Ereon charges Calen, but my kidnapper turns quickly and jumps over the fire, a smile on his face. The sounds of Ereon's blades sing as he prepares to pursue him. As I run toward Thylas who wrestles with Neol on the ground, Ereon screams my name, fear lacing his voice, but I ignore him as I gather what strength I have left and jump on Neol's back. I take my bound hands and place them over his head.
I pull as hard as I can trying to put as much pressure on the rope around the man’s neck as possible, his breaths becoming shallow. Finally Neol rolls to the side and off Thylas. Thylas jumps to his feet before kicking the man in the gut and Neol staggers backwards, falling to the ground, taking me with him.
“Let go, Naxa!” Thylas grabs his sword from the ground, but it’s hard to move. My leg is stuck under Neol and my hands are still tied and around his neck.
“I can’t!” I yell and Thylas looks at my hands and raises his sword, I pull my hands as far apart as possible, hopefully creating enough space for whatever Thylas is about to do. Thylas doesn't hesitate. He slits the man upwards, from the middle of his stomach to the tip of his chin, slicing the rope around my hands in the process.
Thylas bends down quickly, rolling the man off of me, and pulls me into his arms. His heat instantly warms me. Looking over my shoulder, Ereon circles Calen and Calen sneers.
“So if that is the Captain. This must be Shaston’s prince.” Calen lunges toward Ereon, but he jumps out of the way. His hood is still firmly on his head, but in an instant, he reaches up and jerks it off.
“And if I am” – he rolls the pommel of his sword in his hand – “will you cease this? Or do I have to kill you too?”
The man's hollow laughter filters through the trees and Thylas pulls me back into him. I push his arms down trying to run to Ereon, not sure how I will help but I refuse to stand by and just watch. Thylas’ hands grab my wrist and he wraps his arms back around me, stronger this time.
Suddenly the man stops moving and drops his sword. He holds up his hands and flatly states, “I surrender.”
I stop trying to pull away from Thylas, his strong arms still holding me. My eyes dance between the pair as Ereon's shoulders relax and he places one of his own swords in the baldric on his back, before taking steps to close the distance between him and Calen.
Ereon smiles, Calen clasping him with one of his hands on the shoulder before Ereon rams the other sword he kept in his right hand through the man’s sternum. Ereon mumbles something I can't hear and twists his sword a half-turn before pulling it back out. Ereon tosses Calen to the side.
His eyes are full of fury until he turns to me. He drops his blade, running to me and Thylas lets me go. Ereon wraps an arm around me, lacing the other through the back of my hair. His heart is racing as my head rests against his chest. He pulls back, running his hand along the dried blood on my face. He pulls me in again and kisses the top of my head. “I'm so sorry, Princess.”
“It's not your fault, I should have ...” my words escape me and I try to take a deep breath as I back away from him. I turn around and find Thylas directly behind me. The heat of his skin clashes with the coolness of Ereon. I fall to my knees and I cry, a deep guttural cry. My hands shake as everything that’s happened tonight threatens to overtake me. They both kneel down beside me.
Ereon rubs his hand down my back and Thylas rubs my thigh. This could have turned out so differently. I could be dead, or worse. I could be many things, but right now I am thankful forthe second chance. The chance to not sit on the side anymore, the chance to stop letting everything happen to me. I control my life, no one else.
Thylas touches my chin, slowly lifting my face to meet his. “Let's go back to camp and get you cleaned up.”
I nod my head, and try to stand. My knees buckle before I can straighten and I slam back into the ground. The adrenaline from the night fades away into exhaustion. Ereon lifts me up with one hand behind my knees and the other around my back. “I got you, Princess. Just relax. We've got you.” I should protest, but right now I don't care and I let exhaustion take me, feeling safe once more.
“It's getting worse,” Siphonie's voice whispers. “Rhenor told me the messenger said as much. My uncle, the King, has been secluded in the castle, in an effort to prevent anything happening to him. Great Goddess, please protect them. Protect us.”
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I mumble, “What?” This can't be, my father would never separate himself from his kingdom. We love our people.
Siphonie flinches, jumping up from her knees where she prays and turns. “Naxa! I didn't know you were awake.” She rushes to me, kissing both of my cheeks. We tried to bandage you up the best we could, but you'll probably be sore for a few days.”
Raising up on my arms, I groan as my bicep strains and a sharp pain laces through my ribs. My arm is bandaged with a pink cloth and I eye Siphonie questioningly. She shrugs.
“Ereon wanted discretion. All I had were my things or the boys’ dirty things to bandage you with. I thought, at least this looks pretty with your hair.” She chuckles and pushes a pillowbehind my back to help me sit up. She tries to sound apathetic, unconcerned. She was scared, and her way of dealing with trauma is to lighten the emotional load with humor.
“Thank you very much, but why is Father separating himself from the people?”
She sighs and looks around the room. “Because there have been seventy-five new cases of the deluc since we left.”
Seventy-five? We've always had about thirty a year for the past two years, but seventy-five, it’s inconceivable. It's true, the Goddess has officially left us, we are no longer her people. My mother was always so sure, she told me stories. The stories of Her love, but right now— all I feel is anger toward her for letting this happen. Our people are good people.
Siphonie scoots closer to me. “Your father has sent envoys to the Southern Continent; he’s been told the people there know more about theMohasharealm and plagues. Hopefully, they'll find answers soon.”
“But if they are all going to die anyway, why am I going through with this marriage? Is it better to die by sickness than the sword?”
“I ...” – she rubs her hands along her upper arms before pushing the hair off my forehead – “I can't answer that. We just have to believe it's all in the plan of the Goddess.”
I jerk up in surprise. “The Goddess? The one who almost let me get raped in the woods? The one who has cursed our people? The one who took my mother for no reason except to show the world we are no longer favored? That Goddess?”
I don't know why I am so angry, but I am. What is the point of all this? What is the point of leaving my home, hoping to keep people from war when the deluc is taking them anyway? And in a prolonged sort of way. I saw the deluc take away my mother and it wasn’t quick nor pleasant. She was a shell of the woman I once knew. This can't be the Goddess my mother told me about. Theone who loved Her children, the one who gave them twin drops, and the one who, even some myths said, walked among us.
My hands grip the sheets in anger at my sides. “Where was she tonight? Because she certainly wasn't with me. The only people who were with me were Thylas and Ereon. It's because of them that I am safe, not the Goddess. I prayed to her and she didn't listen. She would have let me ...”
