Chapter 2 The King of Emeris.

CHAPTER TWO

The King of Emeris.

FREYA

Carden grabbed me before I hit the ground and shoved me hard behind the altar.

“Stay down!” He yelled, but I could barely hear him. 

My ears were ringing, and dust flooded my mouth. Boots pounded heavily on the ground, and I felt it in my knees. Cold stone pressed against my palms. I cowered behind the pulpit, trying to catch my breath. Something was happening. Someone was coming. 

I pushed myself up, long enough to peer over the edge of the pulpit. 

A soldier ran in, covered in blood. “The King of Em –”

An arrow whistled through the air and lodged deep in his throat.

A scream filled my mouth, but it never made it out.

I watched in horror as blood splattered from the soldier’s neck, and he fell to the ground, clutching his throat. The Chapel finally descended into terror. Soldiers rushed the doors, and others formed a tight ring around the royals. My parents yelled for me, but they wouldn’t let them move.

“Protect the King!”

“Protect the Princess!”

“Guard the door!”

“Find the Archer!”

“Shields!”

Another arrow flew in, burying itself in the Elder’s neck, and his eyes bulged. Blood stained his white robes and splashed all over my veil. I ripped it off with trembling hands, feeling my pulse slam heavily against my throat. He tried to speak, but only a wet choking sound escaped. He collapsed across the altar, knocking down the ceremonial dagger.

I couldn’t breathe. There was no air in the room. Oh, fuck. What was happening? Where was Hallow?

Carden didn’t spare me another glance as he ran into the fray. 

He was a soldier first, not much of a husband. 

He jumped into the chaos as a second explosion rattled the chapel, glass shattering inward. The guards dropped like flies as arrows flew in without obstruction. Orders were yelled from every direction. The ground shook as the footsteps grew closer. 

I hid behind the altar, cowering. 

The soldiers had formed a barricade by the door, swords drawn, ready to defend, but they had come for a wedding, while the enemies had prepared for a war. They had the numbers we didn’t. I knew it there and then that we were going to lose. 

Who were these people? Why were they so powerful? 

The smell of death was thick in the room as the enemies forced their way in; masked men flew in from the windows, the doors, even the ceiling, wielding weapons none of my books had prepared me for. 

They cut through bodies, staining the holy ground with blood. I’d never seen anyone die before, and now, I was seeing it faster than my mind could process. 

Then, I saw him. He was taller than the rest, moving through the chaos unaffected, armoured from head to toe. He had no weapons because he didn't need one; he tore through the soldiers with bare hands, cracking bones and dropping bodies. 

I watched in slow motion as a soldier tried to hit him from behind. The sword clattered against his armour. He turned, swung his hand, and bashed the man’s face in. 

The hair on the back of my neck rose, and cold spread through my entire body. He was a monster.

His men ripped through the circle of soldiers protecting the generals and royals. He picked them apart one by one. 

I pressed my back against the wooden pillar, knowing I couldn’t stay here and wait to die. I could taste the bile at the back of my throat.

“Freya!” 

My name echoed in my head and in the Chapel.

I looked around, through the endless sea of blood, and found Hallow, pushing through the mayhem. 

His arm was dark with blood. 

I crawled through the wreckage, wincing as the glass dug into my knee. There was so much blood. I grabbed the ceremonial dagger with trembling hands just in time.

He hauled me up with his left hand. “Come on, Princess. You are not dying today.” 

“You …you’re hurt,” I whispered, eyes burning with tears.

“We do not have time. We have to leave now. Emily is waiting.” He gripped his sword firmly, held me tight and pushed me forward. 

“Who are these people? What do they want?” I asked him, but he never got to answer.

A familiar scream rang out suddenly, and I turned around slowly, but nothing could prepare me for the view in front of me. 

“Mom,” I whispered, broken.

The monster was a few feet away from her. The royals lay dead at his feet. He was covered in blood – my father’s blood. He drove his fist into my father’s face twice, and twisted. I felt the crack echoing in my head. My father’s body dropped, limp … dead. 

Hallow tightened his grip on me.

“No,” I rasped, heart bleeding raw. My vision tunnelled, and a high ringing filled my ears.

He dropped his body and turned towards my mother. Tears streaked down her face as she begged him. My stomach hollowed. The room blurred to nothing. No, no, no. My fingers tightened around the dagger and my pulse pounded in my wrist. I didn’t think. I shoved Hallow hard with all my strength, catching him off guard, and I ran, half aware that I was running to my death.

I lunged at him, jumping as high as I could.

He turned in the split second before impact and raised his palm as if to stop me.

The blade went straight through it.

Hot blood coated my fingers and ran down my arm. Adrenaline crashed hard into me, and a small taste of victory began to spread. I’d hurt the monster. I’d made him bleed. I knew making a monster bleed meant people would stop being so scared of him.

“You fucking –”

Something flickered in his eyes, but it was gone. He reached for me, grabbing my neck roughly, ripping me off the ground, and cutting off my words.

My eyes bulged as I dangled in the air. I kicked, thrashed, clawed at him, but he remained unaffected.

He tightened his grip around my neck. My vision darkened at the edges; dark spots exploded all over my sight, draining the air from my lungs as my head grew lighter. My body trembled, and I thrashed, clawing desperately at his gloved hands, thrashing, trying to escape. I tried to speak, to beg him, but nothing came out. 

I was going to die.

He leaned in, loosening his hand around my throat, long enough for me to believe he was going to let me go.

Until he opened his mouth, revealing two fangs.

I didn’t get a chance to process. He sank them into my neck, and white-hot pain flared in my body. I groaned in agony, shoving weakly at his chest with my trembling hands. He didn’t let go. Darkness crept inwards, and I fell.