Rider King part 11

This chapter might be triggering, so please read with caution.

My hands hurt from how hard I’m gripping Treysa’s scaled back. I’m barely hanging onto her, but I don’t want to stop; Not until I’m far away from Dramon’s lands.

I’m going to the capital to annul my marriage. King Centres will just have to understand that my days as a Rider Queen are over. I’m better off as a drifter. There’s no place for me in the human settlements. I can’t live in one place for months because it would drive me insane.

I stop to give Treysa a break. We rest on a sandy spot, and I watch the infamous clouds of Rehyr wreak havoc in the distance. The clouds constantly change. They’ll produce rain, snow, hail under minutes in a manic cycle. The plants below it adapted to change with the same speed, so they’ll be flowers one second and poisonous the next.

Every Rider knows to avoid those clouds, but I can’t seem to look away from them.

I fall asleep beside my trusted friend. She wraps her body around me, more protective than usual, and huffs with fatigue.

I make sure she’s fed and hydrated, although I’m not hungry myself. We rest for four hours, and then we’re back on the move. I notice that my limp is more enhanced. I’ve abused my strength.

As we ride through the breath of morning, the clouds are still chaotic in the distance. Although the rain is far away, my heart is drenched. I’m sad. I miss the sounds of chatter and clattering as I led my Clan around the planet. I miss planning for my people. I miss the battles that ensued whenever we came across enemies.

If I hadn’t fallen, I would still have all of that. If I had defeated the man that challenged me for my title, I would still be someone. But I lost. After five years of glory, he sliced me down and took my Clan and knee with him. I celebrate him for being a better warrior, but I hate him for reducing me to nothing.

I find myself stopping Treysa. I can’t breathe.

A powerful sob makes me lower my head, and soon, I’m trembling and wailing in the middle of nowhere. The sun is above me, lighting the world for me and a million other creatures, but I’ve never felt more alone.

I’m no leader. No wife. No mother. No woman. I’m barely human with this useless body.

Treysa purrs to try and comfort me, and I hug her tight until her scales break my nails.

“It’s just you and I, old girl.”

We ride for two days. I hunt small animals, but barely have an appetite. Whenever I stop to let Treysa rest, she nudges my thigh and tries to get me to play with her. I don’t have the energy, so I pet the war beast. Although she tries to seem ferocious, but she’s really a softie.

She can tell that I don’t feel well today. A fever has broken out, and my stomach is cramping. I can barely ride Treysa without sliding off her back. I must have eaten something bad— or maybe not since I’ve barely had an appetite.

When I double over in pain, I stop Treysa. I close my eyes and breathe my pain through my chapped lips. The hot air catches fire, and now I’m screaming. There’s lava, thunder, and poison in my abdomen. The pain is so consuming that I forget who I am and where I’m at. I can’t see or think straight. All there is, is pain.

When something warm trickles out of me, I look down. A dark liquid covers Treysa’s scales. I touch it and lift my hand.

Death trickles down my fingerprints, down my palm, down my forearm, until my arm is bloody. I’m bleeding. I’m spilling life out of me.

I scream for a different reason now, and my song is heard across all of Xelor. Can he hear me? Can Dramon hear how he has cracked my soul and life is whistling out of it?

Physical pain braids with my emotional one, and I black out. When I regain a fraction of consciousness, I find Treysa dragging me across the lands.

“Go,” I whisper to her.

There’s no saving me. I’ll die with my child.

— —

Two days ago: Dramon POV

Dinner ends, and I rise to my feet. My stomach is full, but my shoulders feel the heaviest. I am tired.

I stand tall for the Clan as I walk through them in search of my tent. I can already tell it’s empty. No light comes from it.

I’m proven right when I enter and find my wife missing. Did she go get dinner after all? I lay down and wait for her. After a few hours, I realize that she’s not coming back. She must still be angry with me.

I rise and look for her. She’s not with Treysa. I can tell because the beast is missing too. She’s not eating with the camp, either. Maybe she’s with Jema. The two females are good friends, and Jema is a great advisor since she used to be a Rider Queen herself.

“Jema?” I call from outside of the elder’s tent.

She peeks out, and I can immediately tell something is wrong. Her expression is cold.

“Have you seen Venus? Where is she?”

Jema crosses her arms over her chest and says nothing.

“Jema…”

“I will not speak.”

Dread pools inside me when I realize what has happened. Venus left.

“Where did she go?” I boom, surprising myself when I take a step forward.

“I will not tell you. Us Rider Queens must stick together.”

I’ve heard enough.

“I’m riding out!” I roar to the camp as I jog to my beast. It’s the dead of night. She must have covered a lot of ground by now, but I’ll find her.

I don’t have time to pack. I only swing on top of my beast and shoot into the sky.

“Venus!” I shout, fighting the winds.

I don’t hear her or see her, but I know that I’ll be feeling her in my arms if it’s the last thing I do.

a/n: Treysa is a real one for dragging her unconscious body away. Who will come to Venus' help?

Alpha Adrian updates again this week