Chapter 10

Raven POV

A tomb. The swamp has a tomb in it. Did Ami know about it? I felt his hands on my shoulders. I reached for them, linking our fingers together. Who's buried there? For some reason, I'm drawn to that tomb. I want to know why.

"Little Raven?" Amon said, giving my fingers a little squeeze. I looked up at him.

"Who's buried there?"

"The wife of the previous demon King."

"Do you know how she died?"

He sighed, looking at the tomb. "A human man who wanted her but was denied her. So he killed her out of spite and jealousy."

Pulling away from him, I gasped. She was killed. Why would someone be killed just because another couldn't have them? Amon must have sensed the way I was feeling. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a hug.

"Ami, take me closer. I want to get closer." I said. He nodded and lifted me up. He squatted before jumping. For a brief second it felt like we were flying. He landed with a heavy thump on the furthest island. He placed me on my feet.

Without a second thought, I moved towards the tomb. Reaching out, I touched the cold stone. It may sound strange, but i felt as though the person died unhappy. I understand that she was killed but I get the feeling that she was unbearably sad before her death.

Suddenly an image of an olive skin woman flashed through my mind. She had long dark brown hair and eyes so light brown they looked like the sun. She was laughing happily in the vision. She looked so beautiful.

No wonder the man killed her. She really was beautiful. Out of no where, I felt as though I was being drawing into the tomb. Trying to grab hold of Amon, I found that he wasn't there any more. He left me. Crying out for him, I tried to wrench free from the dark, spider like hands that were pulling me in. Darkness engulfed me.

When the darkness parted, I found myself..... in the village? Huh? How did I get here? There must be something wrong with my eyes. Everything was in a sepia shade. Rubbing my eyes, I tried to clear my vision. It didn't work. Everything remained the same. Glancing around I tried to locate Amon. But I couldn't see him. I couldn't feel him anywhere. Where is he?

Shaking off the feeling of abandonment, I made my way silently through the village to my tiny hut. Standing in front of it, I blinked. The area where my hut should have been, was empty. Where is my hut? Where is my home?! Oh my god!

The village chief did this! I just know he did. Not able to take it anymore, I turned on my heel and marched to the head priest house. They are weird but he should be able to help a little. At least I hope. In my rush, I didn't see the woman walking towards me. It was too late to stop so I braced myself for the impact.

An impact that never came. The woman walked right through me. It felt like a cold chill passed through me. I turned my head to look at the woman's retreating figure. Her tan skin shone like polished brass, her long dark brown hair hung in waves down to her hips. I'm sure her eyes are the same light brown as the other villagers.

Deciding to trail the woman, I followed her. She kept looking over her shoulder several times. It was like she suspected she was being followed. Well other than by me. She ducked into the forest where my hut was normally located. She walked all the way to the waterfall where Amon and I usually met by.

On one of the moss covered rocks that surrounded the basin, a man sat there, looking into the pool. Upon hearing her approach, he looked up, a smile forming on his lips. He had low cropped black hair, pale skin and deep blue eyes. Actually his eyes looked the same colour as my blue eye. Hopping down, he crossed the distance between them. He picked her up into his arms and spun her around, holding her close to his chest. He placed kisses on her face before claiming her lips. My eyes widen as a blush formed on my cheeks. I turned my back on them to give them their privacy. The man kissed her with a passion I didn't even know how to explain. "My love I missed you." His deep voice rumbled. I guess it's safe to turn around now. I turned my head slightly to make sure it was okay. His lips were on her neck, kissing a trail from her neck to her breast. She giggled before a soft sigh escaped her lips. I abruptly turned my back to them. It's not safe to look yet. This time, once I was sure, I turned to them again. The man was sitting back on the rock with the woman sitting on his lap. Her arms were around his shoulders while he had an arm around her waist. "And how is our little princess doing?" He said, gently stroking her belly. I didn't notice it before but it was slightly swollen. She was pregnant. "The baby is swimming happily. And how do you even know that it will be a girl?" She asked, placing her hand over his. "Trust me on this. We are having a girl." "Is that a demon power to tell the gender of your unborn child?" Demon? He's a demon? Just like Amon. Then they are just like Amon and I. A human with a demon. "No. That's just my power as the demon king to tell what gender my heir will be." "Ronove, I don't want our baby to be a part of the demon realm." The woman said, pushing away from the man, Ronove. "Nathalia. Please. We have been through this. She will not be until she turns eighteen. I want her to live a human life with you." Nathalia looked at Ronove. She looked as though she was biting back tears. "I just want her safe. These villagers. They don't like anything different. Different is bad to us." "You being different brought us together Nathalia" "I just....." Before she could even finish what she was thinking Ronove kissed her, silencing her. "She will be fine. We will be fine." "I love you Ronove." He smiled, touching their foreheads together. "And I love you Nathalia my love." The world around me started going black. Ronove and Nathalia started to fade before me. I felt as though I was being pulled back. Being sucked out of this sepia village. My body felt weightless before I passed out. Gasping, my eyes flew open. I couldn't pull air into my lungs quick enough. It felt as though my lungs were being constricted. Once I was able to breathe normally again, I struggled to sit up. I felt a large hand on my shoulder, pushing me back down. Amon! Before I could say anything, he grabbed me into a hug, holding me tight against his chest. I tried to push him away so that I could breathe. He wasn't having that. His fingers tightened on my arms, as he pulled me even closer. If that was even possible. "Ami..." "What happened Raven?!" He shouted pushing me back at arms length. "What do you mean?" I tilted my head to the side as I tried to comprehend what he asked. My mind was a little foggy. Why? "Raven, you stopped breathing. For three hours! I thought you were dead!" I blinked up at him. "I'm not dead. I'm here aren't I. Tell me what happened Amon." He sighed loudly, releasing a huge gust of air. "After you touched the tomb, you passed out. You stopped breathing. If it wasn't for the steady beating of your heart, I would have believed you to be dead. I brought you to the cave and waited. Raven, that was three hours ago." Oh god. What the hell happened? I don't even remember. It feels as thought there is a fog in my brain. I leaned my head against his shoulder while his arms wrapped around me once again. "Take me home. Please Ami." I felt him nod before he lifted me up and took me out the cave. The walk through the forest was quiet. Night had fallen while I was unconscious. I didn't want to return to the village but I felt like I had to. I felt as though I forgot something important while I was unconscious. What did I forget? Amon dropped me off at the edge of the village. He kissed my cheek before pulling back and watching me leave. I crossed the village in a rush, trying to get inside my hut before the villagers could see me. I didn't trust them. Be it male or female. I shut the door of my hut and leaned against it. My heart was racing against my chest. Why? What is happening to me? My heart doesn't race due to a little sprint across the village. Out of no where, I felt a tremor run through my entire body. This one was so powerful that it brought me to my knees. I bit my tongue to keep from crying out. Normally when I felt the tremors, it would feel like lightening passing through my body. This time was different. It felt like my skin was being burnt off. I felt blood leaking down the sides of my mouth. But I couldn't raise my hands to wipe it away. The tremors rocked my body again, this time pushing me to my knees. My mouth was filled with blood by now. I choked on the blood as I tried to call for Amon. My head hit the ground and in seconds I was gone. Amon's POV I watched as she returned to the hut she called a home. She ran to the hut so quickly, it was as though she was afraid to be seen by the other villagers. I didn't give her wrong. They did act like she was insignificant. Well the men at least. The women just acted as though she didn't exist. When she touched the tomb and passed out, I lifted the invisibly spell from Ronove. My own heart stopped when Raven collapsed in my arms without breathing. I couldn't deal with Ronove's anger and an unconscious Raven at the same time, so I had told him to return home. He did. Or so I thought. It was after Raven had closed her door, I felt a crater open. Only the kings of Raum could open a crater that separated the worlds. And since I didn't open one, that could only mean Ronove did. I quickly located the crater and jumped into it before it sealed shut. Before it sealed, I swore I heard Raven calling for me. But that wouldn't be right. Would it? Exiting the crater, I found myself back in the dungeons. Ronove surprised me by opening a crater that led back to his cell in he dungeons. He could have escaped since we were no longer linked. Why didn't he? "How long has she lived like that?" His words cut through the silence of the cell. Looking up, I found him standing in front of me. The anger from him eyes had disappeared only to be replaced by sadness. "Since her mother died." I then proceeded to tell him about the fearless little girl I met by pure accident and how our friendship came to be. I told him that since she had no one to teach her, she was a bit naive and far too innocent. I told him how she was abused by the villagers and the attempted rape on her a few weeks aback. "Her mother was the same way. An orphan. Except her parents died when she was fifteen and not one. How could I have left her?" "Ronove..." I began to say only to punch in the mouth. The force made my head snap back. "What the fuck Ronove?!" I shouted ready to attack him. He grabbed me by my neck and slammed me into the nearest wall. Where the hell are my guards in times like this? Oh right. They don't guard his cell because he is the past king. They are afraid Ronove would kill them. "This is your fault. You made me leave Nathalia! I gave up my kingdom to protect my daughter and now look at her! She's an orphan! She was abused as a child! She was almost raped! She..." "She was protected everyday for the past twelve years by me! I ensured that she was well taken care of when I wasn't around!" I kicked him back. He fell on his back, looking up at me. I stalked towards him. "I protected her without knowing who she was. She became important to me. And I fell in love with her before even I knew it." "My apologies Amon. I acted out in anger once again." He said bowing low. Have I ever said I felt awkward when he bows at me? Well I do. I helped him up. I was about to say something to him, when I felt a searing pain in my chest. It felt like something was being branded into my skin. Ripping off my shirt, I saw a white flame dancing on my chest, over my heart. The flame drew on my skin before it borrowed itself into my chest and into my heart. It stopped beating for a second before it took off in an erratic beat. I glanced up at Ronove who was starting at me wife eyed. "Well Amon, you have been marked by the heir of the Valac bloodline."