The Wildest Woods

by S. K Munt

  ‘How did you escape the avalanche, Kohén?’ I asked, pained to see that Ora was wiping tears out from under her eyes. What a day she’d picked to visit us again! ‘Must be quite the tale!’

  ‘I jumped,’ Kohén said flatly. ‘Over a ravine, and I managed to catch Ambrose’s hand when it looked like he was going to fall short.’

  ‘You’re a hero…’ Amelia-Rose breathed, but Kohén and the boy beside him exchanged a loaded look, that Ambrose broke away from first, wiping dust and blood off the cover of the large leather satchel that he was holding. It was an odd-looking thing, more like an Artisan’s portfolio and less like a backpack, and I wondered how he’d survived at all if he had an Artisan’s nature for they tended to be very soft.

  ‘No. I’m just part of a team, and Ambrose here has saved my life as well.’ He turned back to me. ‘But the other’s couldn’t make the same leap, your highness, and either fell to their deaths, or were crushed.’

  I sighed sadly. ‘I’m very sorry to hear that.’

  Kohén’s eyes had been neon since he’d entered my office, but now he raised an eyebrow. ‘Which part? That they didn’t make the jump? Or that I did?’

  My abdomen sucked in, flinching as blades of guilt stabbed into it while Ora began to weep again and Amelia-Rose crossed herself. I opened my mouth to protest that he had me all wrong, but I knew he wouldn’t believe me. Yes I’d wanted him out of sight and had been endeavouring to keep him that way for years, but I’d never wanted him dead. Maybe I’d said things in anger that had led him to believe otherwise, but I still loved the little shit! He and Kohl were the only family that I had left! Shouldn’t he just be able to sense that?

  I knew why he resented me for working him so hard, but why couldn’t he understand that I had the weight of the world on my shoulders? And that the only way that I could preserve any part of his reputation, was by making it public knowledge that I was forcing him to atone for his crimes? Besides, I could only imagine how he’d feel, if I’d successfully turned Larkin Whittaker towards God and away from him by taking her into my arms! Jesus! He probably would have electrocuted me on the spot and kicked my corpse for good measure after!

  Yeah but the difference is… he doesn’t know what you lost that night, does he? And you’re going to great lengths to make sure he doesn’t find out for fear that not only will he electrocute you anyway, but that he’ll be well within his rights to!

  He didn’t know how to make her happy!

  No one here did! That’s why she left!

  The voices in my head were killing me, and it was no surprise that the one attacking me sounded a lot like Ora’s. ‘Kohén-’

  ‘If you’re satisfied that you know every pertinent fact, may Ambrose and I please be excused?’ Kohén interrupted, cutting me off and holding a hand up to Shepherd Choir when he attempted to approach him. ‘I’d like to return to the barracks, wash that hell off me, have a solid meal, complete my report- and then commence my leave. A sentiment that I’m sure my comrade shares.’

  I looked to the Guard beside Kohén, embarrassed, and a bit chilled by the wrathful way that he was staring at me- like he could see into me and all of my fears and flaws and insecurities. God, what had Kohén been telling his soldiers? That they were being killed, one by one, because they had the misfortune of being saddled with him?

  ‘Request denied, Guardian,’ I said, sitting up straighter and trying to look more composed. ‘Though I’m confident that you’ll fill out an adequate report, there are things that I’d like to know about the north that I’m sure you will not think to mention. On top of that, it is plain that you have had a very difficult time, and I must insist that both of you stay here in the comfort of the palace while you recuperate.’

  ‘Thank God,’ Amelia-Rose whispered.

  Kohén’s brow knitted. ‘I don’t-’

  ‘That’s an order, Guardian.’ I glanced over at Ora again and was rewarded with a small, watery smile. ‘In addition to the palace’s hospitality, you will both be receiving twice the wages that you were promised. And the families of the soldiers that were lost will receive that too, as well their medals for valour, and a bonus of one thousand Cadians for bereavement.’

  ‘You’re being very generous, your highness, and if it is a command, Guard Selleck and I will stay for fear of being whipped for disobedience… again.’ Kohén stood taller, smoothing his filthy uniform. ‘But please, do not fritter away another Cadian in compensations for the lives that were lost, there’s no point-’ he shot me a baleful glare before he turned and moved towards my door, ‘-no one that went on that mission had a family to return to anyway.’

  He opened the door, waved Ambrose through it, shot me one final look of loathing, and then slammed it so hard behind them and between us, that the walls shook.

  *

  I tried to do what I could to establish some kind of rapport with Kohén over the next two days, but it didn’t matter how many delicious meals I had sent to him, how well I healed his ailments or how hard I tried to heal his spirits, he retreated further and further into himself, shutting down like a gate dropping.

  I wasn’t the only one that tried to connect with him, but not only did he refuse to speak with Amelia-Rose or her father at all, but he scolded Ora so badly for trying to soothe him when he knew how much she loathed him, that she ended up running from the room in tears. He called her a fake just like every other member of the noble caste, and said that she and Amelia-Rose both would waste less time if they focused on comforting the monarchs that would actually hold some sway over the world someday- his two brothers- because he had no intention of inheriting a crown, and would lob it out the same window that Larkin Whittaker had flown off through if one was ever forced upon him.

  Naturally, I found that incredibly alarming. Sure, Kohén had a lot of weaknesses, but even when he was on his knees and being beaten, he’d demonstrated that he possessed the dignity, graciousness and piousness that the men in our family were famous for maintaining, and I knew that once he’d grown into his body and his hormones, he’d prove to be a damned good ruler. Though our youngest brother had a strong character and a spine to match, I’d never looked at him and seen a future king because he was definitely more likely to serve his own wants and needs before others. I didn’t think poorly of him for that, because some of the things that he wanted were selfless, kind and fair… but he was easily influenced, and a liberal in every sense of the word, and was apt to stand up to a sea of God-fearing faces for one thieving, God-hating underdog simply because he felt for the man’s plight. And even if he wasn’t like that, the fact was that Kohén had had twelve years of education and training that Kohl had not, so if Kohén refused the title of Crowned Prince, I wouldn’t be able to go ahead with my plans of turning Pacifica into a sovereign of its own the following year, because I’d be the only legitimate heir left.

  Naturally, I sought Kohén out after that, hoping to appeal to his common sense for the good of the world, and had found him holed up again in our private library in the royal suite, where he’d spent most of the weekend with his new second in command Guardian, Ambrose Selleck. As always, Ambrose was in the furthest, darkest corner sketching away, but instead of reading, Kohén was at the desk and writing something. I watched them for a moment, thinking things over, then thought about the way that Kohén’s eyes had been glowing all week. What if it wasn’t me that he was upset with… what if he was merely frustrated in a way that onlyI could understand?

  What if he didn’t need a king to talk to, but a brother?

  ‘Hey,’ I said, coming up behind him and peering over his shoulder, but Kohén covered up the page before I could make out anything but the fact that it was a letter. ‘Can we talk?’

  ‘No, this is a library.’ Kohén pointed to the books over the top of his desk, just in case I was a complete fucking moron. ‘You’re supposed to be silent.’

  There was no such rule in our private library because I’d built it for Shepherd Choir
and not for public use, but I opted to placate him rather than point out that he was wrong- again. ‘Then let’s talk outside,’ I said through gritted teeth, and with a sigh, he’d folded the paper up, stuffed, it into a book in his bag, and then had followed me out into the hall and towards our private stairs. Ambrose looked up, eyebrows raised, but Kohén merely shook his head, so his comrade went back to what he was doing, unmoved.

  We descended into the hall and then out into the private throne room, and I sighed knowingly when I saw Kohén stare out at the construction sight of the new harem and scowl while turning away from it and quickening his step. The throne room was full of people listening to Shep’s Sunday evening sermon as we strode through it, and although they all turned to watch us with interest and even sympathy, Kohén did not take his eyes off the ground once.

  ‘What’s with you, kid?’ I asked, nudging his shoulder. ‘I know things have been strained between us for the past few years, but I’ve been trying to make an effort this weekend, and you’re growing even more antagonistic and withdrawn. Are you upset with me for sending you on that mission? Or upset with yourself for how it went?’

  ‘Am I supposed to pick just one?’

  I made a face. ‘No, but I get the feeling that there’s more to it than that, and I’m worried about you.’ I turned him to face me, stopping him in just before we reached the corridor that led past the ballroom and out towards Miguel’s cottage, not wanting this conversation to take place where our last deep and meaningful had because like my former chamber, Larkin’s old garden and the area around the Statue Of Liberty, this part of the palace was haunted by ghosts of wrongs gone by. ‘You said that pretty little branded girl was just your friend, but if she was more than that to you, and you’re currently mourning a lover please- know that you can confess that to me.’ He looked up, blinking, and I saw that his friend Ambrose had followed us downstairs after all and was currently standing beside Ora and Amelia-Rose, watching us with sharp brown eyes. ‘It would have been breaking the rules to meddle with her, but she would have been sterilised when she was branded, so I suppose there wasn’t any real harm in-’

  ‘Save your breath and your benevolence, your highness,’ Kohén snapped. ‘I have never meddled with anyone that I wasn’t legally entitled to meddle with! I was her commanding officer, not her dominant, and-’

  ‘Have you been with anyone at all?’ I asked quickly, not missing the way his eyes slitted. ‘Because I suspect that you haven’t- or you could say that I recognise your mood, because I have been in a similar state of frustration for the past two years that I know you couldn’t possibly have the tenacity to tolerate at your age.’ I tried to make a joke, hoping to lighten the conversation. ‘Or a healing fist. And if that is the case, I’m afraid that I must insist that you get to a harem as soon as you can, and rid yourself of your-’

  ‘You are un-fucking-believable!’ Kohén snapped, shoving me, and I heard a few people gasp. ‘Not everything that is wrong with me and this kingdom is my dick’s fault, Karol! And not one thing about the way the men in this family handle their dicks and their frustrations is right, either!’ he did an about face and charged past me, ranting openly and publicly and making my blood boil even under my shock. ‘I don’t want a harem full of girls! I want to be able to fall in love with one, and not have to give her gold for her time!’

  ‘Kohén!’ I hissed, grabbing him by the scarf that had unravelled from his uniform and yanking him back. ‘Get a hold of yourself!’

  ‘No, you get a hold of your self, and your dick, and deal with your frustrations your way while I deal with mine- by leaving this cesspool!’ Kohén lifted his arm and quickly slashed it through mine, breaking my grip and damn near snapping the bone. Pain rocketed through me, and because I’d been down in the cellar with mother all morning, I hadn’t the power to take it away or to ease the witnesses unsettled emotions. ‘This palace isn’t a paradise- it’s a hotbed of repressed emotions, false idolatry, God-complexes and unsolicited sex with brainwashed little girls… all covered up by the magic that is performed by our imprisoned Nephilim, and I will NOT rule over it! In fact, I’d sooner die!’ he backed away from me while the courtiers gasped and began to whispered amongst themselves, and it wasn’t until I heard a few people clap and cheer that I realised just how much my brother hated me and this kingdom, and that he wasn’t alone in his convictions. ‘Having a personal sex-slave that was right for me in every way RUINED me, Karol! And the only reason why it didn’t ruin you, is because you don’t have what it takes to love someone- no man in this family ever has, not since Miguel died- not until I came along! But I am the one that is shamed for how I handled my feelings for her?I am the one scolded for fucking up the system? Ha! The Given caste is what was fucked up and it still is, not the girl that was driven out of her mind within it, and not the prince that was commanded to treat her like human trash!’ Kohén whirled around and cupped his mouth while projecting: ‘Cum in her! Stick it up her ass! Blow your load in her wherever you please because it’s safe, but for the love of God don’t you DARE love her! And don’t you dare try to convince her that you do because there’s a very good chance that your fifth birthday present was a DEMON!’ Someone fainted and I wasn’t far behind them, but Kohén spun back to face me, looking downright disgusted by me. ‘Yeah well, for a while I believed that I had to use her or blow up, and so I committed a string of atrocities that I feel in my soul, even if I can’t feel them in my memories. But I went two years without using a woman so I know it can be done, and I’m not drinking the fucking Kool-Aid anymore, you hear me? I will never force Wildwood’s sap into a woman’s uterus again for my pleasure, or condone anyone that would! And if you lay one more brick on that harem, instead of investing the money into the obliteration of the third-born caste, I’ll shove a poisoned tracking device up your royal ass, and throw you out your tower window myself!’

  I saw red, but in that blinding flash of anger, Kohén pivoted and strode towards the front door, still ranting, still waving his arms about- still commanding the attention of every single person in that room, and there I was nothing I could do but watch him go, because I was fairly certain that if I went after him, one of us would end up dead, and I had no idea which one it would be, or who the world would be better without.

  Guard Selleck took off after his commanding officer, but not before shooting a smug, hateful smile my way, and I was so gutted by the look on the faces of my frightened people that I could have sunk to my knees and sobbed. Not because Kohén was wrong, because he’d made a lot of good, painful points, but because I didn’t know how to make anything right. Sure, I could obliterate the Companion Caste, but if I did that… wouldn’t Larkin Whittaker win? Wouldn’t I be saying that she’d been right to act as she had? Perhaps she had been, in the beginning, but every time I remembered seeing my father’s lifeless corpse, and every time I remembered how heartlessly she had first rejected me and then told me that he was dead, I was reminded by the fact that Larkin Whittaker had mishandled her urges as badly as all of the Barachiels had mismanaged their own.

  I was reminded by the fact that Kohén and I had tried to grant her every heart’s desire- and she had not only thrown them in our face, but splattered us with the blood of our loved ones.

  Ora was making her way over to me, looking like she’d had the fright of her life, but I couldn’t stand to be scolded or comforted, not now- and I certainly couldn’t stand to be stared at like that either. For lack of anything better to do, I broke into a sprint, heading back for the sanctity of my private suite, and just to make sure that no one got it in their heads to follow me or even attempt to talk to me the way my brother just had, I knocked over a potted plant and the marble pillar that it was standing on, sending both to the ground with a thunderous crash, and then sent my boot into a pile of bricks in the gaping hole in our wall as I rounded the corner to my stairwell. My advisors had recommended that I do something to cover up that hole, for fear that Larkin would fly right
through it, but I’d left Eden open to invasion because my fondest dream was that she would try exactly that- giving me the opportunity to pin her down, fuck her until her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and then pluck out every one of her feather’s one by one. Maybe she’d tried to burn me, but she loved cock and everyone knew it, so odds were that she’d let me get away with using her, just as she’d allowed Kóhen to.

  The rage that had descended over me was so opaque that it began to feel like black madness, but I found my way into my suite and charged back into the library, making a beeline for Kohén’s stuff. Regardless of how badly our brotherly chat had gone, he’d proven that I was right to be concerned and so, I thought nothing of opening the book that he’d stuffed away, and taking the letter out from inside it. My eyes were glassy and stinging with tears, but they travelled across the words until they began to make sense, and when I realised the intention of the note, my blood turned to ice:

  To whom it may concern,

  Though I know it will bring great shame upon my family, and damn my soul to hell, I have decided that I would sooner burn for all eternity for the sins that I have committed, then live another day as a Barachiel. You will find my body crushed, bloody and bloated at the bottom of the Tidal Falls if I am not forced into the quicksand beneath it, and you will probably all be horrified by how painful my last moments were, but make no mistake of it- my death will hurt less than life in this body does, and my suffering will be only half of whatever Larkin Whittaker must have endured in her captivation-