Chapter 54

“B-b-Briseis? I don’t know where she is.” Lord Stevano trembled under Seraphina glare.

“LIES!”

The terror in Seraphina’s voice froze him.

Her hot gaze bore into him, boiling him from the inside out. A sardonic smile appeared on Seraphina’s lips as Lord Stevano tried to squirm under her hold to get away from her burning eyes.

Achilles soft hand came to caress Seraphina’s arm.

“My sweet flower, are you sure you want to do this? Aurelia and I will happily take over… If you do this, there won’t be any coming back from it.”

Seraphina’s head snapped round to look at Achilles though, when she saw his gentle expression, her demeanour softened and her shoulders slumped down. Her eyes returned to their usual blue and purple as tears began to streak down her cheeks.

“Achilles…What have I done? All these people? They are dead because of me.”

Pulling her into an embrace, Achilles stroked Seraphina’s hair as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

“They are dead because of who they aligned themselves to, Seraphina you are not to blame. Circumstances have forced your hand on this occasion, I should’ve been the one to take your revenge, you shouldn’t have to carry this burden.”

A stomach-turning chuckle pulled Seraphina’s attention away from Achilles.

“HA! I knew it, I knew you were weak! A weak, pathetic little slave girl!”

Free from her torment, Lord Stevano stood from his throne and began to prowl towards Seraphina, though his steps were shadowed with a limp, he seemed completely unphased by Aurelia or Achilles presence.

“Take another step Stevano, I dare you,” Aurelia glowered at him.

Lord Stevano’s laughter filled the hall. “Oh, silly girl, there’s nothing you or any of your blood line can do to harm me, I had Briseis make sure of that a long time ago.”

Aurelia’s growl crackled through the air as she shifted and lunged herself at the Lord.

Before her teeth could make contact with him, her body was expelled back through the air until she came to a skidded landing.

She stalked back up to Lord Stevano, her low growl causing the windows to rattle.

“You’d be foolish to try again, girl! You can’t touch me but I, I can kill all of you without a second thought. When I’m through with you, I might even have to get rid of that little vermin you call a son!”

Lord Stevano’s attention was pulled away from Aurelia by the sounds of flapping followed by a stiff breeze passing over his face.

Seraphina dropped down onto her feet in front of him, her wings fanned out behind her, her tail whipping round to wrap around the Lord’s waist.

She pulled him towards her so his face was mere centimetres from hers.

“Don’t you dare threaten my son.”

“Oh, I see…Using the poor bastard child as a replacement for your twin bra-“

Seraphina swiped a claw across his face, cutting him from ear to ear and silencing the Lord.

“Speak of any of my children again and I will tear your tongue from your mouth.”

Lord Stevano clutched his face trying to slow the bleeding of the open wounds.

It was no use though, as Seraphina had learnt the hard way, a wound by dragon claw would not heal so easily.

Seraphina took another step towards the Lord causing him to tumble back as he tried to hastily retreat.

“I’ll ask you again, Where. Is. Briseis?”

The Lord looked on in horror as Seraphina’s gaze began to burn him again, he spasmed and jerked and curled his body up as screams of pain filled the room.

“I…I…d-don’t know!” he stuttered as he continued to toss and turn in a futile attempt to ease his suffering.

“Did she kill my babies?!”

The burning intensified as the Lord tried to drag his body away from her. Her pointed tail whipped around and pierced through his hand pinning him to the ground. Blood curdling shrieks echoed through the hall.

“ANSWER HER!” Achilles roared from behind Seraphina.

The lord opened his mouth though, only breathless cries escaped. He nodded his head vigorously as tears streamed down the sides of his face.

“WHY?” Achilles had joined Seraphina’s side now.

The lord just continued to shake his head, panting slightly as he tried to breath through the pain.

“Answer or I will increase your suffering.” Seraphina’s voice was cold, hollow, completely disconnected.

“I-I don’t know… I don’t know… I swear I don’t. I- I t-think she just wanted you to s-suffer.”

Blood started to seep from the Lords nose, eyes and ears with tendrils of smoke as she intensified her burning stare.

“Suffer?... SUFFER? HAVE I NOT SUFFERED ENOUGH? AND FACILITATED BY YOU NO LESS!”

The lord had no answer to give her, he just continued his cries as he pounded his free fist against the floor, sobs wracking his body.

“Seraphina… Just end his life now. If you continue to torture him, it will leave a greater mark on you.” Aurelia had shifted back and was at Seraphina’s side with concern filled eyes.

“And? So what if it does? If you could see the marks that I wore over the years, you would understand that nothing I could do to this vermin in a night would ever compare.”

Achilles wrapped his arm around Seraphina’s waist. “He will die regardless of whether or not you bring him suffering. He will not live to remember the pain he inflicted. You, you will remember. Do you really want to carry the weight of that for the rest of your life?”

Seraphina looked between Achilles and Aurelia and then back to Lord Stevano who was still bleeding out at her feet. His now disfigured face made even more brutal by the blood spilling from his orifices.

With a sigh, she walked toward Lord Stevano and picked him up from the floor. She sat him down at her feet, placing a hand either side of his head.

She leant down until her lips brushed his ear.

“I know it is not likely but, I hope you will remember this pain even in your afterlife. I hope all of the suffering you inflicted on others is manifested in you, I pray that you spend your eternity burning in the very flames that consumed my parents.”

And with her final words, she summoned all of her strength and tore the Lord’s head from his shoulders, letting it drop to the floor next to her with a thud.

The headless, lifeless body slumped down onto the ground as the Lord’s heart beat a final time.

Seraphina stood motionless, blood dripping from her hands. She stared off into the distance as tears formed in her eyes.

Achilles wrapped his arms around her waist as he pulled her in to an embrace.

“Let’s get you home and cleaned up my sweet flower.”

Seraphina shook her head at him causing the tears to spill.

“W-what about Briseis? We must find her?”

Achilles pressed his lips to her forehead.

“And we will my sweet flower but, right now, you need a bath and rest. Our son needs his mother.”

Seraphina offered him a weak teary smile as she nodded her response.

Achilles bend down and swept an arm behind Seraphina’s knees, knocking her off of her feet and into his waiting arms.

“Come on my sweet flower,” he placed a gentle kiss on her temple before turning to Aurelia.

“Aurelia, burn this place down please.”

Aurelia gave him a single, resolute nod and a sinister smile played across her face.

“With pleasure.”