Unforgivable Read online

  Jamus moved to the doorway. “Look out there at them Sofia.”

  She moved herself to stand beside him and looked up into the crowd of moaning dead. “I only know a few of them, who are the rest and why are they here haunting me?”

  “You killed them, all of them.”

  “No I didn’t, I only killed a few of them.” Sofia countered yet she felt the guilt spread through her. “I couldn’t have, I have never saw them before.”

  “I am so sorry Sofia.” Jamus whispered. “Their blood stains your hands and you must face them to understand and free yourself.” He grabbed her arm, his grip was absolute.

  “No father, please!” Sofia cried out as she tried to pull away. “Father no! Don’t do this to me!”

  “I love you too much not to.” He pushed her out into the room and closed the door.

  Sofia threw herself at the door but it did not budge and she knew she would not get in. She looked down at her hands; they were dripping with slick blood. She could hear the voices behind her moving closer. The moans and cries of their agony and questions grated through her every fibre. She felt hands upon her skin, and with each new one a vivid flash assaulted her memories.

  She gasped for air as she woke, her fingertips nearly raw already from desperately clawing herself to the corner of her cell. The air burned in her raw throat and she tried to calm her sporadic breaths but had little luck. Her muscles ached from the constant trembling spasms that beset her entire body.

  She could hear the whimpering of a child and knew it came from her own lips, as the memories relived themselves over and over within her mind. So many faces battled through her thoughts - they cried out to her, begged and pleaded with her as their expressions twisted in terror before her. She remembered everything now…every horrible and violent little detail.

  Tears streamed down her dirt caked cheeks, as she stared down at her hands. She could feel the blood that tainted them now, innocent blood. Panic overtook her and she tried to feverishly rub them clean on her tattered pants and shirt but no matter what she did, she could feel it buried into her very pores.

  “What have I done?” She whimpered rocking herself back and forth. “What have I become? I...I am no better than which I hunt.”

  “Talamar we have to go now!” A stern, guff voice commanded.

  Sofia turned to see Talamar and Herman standing on the other side of her cell door, but no matter how hard she tried to her eyes always went back to the rotting corpse of her father.

  Talamar stepped close and peered in at her. “Do you think she can be saved?”

  “Damn it we do not have time for this!” Herman growled. “Do you not realise the danger we are already in and what I had to do to get to you? I empty our coffers for this chance! There won’t be another.”

  Talamar grabbed the keys and opened Sofia’s cell door and held the torch closer, she flinched back as if the light burned her very skin. “Look at me!” He ordered her.

  Sofia turned and looked at him; her haggard features added a decade onto her young face. “Just kill me Talamar - be done with it.” She whispered. “I deserve no less for the monster I have become.”

  “Can she be saved?” Talamar asked again pulling Herman closer.

  “Talamar we are wasting time!” He argued but his friend’s stern look silenced him. Herman leaned in waving the torch light closer and looked into Sofia’s eyes for several long moments before pulling away shaking his head. “No, she is too far gone now - the drug has done its damage you can see the yellow rings around her eyes.”

  Talamar grabbed one of Herman’s daggers and went towards Sofia. She stood and held her head up exposing her neck.

  “I know I have no right to ask you, but make it quick.” She whispered.

  Talamar grabbed her by the throat and pushed her up hard against the grimy stone. “I should plunge this blade into your chest you for what you did to Boldo.” He pressed the tip of the blade over her heart his eyes hungered for vengeance.

  “Damn it Talamar kill the bitch and let’s go!” begged Herman. “Our window of a successful escape is dwindling every second.”

  “Do it.” Sofia pleaded. “I deserve to die for what I have done.”

  “No, you do not, the beast that the Valerian has created within you does.” He released her neck. “I am not going to kill you outsider because your blood will forever stain my hands.”

  Sofia slumped down the wall. “My soul is already dead; it will not be long until my body joins it.” She cried.

  “Get up!” Talamar commanded her and when she did not move he grabbed a fist full of her blonde hair and hauled her to her feet. “You listen to me and you listen damn good!” He held her jaw firmly, forcing her to lock eyes with his. “The choices you’ve made are your own - as misguided as they may be. But you came here with a purpose and you owe it to the little girl who lost her innocence so many years ago, to fulfil that purpose now.” He placed the knife in her hand and released her. “If you do not, everything from that day to this has been in vain.” He and Herman quickly left leaving Sofia alone to contemplate his words.

  Unforgivable II

  Part Thirteen

  Behind The Eyes Of A Fiend

  Sofia tried to ignore the burning pain that laced through her legs and body, as she silently made her way through the castle’s many hallways and corridors. Her resolve continued to be threatened by her guilt-ridden emotions and on more than one occasion, she had pulled herself off the floor and stifled the tears of shame. Talamar’s words were the only beacon of strength she had left. Nothing she could do would make up for what she had allowed herself to become, but in finishing what she had set out to do, her father’s soul would know peace . The soul of the little girl who innocence was stolen from her could finally let go.

  Sofia had managed to make it to the second floor without being observed. She knew King Delafon would never sleep upon the first floor - his room would be on the second or third. The problem was the castle was huge and she knew it would take her hours to search him out and she knew she didn’t have hours.

  She stood above the sleeping figure, within the dim light of the night shining in through the windows she could not tell if it were a man or woman. She pressed the blade against their throat and their eyes popped open startled. “Do not move and do not speak until spoken to and you might make it out of this alive!” Sofia commanded and the figure nodded their head slowly. “Where is Delafon’s room?”

  “It...It’s... on the third floor.” The man whimpered.

  “Where on the third floor?”

  “I...I don’t know for sure, the south wing I think... maybe... I don’t know!”

  Sofia pressed the blade down harder. “Do not make me ask again!”

  “I swear to you I don’t know for certain!” He cried, tears of fear creasing his face. “I am just a kitchen helper. I really don’t know nothing about the castle I swear it true.”

  Sofia stared down at the young man - he was likely no older then fifteen years. Only a few years older than she had been where her own life was ripped away from her.

  “Please don’t kill me.” He whimpered. “I won’t tell anyone anything, I swear it.”

  The reminder that he may very well run for help the moment she was gone coursed violence through her veins and her blade pressed down harder on the soft, exposed flesh of his neck. To kill him was the only way to ensure he would not call the soldiers. As she stared down at him, she could see the raw terror in his eyes - terror she had brought about so much like the terror she had felt. Sofia removed the dagger and stepped back, her hands shaking at the thought that she had almost allowed herself to kill an innocent child. He had every right to run for help and alert the soldiers of her presence.

  Sofia slipped from the room without another word, if the boy called the guards she would deal with it. She made her way south through the castles long hallways. She strained her ears to pick up the slightest of sounds, so she had ample time to hide.
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  She reached one of the third floors stone spiral staircases and listened for several moments, ensuring no one was about. She crept up the stairs, staying focused as she held the gypsy’s knife tightly in her hand. She caught sight of her dim reflection in a mirror and her legs stopped her without choice. She looked closer - she had not caught her reflection in several months and hardly recognized the person looking back at her. Even looking through the cuts and bruises, she looked haggard and nearly twice her true age. Her eyes were sunken in and dark sickly circles had encompassed them. The whites of her eyes were nearly lost with thick veins of angry red. But what caught her attention the most was her vivid green eyes - which she had inherited from her father - had taken on a pallid yellow, giving her a near-demonic appearance.

  The irony was not lost on her as she fought back the truth of who she had become. She soon became conscious of her free hand fidgeting around her leather belt where the pouch of Valerian had once been. The drug had manipulated her virtue into the fiendish creature she saw gazing back. Even as she thought the words, she could sense the fiction within. She swallowed back the iniquitous lump in her throat as she blinked away the tears. She felt her body begin to tremble as she looked deeper within her reflection. The Valerian was not to blame - all it did was allow what already lurked inside to come out.

  Sofia punched the glass mirror, shattering it into pieces - how could she allow it escape like this? She slumped to the stone steps, her legs no longer willing to hold the weight of guilt. Ever since that night - over half a lifetime ago when Josiah had come to her rescue her from the horrors that Lord Carter would have inflicted upon her - she had felt something stirring within her. The strange feeling had only grown within her through the years of running, fighting, and hiding…and most of all feeling powerless. It had been why she had learned to fight, why nearly every day she had practiced - she never wanted to feel helpless and weak again. She knew it even then - with each day she got stronger, faster, and smarter than the thing inside her also grew. At first she thought it was just her determination - her eyes drifted down to the shards of glass and once more she was drawn into what was hidden there. She knew the truth - it wasn’t determination, it was antipathy. She had harboured it in secret from her father. It wasn’t his fault, he had done all he could to shelter her from it, but with his death there had been no one to hide it from except herself. She had wanted to keep the same self-righteousness her father had managed to hold onto through his twisted path…to save her. But the Valerian had been the doorway, for her true vindictive nature to come out. Her hypocritical self-preservation had manipulated the truth of her vile deeds.

  “Hey! You there!” A stern voice called down. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” The guard moved closer down the stairs, his sword already drawn.

  Sofia pulled herself from herself loathing thoughts and looked up at the soldier who stood above her. She had completely lost track of time and purpose. If she failed now, her father’s death, her lost virtue and all the innocent lives she had taken would be in vain.

  “Get on your feet, damn it!” The soldier barked.

  Sofia pushed herself up, the dark part of her pushed back the meekness that had overwhelmed her and solidified her intentions once more. With a speed defying her current state, she cleared the remaining steps that separated the two. The soldier thrust his sword down for her - she threw herself against the stone wall and stabbed her knife into his wrist. The soldier’s sword fell from his grip and before he could cry out, Sofia’s blade punched up under his chin. His last breath escaped in a gurgle of blood, before falling down the stone stairwell.

  Sofia felt the warmth of the soldier’s blood on her hands - there would be more needless blood that would stain her hands this night, only two of which was needed.

  Unforgivable II

  Part Fourteen

  Redeeming Innocence

  Sofia turned the corner- two soldiers stood guarding a large set of oak double doors and she knew she would find King Delafon within. She forced the pain in her legs to silence itself - she could not afford it hindering her now. She shut out the knotting aches her body - she needed them to be fluent in her movements. She shut off her humanity as it would serve her no purpose now she needed to be the killer she kept hidden within.

  “How the hell did you escape?” One guard yelled and both men drew their swords and squared off in the large hallway.

  Sofia’s steps didn’t slow, almost as if she was unaware of their presence as she stalked for the door.

  “Cocky little bitch.” The guard rushed forward, his sword held high. Sofia’s wrist flicker and the gypsy blade embedded itself deep into the guard’s right eye socket. His momentum carried him several more steps before he fell forward. Sofia’s hands were quick to relieve him of his sword, as he fell past her to the cold stone.

  “By the Gods!” The other guard bellowed out in utter astonishment. “Your little reign of terror stops here woman!” He stalked forward more careful then his comrade had.

  Sofia arced her sword up - the guard parried it wide with such force it nearly tore free of her grasp. His fist connected with the side of her face and she crashed into the stone wall. He wasted no time and lunged his blade forward. Sofia rolled herself to the side, but his sword found her and plunged deep into her left side. He twisted the blade as he pulled out and she gasped in agony. She fell to her knees - waves of pain pulsed through her as she could feel the flow of warm blood pour freely down her leg. She looked up at the soldier - he had a smug grin at his assured victory. She slashed her sword low with a primal source of strength she didn’t know she had. The tip of the sword tore through the soldier’s leather leggings and deep into his thighs. He tried to step back but his legs no longer supported his weight and he plummeted down. The tip of Sofia’s sword was there to meet him as he impaled himself.

  Sofia pulled herself off the blood slicked floor, much of it her own. Her hand went to her wound - it was bad, but she could not worry about it now. She retrieved the fallen soldier’s sword and pushed through the thick double doors leaving a bloodied hand print upon it as it open wide.

  “Who in the devil is there?” Delafon bellowed nervously. He was already out of his massive bed, obviously having heard the commotion within the hallway. “By the gods I under estimated you.” He whispered as Sofia stepped into the light of the dimly glowing candles.

  “You haven’t been the first to make that mistake.” Sofia winced, her free hand clutched to her wounded side.

  “I should have known the daughter of the Demon of Ever-Dale would not be so easily defeated.” Delafon chuckled timidly. “I think by rights this merits you your own title.” He stepped around from the side of his bed, a slender sword within his grip. “The Demon of Delmar has a ring to it don’t you think?”

  “You couldn’t just let us go could you?” Sofia stepped forward trying to keep the sword from drooping in her grip. “You couldn’t just accept your cousin was a fiend and deserved what he got? That the gods allowed my father a fraction of justice for what was done to us?” She coughed and blood seeped from the corners of her mouth.

  “No I couldn’t.” Delafon snapped back.

  “Why?” Sofia barked angrily, her posture wavered from the power in her voice.

  Delafon’s grin was easily visible, even in the dim room. “Why would I let some poor pathetic dirt famer defy the status quo? The only thing I regard is not being there when he died, but seeing you die will have to do!” He came at her, his thin sword catching her off guard as it sliced deeply into her arm.

  Sofia parried and countered, his wild attacks her short swords weight easily deflected his rapiers. His movements were unsure and hastily done. He was deeply afraid of her and his quick glances at the doorway told her he was hoping help would come to his aid. She knew aid would come soon and she could not waste the time she had.

  She swung her blade wide - it thudded to a stop within the thick bedpost. She tried to pull it fr
ee but could not. Delafon came forward his own blade swinging wide for her exposed back. She dropped herself into a crouch; her wounded leg screamed in agony and nearly gave out. The King’s rapier slammed into the bedpost beside hers and held firm.

  Sofia punched up her tightly balled fist, hammering into his groin. He cried out in agony as he faltered backwards - one hand clutching his manhood the other trying to find support before he fell, but he found none and crashed to his carpeted floor.

  Sofia pulled the King’s rapier from the wood and stalked forward. She could hear noises coming from the hallway now and knew soldiers would burst in at any moment.

  “Please don’t do this.” Delafon begged as he tried to drag himself across the floor. “I will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams and I will pardon all you have done.”

  “And my father,” Sofia asked, “will you pardon his name as well?”

  “Yes, yes of course I will.” He replied eagerly.

  “I want you to erect a statue of his likeness in the middle of Fiddler’s Market declaring him the hero he was!”

  “It will be done I swear it!”

  Sofia glared down at the King her eyes burning with seething hatred. “And I want you to grovel at his feet and beg for his forgiveness!” She hissed.

  “Of course I sha...” The King’s voice trailed off as Sofia’s demand set in. “No pleasss— ” His plea was cut short as his head roll from his shoulders.

  The sword dropped from Sofia’s hand as she limped out onto the marble balcony that over looked nearly the whole city of Delmar. The air was cool and fresh with the coming of dawn not far off. It would be a bright new day for Faer-Tri Kingdom.

  Sofia’s legs nearly buckled and she braced herself on the railing. Her hand felt the wound on her side there was no helping her now. She smiled; she felt no pain anymore she had claimed her vengeance for what had happened to her family—what had happened to her. There was only one thing left to do for justice to be served. She heard the soldier flood into the Kings room gasping and screaming. It was time for all of this to end, forever.