Crowns of Flame and Ice - Book One

(34) All That You Could Be

Shouts sounded from down the hall followed by a growl that shook the manor. The door splintered open, sending sharp shards of wood flying all over the place. The guards were immediately there, weapons drawn and ready to pounce. My heart skittered as I saw who had entered, as I saw who had again come to save me. Quilo's eyes had gone fully white as he scanned the room and I... gods I could feel his rage. It made the air around him ripple and swirl around his shoulders, like it was afraid to touch him. I wondered if he could breathe. I could've sworn the temperature in the room dropped considerably as white eyes met mine. This was not a Quilo I have ever met before. He looked like icy wrath given form, like a god of vengeance and carnage.

One guard stepped forward and one-second Quilo was by the door, the next he was in front of the guard, a dagger through the dark-haired man's chest. It was like he'd moved faster than the air itself. Black swirled in my vision, I wasn't going to last much longer. Was this just because of the chains or had there been something else in that poison they'd had me breathe in? Another guard hurtled for Quilo, dagger raised and gunning for him. I tried to shout to Quilo, I wanted to help him but I couldn't. Not even looking, Quilo swung his hand out and sliced the man's head clean off his shoulders. Quilo looked up at me, his hand and sword still outstretched. His chest rose and fell heavily and blood pooled at his feet. I stilled as I met his stare, Quilo was here. Quilo was... my gods. Someone cared enough to save me from going through that pain. Someone had noticed that I was missing and had come. Quilo, my sworn enemy, had come to save my life.

He growled that sound again that rattled the house sending the chandelier swinging. As my vision blurred I thought the cascading light was beautiful, how the glittering rays danced across the red dots on the floor. they looked like crushed rubies from where I hung. But I knew that those dots were not rubies, they were pools of blood. The two bodies Quilo had ended now lay in a rapidly spreading pool of that same red liquid.

The silver prince snapped forwards and met the blade of another attacker, Quilo then punched his own through the man's chest. A loud clatter sounded as a blade fell to the floor, I wondered whose it was. Then I realised what had actually happened, he hadn't just met the blade. Quilo had sliced through the metal with his own sword. Either the guard's weapon had been really badly made or whatever fae strength that was now feeding off of Quilo's rage had enabled him to do so. Pink and red spots were now appearing in my vision as I watched him take down the guard. is this where I was to die? Over the last couple of weeks, I'd thought my life would end at Quilo's hands. I hadn't been sure where, but at the time it had not really mattered. But now... now I'd felt what life could be like I wanted to live. I snorted, then winced as pain rushed to my head. Just as I'd decided I wanted to live and see all life had to offer, my life was about to be ripped out from under me.

The sound of glass shattering drew my attention. Shards of it glittered on the floor in front of one of the large windows that almost covered a whole wall. I'd thought it had been left open but the jagged edges of it still clung to the frame, the raw lines glittering in the moonlight. A figure flew past me with a sword through its chest and I realised that Quilo had stabbed and thrown two guards out of the window from the other side of the room. I shivered at that raw strength, is that what the Fae were truly capable of? what I could be capable of?

A deep rumble of a scream sounded and I dragged my gaze towards the sound, watching as Quilo tore the arms off two guards. I suppressed my gag as he took those arms and shoved them down their own throats, silencing them. The pure animalistic rage that poured from Quilo as he worked made me shiver. Could he come back from this? I'd felt what it was like that day in the ring to have the instinct take over. But that wasn't the problem. It spread all over, trying to find a way out. However because magic was no longer around there was no outlet, the fae couldn't channel that rage and instinct into anything. Did they become flooded with rage and hate until eventually nothing was left of them? Until eventually they became nothing but the animal side them? I'd heard a story once of a man who'd gone wild and torn apart everything he saw, then ended up plummeting to his death when he got a little too close to a nearby cliff. Gods if that happened to him... I'd never forgive myself. Quilo was Calvains final chance, I couldn't let that go.