Page 15 of A Broken Promise

“Lord Destroyer General, welcome!” Lord Inadios bowed as low as his round waist allowed him, his voice trembling. There was nothing left of the cocky, pompous Lord from the night before. It was as if he had completely evaporated; now a mere rat, cornered by a mighty snow leopard.

“Lord Inadios,” the General replied, his voice husk, commanding; so crisp that I could feel it slicing my bones down to the marrow. He didn’t bother to dismiss the still-bowing Lord.

“We are so pleased you have honored us with your visit, great Lord Destroyer General,” Inadios whined back, his face turning bright red from all the blood pooling up as he still bowed.

“Even miserable rats like you, Inadios, need a visit once in awhile.” The Destroyer General waved his armored hand, releasing Inadios from his bow.

“My Lord Destroyer General, we are truly blessed in your presence,” Inadios screeched again. The Destroyer General ignored him as he sat on one of the small couches not too far from the pedestal, his large, armored figure filling the seat made for two. His soldiers remained standing so still that I wasn’t sure they were breathing.

“Sit, Inadios, before your disgusting face hits the floor,” he ordered.

“Yes, Great General. Thank you, my Lord,” Inadios replied as he sunk into his chair. He looked so small and so miserable right now that somewhere deep in my heart, I felt bad for him.

“I see you’ve cleaned up the place since the last time I visited,” the General nonchalantly mentioned as he took a slow scan of the room.

“Oh yes, my Lord, I have taken your advice and made sure the manor is up to your standards.”

The Destroyer General chuckled. So callous. Hairs on my neck stood up, as if life itself dwindled at the sound.

“You are a funny man, Inadios, to assume this shithole is ever going to be up to my standards.” He paused; his eyes glanced over the white skulls on the carved table. Inadios froze. I could almost smell his panic, his fear, as the General continued. “Maybe you should try again but this time start fresh… after I turn this hideous rock to ashes.” The Destroyer General paused, his words echoing through the room, as a small white and silver flame appeared at the sway of his fingers.

The Cleansing Fire.

My heart stopped. Fully stopped. So did time. I could see the small specks of dust freeze in the air, as if sensing it too. The little droplets of sweat on the Inadios’s face pooled in horror. I didn’t dare look at the General, but my blood churned at the presence of that silver flame. I could feel it burning me even far across the room.

A blink. My heart resumed beating, now racing so fast that it was hard to breathe. The loose dress, even with the low cut and no corset, felt suffocating.

I needed to breathe, to calm myself, but I couldn’t.

“My Lord, Destroyer General…” Inadios began after a brief pause but didn’t get to finish as I dropped to my knees panting and gasping for air. My head was spinning. The guard jerked on my leash, forcing me to rise. The rope asphyxiated me even more.

I needed air, needed my lungs to work. I felt the tight reins of the self-control I held my mind with completely disappear as I spiraled down into the abyss.

There was one rule, and one rule only that Tuluma made me follow, that I had memorized before I even knew my name: to stay away from Destroyers; to run even at the slight flicker of their flames, their presence.

Like a frightened animal, I pushed the guard with everything I had and lunged towards the door, ignoring all instincts but one.

Run.

I wasn’t sure where or what, but I had to run.

Without even reaching the door, my rope got caught and yanked back so hard that I crashed all the way to the stone floor, brutally falling on my back. Warm liquid trickled down my head. The loud ringing in my ears joined blurred vision.

Breathe.

Breathe.

I willed myself, reaching for those reigns. Control. I need to control my rancid mind.

Two guards dragged me across the floor to Lord Inadios’s pedestal. They held me up tightly by my arms as I thrashed in their grasp, ignoring the mind shattering pain rolling through me with each move.

My mind locked on one thing.

Run.

Run.

Run.

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