Forged By The Flame 2

Xueyu wasn't sure how long she stayed there. It could've been hours or mere minutes. Everything was a bit hazy in her head. The only clear point was that the maid never came back.

The coldness of the room had started to seep through the fur coat and Xueyu's body became numb.

She stretched out her legs and moved them around, waiting for the feeling to come back.

In the darkness she stood and blindly walked in the direction of the door. She wasn't even quite sure about how it worked but she hoped it was the same as outside.

Following the maid's actions she tapped on the stones in the wall. It felt like a lifetime before she found the right one and the door groaned open.

Shards of light shafted into the room but Xueyu didn't stop to look. She shuffled out of the opening, already thinking of her parents.

Her steps halted. Her breath turned shallow. Her heart started booming away, with a chaotic melody, in her chest.

There, about three feet away, was the maid. Her hands and feet were in all angles and her head was hanging limply to the side from where she was leaned up on the wall. From where Xueyu stood she could see the trail of dried blood that had run down from the maid's mouth to her ear.

Her feet subconsciously moved forward until she was standing right at the maids side. Her eyes...

Her eyes were wide open, showing the fear she had for her killer. It showed the reluctance she had to die.

Xueyu brushed her hand over the pale face, finding it cold to the touch, and closed the maid's eyes. When she looked closer she saw the large imprints around the maid's neck.

That wouldn't have caused the blood so no doubt it was a blow to the stomach.

Xueyu couldn't bear to look at the hideous sight any longer. She stooped and threw the maids arms around her shoulders.

One of her hands wrapped around her back and the other went under her thighs. Xueyu hoisted her up and stood up, struggling under the dead weight.

She took a few staggering steps over to the door and with a push on the stone, the opening was shut.

She racked her head trying to recall the path they had taken.

Through the passageway, up the stairs, through the halls.

Xueyu had to stop at least five times to rest her arms along the way.

She was walking towards her parents' room when the sound of voices made her stop in her tracks.

'What did the General tell us to get?'

A gruff voice replied to the first, ' The Lu Martial Arts Technique Scroll and the Treasury's Jewels.'

A mischievous tone was present in the voice of the first man when he replied.

'He didn't mention the Spirit Renewal Elixir? So does that mean we can have it?'

There was a pause before a cry rang out.

'Ouch! Why did you hit me?'

The second man barked at the first.

'That thing is just a myth but don't even go around saying those things. Do you want General to have your head and mount you on a spike too?'

There was a muttered reply that was too low for Xueyu's ears to catch.

'Let's search somewhere else. It's obviously not here.'

Xueyu rushed into a room and put the maid's body into a closet when she heard the footsteps coming in her direction.

She curled up and crawled under the bed, keeping her breathing shallow. Almost too low to be instantly picked up.

The two men's heavy footsteps were still coming closer. They walked right past the door and continued further down the hallway.

Xueyu didn't get out until enough time had passed. When she thought it was safe she hurriedly crawled out and went to get the maid's body.

She didn't even know what to do with it. Her main intention was to find her parents and even with her chaotic mind she could figure out what happened.

They were dead.

And so was everyone else it seemed.

That was proven when Xueyu walked out of the palace back doors.

The breath was knocked out of her.

The horror tore at her heart ripping it at the seams.

The smell of smoke invaded her senses. It got into her eyes, through her nose and burned a path down to her lungs. It stuck to her skin and even the taste was on her tongue.

The crackling of the fires that were still burning were a discordant melody playing out.

Bodies were covering the ground. They were enough for it to seem like flowers dotting the surface of the land.

Men with their swords in hand or gripping the swords that were plunged into them were all around her. Men that had arrows sticking out from every direction in their body.

Women with gashes streaked across their face and bloodstains on their once pretty dresses. Children with their eyes wide open in fright and mouths stuck in the form of their parents' name.

Xueyu choked back tears at the sight. Her heart ached.

She glanced up into the sky wondering why this happened to her empire, to her family, to their people.

What she saw when she looked up almost brought her to her knees.