The Archon's Apprentice (33 page)

This time the guards saluted Mikol. Turos fled the courtyard.

Chapter 24

Crowned

The guards quickly gave chase to Turos. Mikol took a few steps but faltered. The nobles that had been in attendance rushed to catch him before he fell. He tried to push them away. Even though he had forgiven them he would not be able to look at them the same. They had not stood up for their king and country. They had followed a traitor. He would have to deal with the repercussions later. Someone passed him some water and he drank deeply. He could not remember when water had tasted so good. He focused on the pain. With the runes again accessible he drew upon the power within to gain strength and steady himself. The nobles were all trying to talk with him but he ignored them all.
 

“I will return to speak with you all once the traitor has been dealt with.”

He did not have to guess which direction Turos ran, as the sound of fighting could be heard coming from the corridors. The pain in his arm pulsed. He created a mending rune to sooth the pain. It did little, but enough that he was able to push forward. As he rounded the first corner he found the body of a guard. He did not need to check if the man was dead. His throat was cut. He looked down and remembered the face of another man whose death he caused. He had a long list of names he would need to atone for.
 

Some of the guards had gone to get more help. They had trapped Turos in another inner courtyard. There was nowhere he could go. He held a sword and dagger in his hands. Turos was bleeding from many cuts on his arms. Now that Mikol knew Turos’s true nature he understood that these cuts were self-inflicted. As Turos cut himself again, a wave of force rushed outwards. With Raythrael’s help Mikol broke the spell before it did more harm. Turos yelled at Mikol and cut himself again. Mikol cut down the spell just as swiftly.

“Turos, if you give up now, I will throw you in a dungeon forever if that’s what you want.”

Turos laughed at Mikol while throwing his sword. In what could only have been a blood magic-enhanced throw, the blade pierced a guard through the chest.

“Move back! Block the exits. Make sure he cannot escape. No one else needs to die today.”

Turos raised his dagger at Mikol.

“Why did you have to be born? If you hadn’t been born I would have been chosen to be the Archon.”

“It doesn’t have to be one of the royal family, Turos. You know this. I wasn’t even born when you were rejected. How did I play any part in your failure?”

“It doesn’t matter. You’ve ruined everything. There is only one thing left to do.”

Turos turned the dagger on himself. Efficiently, Turos opened the veins in his forearms. Mikol took a step forward to stop him and then grasped what Turos was doing. He stepped back.

“Move back! Now!”

Turos did not seem to mind the blood gushing from his arms. He laughed as he drew several runes with his blood. His body began to glow with a dark red light. Flinging blood around the room, Turos rushed forward. Mikol cast a spell of protection in an attempt to stop Turos. When only an arm’s length away from Mikol, Turos plunged his dagger into his own chest. The room exploded with sounds and colors.
 

Mikol found himself against the far wall. The ward he created had held against Turos’s magic. But he had not made it large enough. The bodies of the guards lay all around the courtyard. He checked a few of them to be sure. They were all dead. Blood seeped everywhere from their bodies. Turos’s body was unrecognizable.

Mikol wandered around the castle in a daze. He did not see anyone and eventually found himself back in the throne room. He barely noticed it had been cleaned. There were no bodies present, but Mikol only saw the dead everywhere he looked. Stepping over scorch marks, he made his way to the throne. Before he sat down he noticed a glint from underneath the throne itself. He reached under and grabbed the crown. It was stuck. After a few strong yanks it came out, breaking off some of the tines on top. Mikol laughed. He placed the crown on his head and fell onto the throne. With nothing left to do to save his kingdom, he released his runes and let exhaustion take him.