The Two Kings (Afterlife Saga)

by Stephanie Hudson

  This made me momentarily forget about the gruesome wall behind me before it was too late. I backed up until I felt the moving wall but before I could react, a myriad of hands all reached out and grabbed a part of me. I squirmed and twisted to try and get free but it was useless. Their grips tightened around my flesh and pinched my skin, making my eyes water.

  “LET GO!” I screamed and I turned my head around even though there was a hand around my neck. I came face to face with one of the soul’s heads and it looked as though it was smiling like some sadistic toy in a shopping bag! It snapped its teeth closer to my lips and the restraint on my neck prevented my head from moving away. I tried to pull away with harder force but a pair of nails dug deep into my shoulder cutting the flesh there, making me cry out in pain and also remain still. Hands pinned my arms and legs and others gripped my waist. The ones which couldn’t hold on to something just started stroking my trembling skin as if I was now a new pet. They pulled at my clothes to get closer to my warm body and my sweater came off my shoulders.

  As the snapping teeth got closer, I closed my eyes to wait for the deadly impact. I knew pain well but it never prepares you for the next round you face. I tensed my face making it as hard as possible before I could just feel the air it created from its violent movement. Thankfully its breath was caught under the thin barrier but the smell of hot sticky skin filled my nose instead of its foul breath. It was like being centimetres from the mouth of a shark, waiting for that precise moment to take you.

  “Please don’t!” I whimpered out one last time before its teeth came into to contact with my face. Then a great roar filled the room making it stop in fear. It wasn’t the only one, as my body finally stopped struggling under demonic hands. I opened my eyes to see a large fanged mouth open just over my left cheek but it was frozen thanks to the large figure that stood in the far end of the room. The voice came again barking another order out like the hounds of hell and slowly the hands and faces started to retract back into the wall. I moved away quickly, but one last hand, that had its nails still embedded in my shoulder scratched back taking some of my skin with it. My torn t shirt showed four bloody lines where they had left their mark. I screamed at the pain that shot through me and when I heard a whooshing noise next to me I turned to discover who my saviour had been.

  “Ragnar!” I flung myself into his arms and fell onto his solid chest. I could feel the tears of relief rise up and it was only when he grabbed my arms to gently push me back did I start to compose myself. Thankfully he had allowed me to get some of it out before finding out what I was doing down here.

  He looked down at me from his great height as if to give me the once over. He eyed my wounded shoulder and a low growl escaped his lips. He then punched his fist into the wall that had held me captive, causing a wave of agony rippling among the souls. The thick skin like substance bubbled in and out of tortured faces, like a stone thrown into a lake and Ragnar started to curse at it in a different language. Before it could stop showing its aftermath, Ragnar held me under the arm and started to pull me back the way I had come.

  “What are you doing, we can’t go that way!” I tried to protest but his grip tightened making sure I was only going to go the way he wanted me to.

  “You shouldn’t be down here, what were you thinking?” He tried to control his anger but this just enhanced my own.

  “WHAT! Do you know what I have been through?” I tried to stop but against Ragnar it was probably like a fly bugging him.

  “I can imagine!” He said in a flat tone and glanced at my shoulder. I pulled my sweater over it and said in my deflated tone,

  “Its fine!”

  “How did you even get down here? Draven will not be happy!” He just mentioned the magic words to bring me back from my tantrum.

  “Draven…Is he alright, where is he? Does he know that Lucius is here?” From the look on his face he did not! He was still pulling me around the room until we came to a door that I had not seen before. He stopped to look at me just before we went through it and the shock at what I had just said was evident.

  “My Master is fine, of course, and what is this about Lucius?” He said this just as he pulled me through an opening in the rocks and we were both in darkness. I had no idea where he was taking me but the trust I had in him made all my worries fade, like waking from a nightmare and finding someone on the other side to comfort you. The dark tunnel would have been the end of me if it wasn’t for Ragnar’s secure arms that lead me through it with ease. It made me wonder if seeing in the dark was one of his Demon powers. Of course I didn’t ask.

  The dark didn’t last long thanks to Ragnar’s long legs, giving that I had to practically run to keep up with him. The end of the tunnel was also the end of all the prisons as now I found myself standing in the middle of an amazing circular room that was like a smaller temple.

  This one was all white marble with a black and white diamond tiled floor. The walls were covered in black granite statues which sat on thrones of gold in their own little alcoves. Each one was different and they all represented different forces. Wind and the Oceans both had great sapphires and pearls encrusted on their feet, while Fire and the Sun had rubies and amber, held in their hands. There were others like Earth, Night and the Moon all with various gems embedded amongst their figures.

  The part of the walls that weren’t paying testament to these godlike effigies were, in their own right, masterpieces. Covered with so many patterns and carvings you didn’t know where to look. As though your eyes couldn’t take in all the splendour they created. You just wanted to touch them, to run your fingers along the channels that formed integral art. The room was bright like the day’s sun was getting at it somehow but with no windows and the night not yet over, I couldn’t understand where it came from.

  Ragnar realised I was no longer following like the good little sheep he expected of me and that in fact I had stopped dead in the middle of the room. He rolled his eyes and raised his head before backtracking to me. I was still mesmerized by my surroundings, all jaw dropping and wide eyed like, when I felt his strong spade sized hand circle my arm and pull me in the right direction. We crossed the room towards a set of oak doors that looked like they belonged from an ancient church. The wrought iron fixtures creaked as the door opened by two other men. A shocked gasp caught in my throat as I recognised the purple robes I had seen earlier. Ragnar felt me tense at the sight of them and looked down to meet my panicked face.

  “Do not fear, they will not harm you.” His voice was unusually soft and I never expected that a creature so big could even muster up a whisper. The effect it had, made me calm enough to be lead along through the doors into the next room. However this relaxed state didn’t last as long as intended because as soon as I saw the Temple I had fled from now opening up in front of me I started to struggle.

  “What are you doing? LET GO!” I was trying to dig my feet down but Ragnar didn’t even feel my resistance.

  “Don’t cause anymore more problems, young one!” His voice was stern but his face looked guilty and now I knew why….He wasn’t here to help me….he was here to catch me!

  He turned to face me and his massive frame blocked out the view of the Temple at the end of the room. We were now stood in a wide arched room that was lit by crude twisted wood that flamed at the top and was making cracking and splintering noises. I could feel myself well up and his features softened through a watery vision.

  “Why cry?” He asked me, but was he joking? I had been running from the Temple for what seemed like an eternity and now the man I trusted or, more like, who was trusted to keep me safe was actually my enemy. Before I could answer his ridiculous question a voice behind him brought those tears come crashing down my face.

  “Bring her to me!” Ragnar moved to my side allowing the sight of the powerful stance of Lucius, dressed still head to foot in his black robe with the long hood covering his deadly features. My head screamed for ideas, some way, some how to escape but it cam
e up blank. I was faced with two colossal barriers in the form of powerful Demons. Ragnar sensing I might try to run had come up the back of me and when I took a frightened step back, I was met with his impenetrable chest. His two hands held me still, one on my shoulder (the one that wasn’t still killing me) and one on my arm.

  “How could YOU! How could you betray him?” I screamed out in anger at my once loyal bodyguard. Meanwhile the black robe was coming closer and my heart sank further into the pit of misery that Ragnar held me securely over.

  “My Lord!” Ragnar’s head nodded in respect, the way he would have once done towards Draven and at this I couldn’t help shouting out “TRAITOR!” But Lucius started to shake his head before moving too fast for my eyes to see. A black whirl was all I could make out before blinking twice, then, once my eyes had a moment to get back into focus, they were faced with the shadowed face looking down at me. Wow, demons are fast! His hand came up to my face and when I flinched away he growled making me shiver. He shook his head in what looked like disappointment and then delivered the final blow to my mental state, making me want to cry out at the cruel reality when he said…

  “Oh Keira, why did you have to wake up?” The voice was smooth as silk yet it cut through this nightmare like a fatal blow. The voice was masterful but with a loving touch and emotional concern. The voice was lost to me in a sea of questions.

  The voice was none other than that of....

  Dominic Draven.

  Chapter 21

  A Viking’s First Life.

  I wanted to cry out at this cruel turn of events. It had been Draven all along. It had been Draven that had led that sick display in the temple which had resulted in the murder and sacrifice of a young frightened girl. To say I was stunned didn’t even touch on the boundaries to describe my mental state! I was, however, clear on one thing… I was very close to a fully fledged meltdown.

  The minutes felt like hours before anyone said anything. I wasn’t sure whether he was waiting for me to speak first or if he was just giving me time to process all that had happened. I found myself unable to look at him. All I could see was the black cloaked image plunging a blade into a naked girl’s body until it eventually went limp. This was the worst nightmare of all. Everything else that I had seen tonight had been a light summer breeze during a skip in the park compared to this.

  “Keira, look at me!” His voice cut through the silence like an impenetrable force and I had to supress the urge to shudder. I finally made myself look from the floor where I had done all my thinking. He towered over me like an impending doom and I didn’t know what I feared the most, losing the Draven I knew, or meeting the dangerous Draven that I knew he could be. But as soon as I met his intense eyes, I knew I had nothing to fear but the temper that I had witnessed so many times before, like looking down the barrel of a smoking gun, the danger over but it could still leave a nasty burn once touched.

  His powerful hands came to his head and removed his hood so that all his face could now be seen. His features told me he was less than happy but concern was evident in his expression. He started to study me and found my cried out eyes all puffy and red. My pale skin looked white with fright and my hair was now loose from where it had been pulled and tugged at from the wall of souls. So in short, I was a mess.

  His hand came to my face and for a minute I found peace with the feel of his gentle touch on my cold cheek. He traced my jawbone before getting to my bitten lips and his frown brought me back to my situation. I moved my face away from his hand and stepped back, once again into Ragnar’s solid frame. This made all the muscles in Ragnar’s chest tense as I could feel it ripple through my back. This wasn’t the only reaction it caused as now Draven looked furious.

  “Would you like to explain to me exactly what she is doing down here?” His anger echoed off the Temple walls and it took me a minute to realise his question wasn’t directed at me. Was he really going to blame Ragnar for this mess? My answer came in way of Ragnar’s sorry voice.

  “My Master…I do not know.” It was the first time that I heard Ragnar sound anxious.

  “You failed me! Find me the one that granted her access…NOW!” This was by far the most extreme I had seen Draven’s temper get, as the solid stone walls seemed to vibrate enough so that stone dust fell from various parts of the room. Ragnar just nodded and bowed before shouting his own command at some nearby guards. I watched as he walked from behind me towards them and it was only when I felt my own arm being taken hold of, did I turn and look to find Draven pulling me off to one side.

  He swung me round so that he could back me against a stone statue of a warrior on horseback. I now stood at the base of the horse’s legs and when I looked up I saw the huge animal’s head looming over me. My eye line begrudgingly came back down to meet Draven’s cold dark stare, which had me soon wishing I was on the horse’s back next to the warrior.

  “Who brought you down here?” His question took me back.

  “N..n…nobody,” I stuttered out in a timid voice.

  “Keira, do not try my patience, WHO?” His shouting didn’t help matters and it made me want to shout back but for some reason I had lost all fight in me. I had resorted back to that same Keira that I was when I first met him. I had returned back to my pathetic way of being intimidated and controlled. I could feel him invading my mind for the answers and I knew that I would have to find the control that made me different from the rest. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath before answering his interrogation.

  “Like I said, nobody brought me down here. I found my own way…regrettably!” I added bitterly.

  “You’re lying! I warn you Keira do NOT lie to me!” He was getting more irate with each word from my lips but I had to defend myself.

  “Am I?” I snapped back.

  “I am going to give you one last chance!” One eyebrow raised and he folded his arms but with his fists clenching as the seconds ticked by I found myself looking over towards Ragnar for some comfort.

  “There is no use looking at him for help, if he would have done his job properly then this would have never happened!”He barked out.

  “Don’t blame him! He had nothing to do with any of this. And I am tired of trying to tell you that I came down here on my own!” At this his eyes flamed deep purple followed by a change into his Demon form. The last time I had seen him like this was in a very different light but to be on the receiving end of his rage made me want to cower to the floor. However my dignity wouldn’t allow me to react to such extremes, instead I just backed away until my body was flush against the cold stone. This however, wasn’t the only reason for the cold chill that travelled down my spine.

  He looked as though he wanted to explode, but then a figure behind him came into view and his twisted face started to calm. He turned his head as the cloaked figure approached but his body still remained facing me, all tensed, ready to pounce.

  “Dom, calm yourself. Why would she need to lie?” Vincent’s voice had an instant effect bringing his glowing body back down to his normal olive skin colour and this was when I realised that sometimes even without my gift, that if they wanted to, Angels and Demons could make you see their true forms. This I had never known until now and it answered some of my unasked questions. I watched wide eyed as his human form returned and his anger subsided. I found myself mentally thanking Vincent and when I saw him wink at me, when Draven’s gaze fell back on me, I knew that he had heard me.

  “Then explain to me brother, how did she gain access through the Temple doors?” He didn’t take his eyes off me while he addressed Vincent, but Vincent was the one person that wasn’t intimidated by his brother’s temper. If anything he had lain witness to it more than anyone else.

  “I am sure the answers will soon reveal themselves in time, but until then, why frighten the girl you love into telling you something she clearly doesn’t know?” His words hit their mark and almost instantly his features softened into the Draven I knew. I stood deadly still like a cage
d bird as I watched another figure emerge and even though cloaked from head to foot, I knew it to be Sophia. She didn’t speak but now that we had a bigger audience Draven let out a sigh before barking his next command.

  “Ragnar, take Keira back to my chamber, I will be there shortly.” He turned his back to me and this is when I finally found not only my voice but also my own temper.

  “NO! I am going home right now and you can’t stop me!” I stepped forward at this and I could almost hear everyone hold their breath as I made my millionth mistake of the night. He stopped dead and swooped his head round slowly adding to the dramatic affect.

  “Oh can’t I?” He said calmly looking me squarely in the face, but I stood firm.

  “N…no! I am not one of your desperate prisoners or one of your…your frightened servants that has to obey! I’m… I’m my own person and I want to leave!” Everyone looked stunned and all I could hear was my heart beating as though it was about to explode out of my chest and into Draven’s arms.

  He closed his eyes for a second, like he was also living his own personal nightmare and for a minute, I thought he was going to let me have my way but then he motioned for Ragnar to come closer.

  “Very well, so be it! Ragnar take Miss Williams to my chamber, even against her will if need be! And by no means let her leave…Do you understand?” This wasn’t a question but more like a threat.

  I was left dumbfounded! I couldn’t find the words that I wanted to scream out at him. This was the first time he had ever referred to me using my last name and the coldness of it hit me like a sledgehammer. How dare he! This time he did walk away from me and only when Ragnar came behind me to edge me forward did I react.