Greetings Readers!
It has been a long week, and I can't wait to be done with this huge book I am working on. It has been interesting, but it's no fun reading 20-40 articles a day and barely having enough information to cobble 2,000 words together. But at least when done, it'll be over 40,000 words. Looking forward to that pay day.
Anyway, I hope you all read the update by @zakludick before delving into this one because if you haven't you may be a little lost.
“Return to sleep Anna.” He said softly as he walked through the camp to look in on his charges.
The Blaze knight didn’t obey his order, which he was secretly proud of her, as she got up to go hunt by the looks of it. The storm that had threatened them earlier seemed to have blown away from their position, leaving a clear day. Everything in Mortis told him that they needed to move, but the living were exhausted and needed a day to recover. He couldn’t believe that they were a little over a day away from the castle.
As he walked through the camp, he noticed that Derric was softly snoring between the twins in his wolf form. If Mortis was able to grin, he would of. Adrian was holding the wolf, while the wolf seemed to be cuddling Magna. On closer inspection, the revenant realised that Magna wasn’t sleeping.
He came to sit next to her, but she didn’t stir.
“You are awake.” He commented.
“You’re undead since we’re making obvious remarks.”
Mortis didn’t like the new attitude that had developed in the princess, but he knew the trauma that she had gone through, what he had put her through. He signed and looked around at the crumbling ruin around him. He wasn’t going to beg for her to interact with her if she didn’t want to.
“I hate this feeling.” She eventually muttered.
Mortis knew was not the time to talk but rather listen.
“I feel him in the corner of my mind all the time. The fiery claws dig into my head, and I want to sunder things.” She admitted with a heavy sigh.
She tried to detangle herself from the sleeping wolf and prince and eventually managed it. She stretched out, sighed deeply, and came to sit next to the revenant.
“I regret ever allowing you two to be touched.” Muttered the knight.
“What choice did we have.” She spat.
Magna had to catch herself and she muttered an apology before looking over to her dozing uncle. “I don’t know if being connected to him is making this worse or easier. He has his own anger issues.”
If Mortis had had a heart that could bleed, he would feel something for the princess, but he wasn’t able to feel anything other than the duty to get the lizard back.
“Will I ever feel normal again?”
“Likely not.” Mortis shook his head.
“I should stop wasting my time feeling pity for myself.”
This wasn’t the usual Magna that Mortis was used to. This was her uncle’s influence. He slowly turned his head to see Sebastian stirring from the position he had been in earlier. It was clear the man had been listening to the entire conversation.
“I’m angry all the time.” Continued Magna. “Everything irritates me, and I want nothing more than to…”
She stopped when she noticed her uncle getting to his feet. Sebastian picked up his blade and made his way toward them.
“Anna has already…” started Mortis.
However, instead of continuing from the camp with his weapon, he bent over to grab Magna’s upper arm to pull her to his feet.
“Sword. Now.” He muttered as he moved out into the forest.
Mortis stayed out of the interaction as Magna scrambled to retrieve her sword, waking everyone in the camp as she scrambled after her uncle. Derric lifted his head, realised that Magna was gone, and her brother was essentially cuddling him. He seemed to weigh his options and then dropped his head to continue sleeping. The prince himself didn’t seem overly concerned for his sister, as he too dropped his head and returned to sleep.
Mortis got to his feet and wanted to follow after the pair when he heard a soft whisper in his ear.
Let them do this as homage.
Mortis first thought it was Trix, but the woman was sitting in her resting position, not having moved at all. Realising that something was slightly a miss, the revenant ignored the voice and made his way to where Sebastian was clearing an area that once looked like a courtyard.
“I assume your father taught you a thing or two.” Said the Lifedrinker.
“He taught me most of what I know. Mortis taught me the rest.”
Sebastian snorted under his breath and muttered, “Only one of those I respect.”
The anger bubbled in Magna’s stomach and that seemed to have gotten Sebastian’s attention. He grinned, and Magna couldn’t miss the teeth that weren’t quite human.
“My father may not have been the man you respected, but he was still my father.”
“Shitty father to up and die, leaving his kingdom protected by a woman and her runts.”
Magna’s vision glared red, and she flew at Sebastian with a raised sword. The king laughed and sidestepped as he parried the blade. For good measure, he slapped the broad side of the blade against the back of Magna’s legs. She yelped in surprise as she jumped away from him.
“Temper, temper.” Mocked the Lifedrinker as he raised his blade. “You must have gotten it from your father.”
Fury wrapped tendrils around her belly and Magna was almost ready to leap at her uncle again.
Stow your anger.
Magna had had many things whisper in her mind, but this was something new. It cut through the anger and her vision cleared. She was able to take all the details of her surroundings in. Even her hammering heart was starting to calm.
Think then strike. He’s teaching you valuable lessons you have forgotten.
She wanted to snap at the voice in her head but was forced to sidestep as her uncle brought his blade down where she had been previously standing.
“I am not playing.” He warned as he swung his arm out to strike at Magna.
The blow rocketed her off of her feet and she was momentarily blinded. She allowed her instinct to take over as she allowed herself to fall to her back as the blade cut above her. Within a few heartbeats, she was back on her feet, blocking a blow from the blade, and slapping a groping hand out of the way with her other hand.
Mortis watched the uncle and niece spend a few minutes swordplay before he noticed several figures standing on the opposite side of where the pair were fighting. He couldn’t make out who or what they were, and he had no idea who they were. He made to move toward them, and they vanished. Disturbed, he was about to call the fight off when Magna ducked under a sword swing and shoulder-charged her uncle with her right shoulder. Sebastian, completely caught off guard, threw his blade back to try and get balance, but Magna caught his arm under her left armpit as she turned into him.
Air exploded from Sebastian’s lungs as he landed on his back. Magna was about to get to her feet when the king sat up, grabbed the back of her head and delivered a thunderous headbutt to the bridge of her nose. As soon as blood hit the courtyard, Mortis stepped in to separate the two warriors.
“Enough!” he roared.
Sebastian, panting, sitting half cross-legged, waved his spare hand to his niece and asked, “Feeling better?”
Magna groaned and sat up from where she was thrown. She brought a hand to her gushing nose and grinned despite tears developing in her eyes.
“Bet your father never had an honest fight with you.” Sebastian got to his feet with a groan. “You should have broken a rib if I wasn’t wearing armour.”
We will accept the token and assume you agree.
Mortis almost flinched when the voice sounded in his head but tried to ignore it as he helped Magna to her feet. The girl was grinning. She was angry, furious in fact, but it was her emotions, not leftover emotions ruled by another.
“The next time you feel the fiery touch, there will be a second helping.” Said Sebastian as he returned to Trix’s side.
And there you have it. What is this temple, who are those mysterious shadows, and what has gotten into Magna? Keep reading for more info!
Here is an explanation of Chain Stories and here is the current Chainstory Library
Mortis Custos
Sanguifex
| by @zakludick | by @lex-zaiya |
|---|---|
| Part 1 | Part 2 |
| Part 3 | Part 4 |
| Part 5 | Part 6 |
| Part 7 | Part 8 |
| Part 9 | Part 10 |
| Part 11 | Part 12 |
| Part 13 | Part 14 |
| Part 15 | Part 16 |
| Part 17 | Part 18 |
| Part 19 | Part 20 |
| Part 21 | Part 22 |
| Part 23 | Part 24 |
| Part 25 | Part 26 |
| Part 27 | Part 28 |
| Part 29 | Part 30 |
| Part 31 | Part 32 |
| Part 33 | Part 34 |
| Part 35 | Part 36 |
| Part 37 | Part 38 |
| Part 39 | Part 40– You are Here |
| Part 41 – Coming Soon | Part 42– Coming Soon |
The Reader List
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