Page 92 of Queen of the Crimson Throne

“You want to do it, you’re not just doing this for me?” Lennox searched my face for any sign of hesitancy.

“No, I want to do this. It will be fun.”

“Fine.” She conceded. “But if anything feels even slightly wrong or bad or anything, you stop. Promise?”

“Promise.” The lie slipped off my tongue easily.

36

LENNOX

I stood outside the closed door, flanked by two of the remaining guards. They had begged me not to come here, but I had to see it for myself. I had to see it to believe it was true.

The metallic scent of blood invaded my nostrils as the door slowly opened.

Blood.

There was so much blood.

It ran in rivulets across the floorboards. I was certain the liquid would stain the room for eternity. I would let it—leave it as a reminder as to what occurred in here.

Something wet landed on my exposed collarbone.

Tears.

I was crying.Again.

The tears mixed with the blood staining my chest, creating a trail through the dried red streaks.

I turned my attention back to the room. There was nothing left to identify.

The scraps of fabric were undetectable as they mixed with the ribbons of flesh heaped on the floor.

Ribbons of flesh.

That’s all that remained of myparents and Nol.

Piles of mutilated flesh.

Gone were their smiling faces. Torn to shreds by vicious bloodthirsty monsters. Dark spots appeared in my periphery. I stumbled as I moved closer to their remains. I willed a flame to my fingertips. Only a small spark flickered.

They deserved better.

They deserved so much better than to be reduced to this.

I directed my small flame toward the piles of flesh.

It took a few seconds for the spark to catch. “What are you doing?” A voice came from behind me, one of the guards that had accompanied me.

“Releasing their souls.” My entire body felt numb as I watched my family’s remains burn.

My mother, father, Nol, this is what they would have wanted. They wouldn’t want anyone to see them like this. They wouldn’t have wanted me to see them like this.

Why them? The three of them were all in here together. They were trying to escape.

They were trying to get to me and Kara. Why had I been able to escape, but they didn’t make it?

Why did they leave me behind?

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