her head swivelled, eyes sending daggers (lucky they were covered) to see a man pulling harder for fear of what she would do.

Leaning closer to the man in front, her voice came out cold, almost a whisper as the tense air thickened, the wind dying around them... "I kill for justice because of stuck up people like you who can't do their job properly," her head inching closer, "and are only little puppets for the king to play with like toys."

She smirked, "He is the master, and you-", her face millimetres from his, "his pet-"

As the last word rolled of her sour tongue, he gripped her neck, attempting to choke her; it stung, but she would not take this lightly.

This was The Shadow, and no one gets away with that. Especially since the law was now on her side- acting in self-defence.

She smirked.

No longer holding back, Aloysia's arm came soaring round, snapping the restraints and flinging all men holding it.

The hand caught his wrist as his eyes widened at the sudden outburst. His brown sweaty locks brushing his forehead.

"Fool" she taunted, twisting his arm in a direction that it shouldn't be possible.

The man howled in pain as he held his agonising arm, leaving a string of curses.

The wagon halted at hearing the disruption, sending backup to the rear of the transportation. She sighed, rubbing the mark around her wrists as she stood, removing excess bondage.

The oak flooring gripped at her shoes as she jumped off the wagon.

Hearing the ground crunch on impact and the man behind her swearing, she inhaled the fresh air.

Aloysia was rudely interrupted by more soldiers charging at her.

But before she had a chance to blink, an arrow was fired from the trees, slicing the soldier closest to Aloysia directly in the heart.

The man gagged in his own blood as he collapsed while his fellow soldiers grimaced, arms trembling with sweat dripping off their foreheads.

They froze. They were fearful.

"Come with us! Don't make this harder than it needs to be!"

Aloysia scoffed at their insolence.

Gulping at the sight in front, it caused their heads to spin, searching for its source frantically.

"I knew it" Aloysia exclaimed, as her stance returned to perfection while standing upright.

She had felt someone near her, trailing her. She could sense it.

It was a new feeling, one she had never encountered before, but it somehow felt familiar all the same.

Snapping out of her thoughts, the silhouette of a toned man appeared from around the trees. He nocked back another arrow.

Aloysia didn't believe it- couldn't- was it really him?

With no time to waste, Aloysia bolted for the cover of the trees- trying to get out of sight. Of course the soldiers played chase, determined in catching the target assigned to them by their king.

The woods echoed the noisy wind swerving through the mess of people scuttling like leaves through the forest- some too startled to move.

The sun, blocked out by the ginormous trees hanging above them, was not needed to be able to identify this person firing instantaneously at the foe behind her; soon running adjacent to her.

"Follow me- there are ruins not far from here"

His voice was steady even when running, "Hide there, I'll hold them off"

Aloysia was weary, unable to think whether to trust him... but if he was who she remembered him to be... screw it. She'd trust him.

Nodding in affirmation, her direction changed with the winds as they led her to the crumbling ruins.

He, on the other hand, turned swiftly, body poised as he threatened the last few soldiers daring to take another step.

"Leave" he threatened, tone a dangerous low.

The soldiers... with so many losses in vein.. could they really retreat?

That answer was made for them as a southern soldier dressed in a higher uniform screamed from the depths of the forest.

His words of warning were "Live to fight another day!!"

Zelek agreed. Throwing away lives for nothing but pride was a fools wish.

He pulled back further on the bow, it's strings threatening to snap at the force.

At the very sight of him, the remaining soldiers scrambled back towards the wagon, ignoring the pride eating away at them and scampering for their own lives.

Disregarding the fleeing soldiers, Zelek strolled to the captain, his image becoming clearer with each twig crunching under his footsteps. "Thank you, sir"

The captain didn't respond. Fists clenched by his side and breathing elevated from running. He had a message to deliver- that was it.

The silence deafening.

"Thank you for telling them their lives actually mean something besides fodder"

"Do not thank me murderer" the captain growled, his hand stationed heavily on his pommel, able to defend himself in an instant.

"Too many have died for there to be thanks"

Zelek nodded in understanding, the smile on his lips genuine as he bid the man farewell.

Of course, the captain grunted at his arrogance, deciding to stay diplomatic and walk back with his soldiers. Though, he would not forget this.

The information he left with- was far greater than any attempt at capturing The shadow. Far greater than any brawl that would have ensued if he had gone after that dreadful man.

He gulped while walking- he would inform Liam of this information.

Teren, who now realised the grave weight of the situation, would inform him that The Shadow was now no longer working alone..

Aloysia waited for him to emerge, and he did.

That's when she felt it. The feeling of familiarity.

"Zelek?" she croaked, her emotions going hay wire. Heat rose through her body like a volcano, finally erupting when he spoke, "Aloysia, we found you"