Vetta's eyes widened at the sight of him. She said nothing.
Coza, on the other hand, smiled at the sight in front of him. Vetta stood with a knife beside the queen.
"Well, well, you should have told me that you planned to carry out your mission today." The smile was wiped from his face, and he glared at her. "I wouldn't have bothered attacking!"
"As I told you before, I carry out my revenge at my own convenient time. Not when you choose." She shrugged.
Coza looked at the queen, who already looked like she'd die from agony. "What is wrong with her? You stab her yet?" His eyes searched for blood.
"She is in labor," Vetta answered simply.
"No way is she giving birth to that child. Well, what are you waiting for? Kill her now. Let's get out of here!"
Vetta turned and glanced at Danika. Tears were raining down the queen's cheek as she returned her stare. Time passed.
"What is wrong with you!?" Coza barked. "Get over yourself and kill the woman who is the reason why your life is ruined! She is the reason why you will never have the man you died over and over again to protect!"
Vetta stiffened at the reminder. Pain crossed her features.
Danika saw the change. “Don't d-do it...please,” she whispered brokenly.
Coza laughed evilly. The woman was hesitating, but he knew how to demolish her restraint.
“Do you know that he has proposed to her today?” he drawled. “In the royal court. He came here today to marry her. Cone's daughter gets to live happily ever after while you have nothing! End her life and get your revenge. Not only your revenge, but you also get your man too!”
Tears filled Vetta's eyes. She palmed the knife in her hand more tightly, gripping it hard.
“Please...Vetta... please, don't d-do it!” Danika cried, holding her belly protectively and taking a step back.
Coza's patience ran out. “Shit! Get out. I'll do it for you. You're wasting too much time.”
Then he rushed towards Danika and raised his sword to her belly.
It happened so fast, it was so unexpected.
Vetta jumped in front of Danika before he could get too close to her. The sword slid into her own belly, coming out from behind her. Danika screamed behind Vetta at the sight of that sword coming out from her lower back.
“Shit! What did you do!?” Coza shouted. He attempted to pull his sword out, but Vetta held it in a dead grip.
Then she raised the knife in her hand and stabbed him dead center in the chest. She buried the knife deep inside into heart.
Coza didn't see it coming. His eyes widened in shock.
“I did tell...you that you will...die by my...hands,” Vetta said in pain, but her eyes held his.
The knife that pierced his heart sucked the life out of him rapidly; he got no chance to talk. His eyes were still wide with shock and pain as he fell to the floor. “You...bitch!” he managed with his last breath.
Vetta was bleeding. But she grinned at him, even as tears ran down her face. “May your soul...rot in hell...Monster.”
The light left his eyes. Coza died.
Vetta could no longer hold it in. She fell into Danika's arms.
.
.
.
.
n the kingdom of Salem, Remeta stayed in her mother's bedroom, rubbing her arms methodically as she stared up at the sky. Her gray eyes were dazed and bold—the eyes of the seer. Corna was beside her. The little boy offered her support while staring out of the window with her.
The clouds gather in the sky. The sky had been postcard-perfect, but it was changing. It had been changing for a while now. The beautiful cocktail-blue shade was beginning to darken into gravel-grey. Large pillows of clouds were forming, blotting out the old-gold colour of the sun. The sky wants to turn tar-black. The sign of heavy rain about to fall.
People ran around helter skelter seeking shelter while they stared up to the sky in wonder and bewilderment all at once. It was the sign of rain about to fall. But how could this be? There had been no rain in Salem for ages.
"The arrival of the great prince is here," Remeta stated in that monotone that belongs solely to the Great Ones.
"Yes. I can feel it too. But his mother is not weady," Corna reasoned in that tiny voice of his. "Poor woman. The stubborn pwince wants out. Now."
"The queen is strong." Dazed eyes watching the clouds, she added, "The heavens are so happy here but so angry in Mombana. Heaven is so angry in Mombana. They shout out in form of thunders, for she has suffered so much."
"I know. I felt her pain before...one day, in the marketplace. I was with my mama so far away, but I felt her pain, anger and bitterness. It was so overwhelming that I left Mama and wan to her. I dwagged her legs to soothe her, but she pushed me away," Corna remembered in a sad tone. "I wanted to hug her so badly. I wanted to twy and heal her so badly."
"But she pushed you away. She is not yours to heal, Little Corna."
The boy nodded vigorously. "I know that now. No, she was not mine to heal, I was not sure if I could have done anything, anyway. Her hate was too deep."
"You couldn't have. Her anger and bitterness was deep-rooted." Remeta paused. "There was a greater healer waiting for her, and that healer has found her."
Cornna glanced up again. "It will wain here. Heavily." He smiled. "The pwnce is coming. Pwince of Wain."