A big strong, tattooed dark man comes into my mind.
Fintan, her dad.
Faster than I can run, my feet drag me towards the castle. Her house is too far away and I am not sure where it lies. With my good shoulder I push towards the entrance of the palace.
“Fintan!” I scream. No reaction. She needs to get healed first. I bolt toward the healer’s section with her in my arms. Sadly enough, it isn’t the first time she has been here. As the door opens I find nobody in there. Where is everyone? Where could Fintan be?
The sparring and training room.
Everything moves in a blur as I move there. My heart is thundering in my ears, body shaking and my breathing is high. Every step seems like one too much. Her light is completely dim and her now short hair doesn’t shine anymore. I press my fingers against her neck, checking her pulse as I run.
Thud…thud…thud
She has a pulse. If that is what you can call one. I reach the opening of the sparring room and two eyes meet mine. A raw sob escapes my throat. Fintan stands there. His eyes go over to Eliane, scanning her moveless body. He sprints towards me. One hand covers my shoulders while the other respectfully brushes her face. He takes one of my hands in his and presses it towards her heart. Pain washes over me but also something else.
Love.
And then everything goes dark.
Chapter 32
Braxton
Everything is still black when I open my eyes. I yank the blindfold of my face in one movement and jump up. Some people in the crowd yell, others cheer. I don’t see anything because of the change of light. I hurry towards my left, to where I remember Eliane was sitting. Blinding panic rushes through my veins, an emotion I don’t recognize. My gaze scans hers, fingers touching her skin. I pull her blindfold off her face, but her eyes are closed.
“I need a healer!” I turn around and scream. My brother’s gaze meets mine and he turns towards the crowd, only showing a small moment of hesitation before he does so.
“Is there a healer?” he shouts, clearly some panic in his voice as well. But he shakes it off, turning into a command. “If there is a healer, you need to come.” He looks at me. “And that’s an order.”
People start climbing down the crowd. Eliane sits there unconsciously. A wound on her temple was as big as the palm of my hand. I brush her skin.
Normally she burns under my touch, but all I feel is a cold body.
I break her wall down and find some light in there.
She isn’t dead. Not yet.
“Please, Honey,”I beg, fighting the urge to fall down on my knees.
“Stay with me.”
She will not die, not today or any day in the nearby future. I will make sure of it.
Because I know there is something between us.
Because I want to see her after the trials.
Because I want to call her mine one day.
My hand brushes through her now shoulder length blonde hair. People stand around me and a hand touches my shoulder. I look over my shoulder to see Fintan standing behind me with tears in his eyes. Other hands touch her body, and I get dragged back. I struggle. I don’t want to leave her.
I scream, until my lungs give out, feeling her pain as our minds are connected. Fintan drags me back, and I fight, but refuse to hit him. Three men and women hurry towards Eliane, but it feels like they are moving in slow motion.
“They have to do their work, kid.” Fintan’s voice tries to comfort me. As he drags me further away from her, hurting words leave my mouth.
“Why don’t you care more?” I blurt out. Guilt crashes in me because all this man did was care for a child that wasn’t his by blood. He got us out of there. He doesn’t seem to take it personally.
“Because we knew this trial was coming for sixteen years,” he explains. “Because she is a lover who was born to fight, but dreams big, dreams of her well-deserved freedom after this.” He holds me together, a tear rolling over his cheek.
