75

75
The smoke spread through the council hall like a choking fog, thick and noxious, stealing the air from everyone who breathed it in. Within seconds, people were collapsing. The only ones seemingly unaffected were the masked men and Alighiero’s wolves. My vision swam, the edges darkening, but somehow, the poison didn’t seem to affect me as harshly. Through the haze, I saw Ermes, Diamante, and Leandro fall to their knees, gasping for breath, their bodies failing them. Gosto’s warriors faltered, and the moment they weakened, the slaughter began. The masked men struck with merciless precision, transforming the battlefield into a gruesome massacre.
My breath caught as I watched friend after friend crumple to the ground, clawing at the air for oxygen. My heart nearly stopped. I tore a strip from the hem of my skirt, pressing it over my mouth in a desperate attempt to filter the poison. Then I grabbed Diamante by the collar and tried to drag her somewhere safer, anywhere those monsters wouldn’t think to look. Next, I found Leandro he was crawling, dazed and breathless, between the seats. Ermes was nowhere in sight, and I prayed he’d found a place to hide, somewhere they wouldn’t reach quickly. The upper rows had turned into a fog-shrouded abyss. I hoped the smoke obscured enough to hide us.
The shrieks of the helpless mixed with the cruel, unrestrained laughter of the attackers. “No,” I breathed, tears stinging my eyes. This had to be stopped. Someone had to do something.
A group of wolves advanced toward the terrified night council members huddled near the lower tiers. The smoke had rendered them defenseless. I felt the force within me stir hot and furious. My power pulsed beneath my skin, fueled by rage and heartbreak. I had once believed Alighiero to be a just man. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Suddenly, one of the wolves shifted into his beast form and lunged at me. His silhouette was just a blur in the swirling smoke. But he’d made one fatal mistake I’d spent hours training blindfolded. Closing my eyes, I let my other senses sharpen. My grip tightened on the dagger, and I slashed. The blade struck true, slicing clean through muscle and bone. The beast’s scream echoed before it crumpled to the floor. I moved quickly, dispatching two more with deadly precision.
But then a cold sensation crept up my spine.
My gaze shifted toward the arena just in time to see Alighiero rise, laughing as Gosto and Fosco staggered backward, choking on the poison. They couldn’t fight in their state. Aronne moved in, claws gleaming, and slashed a brutal line across Gosto’s chest and neck.
“It’s time you learned to suffer, brother,” he sneered.
My power surged, vibrating through every nerve. I couldn’t stay still. I turned masked men and wolves were combing the rows of seats. If I didn’t act, they’d find and kill Diamante, Leandro, and Ermes. My heart pounded like a war drum, fury spreading like fire through my veins. My power refused to be directed at just one target I wanted every single one of them dead. I wanted vengeance for the people I loved.
A primal roar erupted from my chest, and with it came a blinding surge of light. It exploded from within me, flooding the hall in a flash that shattered glass and cracked stone. I didn’t care who heard my scream. I wanted them to feel what we had felt.
The resulting soundscape was chaos howls of agony, the clatter of falling weapons, the groan of walls trembling under power. And I felt it all. Their suffering was my retribution.
Then the light vanished, leaving a terrifying stillness in its wake. Exhaustion slammed into me, draining every ounce of strength. I think I fell. Maybe I hit the floor. I couldn’t tell. I just knew I had to keep my eyes open. I couldn’t pass out now.
But then a chilling realization struck me.
What if I hadn’t only destroyed the enemy?
What if I’d hurt everyone?
Fear coiled in my chest. “Gosto!” I rasped, my voice raw. “Gosto?” I called again, panic rising.
I couldn’t move. Even lifting my head was impossible. Tears welled up, slipping down my cheeks. “What have I done?” I whispered, trembling from head to toe. My heart thrashed wildly. “Oh God… I became a monster.”
A soft voice broke through the panic like a balm. “You’re not a monster, Domitilla.”
Gosto knelt beside me, gently brushing the hair from my face. I tried to reach for him, but my arm barely lifted. I think I smiled, or tried to. He was bleeding his shirt soaked in crimson, torn in several places but he was alive. He would heal.
“Thank God,” I murmured as fresh tears rolled down.
“Shhh,” he soothed, wiping them away. “You saved us,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “You saved us all.”
Only then did my body allow itself to surrender. My eyes closed.
“She may sleep for days,” Fosco’s voice drifted into the darkness.
He sounded close, perhaps right outside the door. “I can’t even wrap my head around the power she unleashed in that hall.”
“Shouldn’t that terrify us a little?” Ermes replied, nervous tension in his voice. “She hasn’t even fully awakened.”
Then smack.
“Shit! What was that for?” Ermes grunted.
“You should shut the fuck up and thank Domitilla for saving your damn life,” Diamante snapped. I almost smiled.
My awareness was returning, but slowly, as if my senses had to reboot one by one. Finally, my eyes fluttered open… to darkness. It was night. I was lying on a bed but not the one in Gosto’s home.
We moved? Why? Wasn’t that place safe?
Are we even safe now?
“How long can we stay here?” Leandro asked, echoing my thoughts.
“I bought this land after Gualtiero freed me from his prison,” Gosto explained. “Alighiero never knew about it. It should be safe for now. There are training grounds nearby, and we can pitch tents for our army. Better to regroup here than leave our forces scattered across Santini lands especially since my brother has access to all of them by blood.”
“Do we know the full death toll?” Leandro asked.
A weighted silence followed before Fosco cleared his throat. “We lost thirty guards during the first wave. Fifty more fell when they unleashed the poison.”
A painful tightness gripped my chest. So many lives lost because of one man’s hunger for control. As my mind became clearer, more questions followed. How had we gotten out of the council chamber? Were Alighiero and Aronne still alive?
I tried to sit up and immediately groaned from the strain.
“Did you hear that?” Diamante whispered.
Seconds later, Gosto burst through the door and rushed to my bedside. “Domitilla. You’re awake.” His voice shook with relief.
He leaned over and kissed me soft, warm, alive.
Diamante came in behind him, flicking on a lamp. “Can you move? Are you in pain?”
My throat was bone-dry, but before I could speak, Gosto lifted my head and brought a glass to my lips.
“Thank you,” I whispered. I turned to Diamante. “I… I don’t think I’m in pain. Just too weak to move.”
“That’s normal,” Gosto said gently. “I’ll carry you if needed.”
I smiled faintly. “I’ll recover soon.”
“Don’t push yourself,” Diamante said firmly. “What you did no one else could have. It’s only been three days.”
My eyes widened. “Three days?”
She nodded. “Honestly, we didn’t expect you to wake up yet.”
A breathless laugh escaped me. “Right…”
But then I noticed the tension in Gosto’s face. “So… what happened?”
He inhaled deeply. “Your light targeted Alighiero’s wolves and all the masked warriors. Somehow, your power recognized the enemy and destroyed them.”
“All of them?” I asked, already bracing for the answer.
“Aronne, Alighiero, and a handful of the strongest wolves survived,” Fosco said, stepping inside. “They were gravely wounded, but they got away. They’ll heal. And they’ll come back.”
“They will,” Gosto confirmed, his hands clenching until his knuckles turned white. “But next time, we’ll be ready. And we’ll end this for good.”