Chapter 49: A Queen Among Blood: Chapter Forty-Nine - Osiah
I can tell from the scent she hasn’t been in here in a while. I close my eyes and let the energy inside me feel out for her and as I do an image of her standing beside the Orraikam with one of her sisters enters my mind clear as a bell. My heart squeezes in my chest as for just a moment, I focus on the Orraikam as it shines its radiant light on Yildiz. I haven’t seen it in thousands of years. Even after all this time seeing it still hurts my heart. I take a deep breath and push the thoughts aside. So Yildiz is on guard duty. Odd considering she just did that a couple days ago. No matter, I’ll just hang out in here until she’s done. I could snoop around a bit undetected, but that’s just not my style.
I go to lie down on her bed and get comfortable when an idea pops in my head. In a split second, I’m appearing in the Kartheca’s garden surrounded by stunning varieties of flora. Tulips, snowdrops, crocuses, lilies and so many more are in full bloom creating a cascade of colours around the garden giving it a somewhat ethereal appearance. I wish Yildiz could see this, it’s a stunning sight.
While she can’t see any of these flowers, she can indulge in their scent, so I do a quick assessment of which floral scents complement each other the best with a plan to fill her room with those exact flowers. I think she will love the gesture, and I know since her sister died she’s had very negative feelings about her home. I’m hoping this will give her new and happy memories to overshadow the bad ones.
Just as I have decided which flowers I’ll use the scent of fresh lightning invades my nostrils like a virus. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, my hands ball into fists and I fight the predatory instinct rising inside me that wants to release my canines and go for blood.
“Picking flowers? Oh, how far you’ve fallen,” a booming voice laughs behind me. I slowly turn around, glaring murderously at the son of a bitch who ruined my life and dared to harm Yildiz.
Standing just a few feet away is someone I haven’t seen in thousands of years and frankly never wanted to see again. His liquid silver eyes are staring at me with profound hatred as his 7’9” bulging muscular frame takes a somewhat bored stance. His hair is whiter than the whitest snow and falls down past his shoulders, blending into his matching beard and moustache. He’s wearing a thick, black turtleneck jumper with sleeves that come down past his knuckles, with a black leather jacket over the top of that, along with tight grey leggings with ribbing down the front and flat sole, black Dr Martens. Does he think he’s dressing for fucking winter? It’s Turkey in the middle of summer for fuck sake.
“If you have come to harm Yildiz again I swear I will fucking end you,” I spit venomously.
He smiles with amusement, “I had considered it, but you’ve been doing a good job of shielding her from me, so I thought to myself. I said, Jartre, why bother tormenting that little Turkish fairy, when you can just go for the one you really hate? So here I am,” he says, opening his arms wide as a malicious smile takes over his face.
“You can torture me all you want, it’s nothing compared to the hell you’ve had me living.”
“That’s the whole point of a punishment. It’s not supposed to be fun, and I don’t appreciate Zarseti deciding you’ve suffered enough. I decide when you’ve had enough,’ he seethes, the tone of his voice causing thunder to rumble.
“You haven’t fucking changed. Still blaming everyone else for your issues and not doing a damn fucking thing to fix them. I’m sick of you blaming me! I did nothing to you! But you continue to punish me, and now you’re taking it out on innocent people, AGAIN. Or have you forgotten what happened the last time your darkness got the best of you?” I say defiantly.
His silver eyes flash brightly, and in a sudden motion, he raises his hand to the sky. Not a moment later a bolt of lightning descends from the sky striking me directly. The air is filled with the sound of my screams as every cell in my body feels like it’s being burnt to ash. When the lightning strike ends, I fall onto my hands and knees coughing and gasping for air as smoke rises from my body. “You… sick… bastard,” I pant, each word and breath setting my lungs ablaze.
Slowly he walks over to me, grabs my hair, and yanks my head backwards, forcing me to look up at him. “Why you? Why did she decide you deserve to be happy? You took the woman I loved from me, and she blesses you with a cosmic companion,” he seethes, rage burning like fire in his eyes.
“Do you hear yourself? It’s my fault the woman you loved spread her legs for more than just you and it’s my fault Zarseti gave me an animai. Heavens forbid you once in your life point blame in the right place you delusional, psychotic prick!” I shout as I direct every ounce of my energy into my hands as I shove him with all my might. The moment my hands touch his chest a blast of azure-blue energy erupts from my hands blasting him across the garden, demolishing trees, and structures before he skids across the earth like a comet crash landing and grinding to a halt.
Slowly I get to my feet and tear the now singed, fitted grey t-shirt from my body. I rotate my neck releasing the tension and once again send my energy to my hands as they begin glowing. Just as Jartre begins to get himself up, I disappear only to reappear standing over him. I grab him by the neck, my eyes burning bright with rage and my canines ,on full display, and without hesitation I begin raining down blow after blow to his face. Each punch releases a shockwave of energy across the garden as my fist connects with his face, the sound of each punch booming like the eruption of a volcano.
As I go to land another blow, he catches my fist and glares up at me with absolute fury, “That the best you can do?” he taunts.
A ball of white energy surrounds his other hand, sparking with electricity as he rams his fist into my stomach. The force of the blow blasts me across the grounds of the Kartheca as the electricity causes havoc all over my body. The impact of my body hitting the ground causes the stone beneath me to crack and form a crater under my body as dirt and rock erupt around me. I cough and gasp for air as I slowly turn onto my front and force myself back to my feet.
“Gotta hand it to you, I thought you’d be rusty after all this time, but it seems you can still hold your own. But not for long.”
“You talk a big game, Jartre. But you’re not winning this time.”
A snarl escapes my lips as we run at each other, colliding like two planets whose impact will bring nothing but destruction and devastation. We each trade blow for blow, the ground beneath our feet shaking as our fists make contact. I’m about to block his oncoming attack when I’m momentarily distracted by the scent of warm vanilla and fresh orchids at the height of spring. I turn my head in horror as I see Yildiz rush towards us, stumbling down the garden steps clutching her abdomen as golden blood drips from the side of her mouth.
“OSIAH!” she screams, her voice full of fear and her face contorted in pain.
A smug smirk creeps up on Jartre’s face, “Now it’s about to get interesting.”