The Banished Prince

Chapter 28

Hunter

     Hunter sat in the room alone, his eyes on the door as he awaited his fate. He was to be tortured today - Cassia told him so, but yet no one came.

     Hunter shivered, the image of Cassia's lips on his still fresh in his mind. He could still feel her gasp against his skin, the way it electrocuted him and brought him back to life. She was both his antidote and poison. He was both dying and healing with her back in his life.

     He was in the middle still. His father was yanking at him and so was Cassia, but Cassia had the upper hand now. Now that he knew that his father nearly killed hers in a fit of rage, things were changing. He was changing, but there wasn't much he could do when he was tied to a chair.

     Hunter jolted when something thudded against the window. He swivelled his head to look at it and his jaw dropped when Liana appeared. She waved at him, dagger in hand and her hair cascading around her, and his eyes flew wide as she pointed towards the door.

     His head whipped back and he stilled at the sound of feet pounding against the ground. Then people were shouting and slamming against the door, heavy thuds that echoed throughout the castle until the door broke open - falling to the ground with a giant thump.

     And there his father and Chase stood along with Chase's parents and Liana's mother and younger sister.

     "Hunter," Chase said, running towards him.

     Chase sliced through his ropes easily with his sword and Hunter was freed. Hunter stood and massaged where the rope burned him, and turned to face the others who observed him with pitied looks. Not his father though. His father was fuming.

     "Let's go," Hunter's father ordered. "We must capture the princess."

     Hunter's heart jolted, but everyone turned to run off and Hunter had no choice but to follow. He ran out the room and into a dimly lit hallway, and his heart dropped at the sight of dead knights. Two knights lay in a pool of blood and Hunter yanked his eyes away to see his father and the others running down the hallway.

     Hunter joined them.

     They ran down the narrow hallway, passed the paintings of gardens and wildlife, and then they burst into to the main hall. Blinding lights shone down on them and Hunter blinked, his eyes not used to lights after being stuck in the basement for so long, and they ran up the silver staircase that spiralled upstairs.

     Their feet slammed against the ground and rung out, and the sound of others running towards them soon joined in as they ran and ran, their bodies hitting the upper floor as the broke into another hallway.

     Everything was happening too fast. Hunter didn't know what he was doing.

     "Kain."

     Hunter's father whirled around, his eyes blazing as Cassia's father appeared. King Julius stood there in black pants and a white shirt, sword in hand as his knights stood behind him. He glared at his father and Cassia pushed passed the knights to appear at her father's side.

     She wore a look of pure hatred.

     "Surrender now or we'll have no choice but to slay your team," King Julius threatened, taking a step closer. He was about his father's age - same height and same build. "We don't need to be at war with each other."

     "We are at war with each other," Hunter's father spat. "After you stole my crown, we will war until one of us dies."

     Cassia's father's expression darkened and his father lunged forward. King Julius threw his sword upwards and their swords clashed together, and they broke out into a duel.