Chapter 37 #2
Rain dropped Briar and Rose to their feet and sprinted toward the chaos.
Renn stood trembling, clothes melted to his arms, skin blistered — but alive. Scarlet knelt in the dirt, sobbing, her back to everyone. Short and Hamish worked frantically on Renn’s burns. Ember stood nearby, horrified, her pillowcase dress scorched to tatters.
Rain stripped off his shirt, then his undershirt, and crouched before Ember.
“Ember, look at me,” he said gently. “Are you hurt?”
She shook her head, trembling.
“Here. You can wear my t-shirt.”
He slipped the shirt over her head. It swallowed her tiny frame, pooling around her ankles.
“You ate it!” Briar cried, wrapping her arms around her sister.
“She sure did,” Hamish said, glancing over.
“She saved his life and mine. Scarlet woke too fast. I dropped her just in time before she exploded; straight at them. They were doused in flames. I thought they were goners, but Ember sucked all the fire up like a vacuum.” He made a whistling sound, “Cleaned them right up. Then she cleared the flames around us. Bloody impressive for such a tiny thing.”
Rain looked at Ember with awe.
“Wow. You did really well,” he said softly, rubbing her arms. She shivered violently, slipping into shock.
Scarlet sobbed to the left.
Briar clung to Ember.
Rose—
Where was Rose?
Rain scanned for her signature; fear spiked like a flare through his channels.
He found her.
Locked in Vass’s arms.
He had her pinned against his body, one arm cinched around her waist. Her delicate hands pressed against his chest as he stroked her face, brushing curls behind her ear as his lips dragged hungrily along her jaw.
Rage detonated inside Rain.
The girls had endured enough.
He would not allow them to endure more harm; especially not from his own men.
He sprinted.
He grabbed Vass by the hair and ripped him away from Rose. She fell back with a cry. Rain wrapped an arm around Vass’s throat, cutting off his air. Vass clawed at his forearm, choking.
“Rose—go to your sisters!” Rain barked. “Tell Short she is ordered to protect you at all costs. Go!”
She fled, terrified.
Vass slammed his elbow back, connecting with Rain’s ribs. Pain exploded through Rain’s side. His grip loosened. Vass tore free.
Rain lunged.
Vass spun, kicking out. Rain dodged and drove a fist into Vass’s jaw. Blood sprayed as Vass slammed into a tree. He pushed off it, launching himself at Rain, dragging them both to the ground.
He was still suffering from Briar’s attack—pain stabbing down his spine—but adrenaline and Rose’s influence twisted his mind.
He no longer saw Rain as his prince.
He saw him as an obstacle.
Something in the way of what he believed was rightfully his.
The logical part of his mind; the part that would never lay a hand on his superior, was gone.
“Stand down, Sergeant!” Glass shouted, weapon raised but she couldn’t fire. Not without risking Rain.
Vass threw another punch. Rain let it land; a sharp crack against his cheek, then seized the opportunity. He caught Vass’s wrist mid-impact, twisting it sharply to the right. The movement exposed Vass’s throat, leaving it vulnerable.
Rain didn’t hesitate.
He drove his fist upward with brutal precision, striking directly into his windpipe.
The shock hit Vass first—eyes widening, mouth falling open—then the sound. A horrific, wet choke as his airway collapsed. Blooded drool spilled onto Rain’s face as Vass fell back, clawing desperately at his neck.
He couldn’t breathe.
Panic flooded Vass’s aura, slamming into Rain’s open channels like a tidal wave. Rain felt every ounce of it; the terror, the regret, the instinctive will to live.
He straddled the man; jaw clenched and placed both hands-on Vass’s head.
A quick twist.
A clean break.
Silence.
Rain shuddered as Vass’s death tore through him; a cold, violent shock that rattled his bones and hollowed his chest.
“Sorry,” he whispered, voice cracking. “I’m so sorry.”
A gentle hand touched his shoulder.
Glass.
“It was necessary,” she said simply. No judgement. No hesitation. Just truth.
They gave Vass a moment; a breath of respect his final moments didn’t deserve, before dragging his body toward the encroaching fire. Flames swallowed him quickly, erasing all trace of the Blue soldier who died in enemy territory.
Then they headed back to the group.
Rose sat cradling Ember, humming a soft tune, her voice trembling but sweet. Briar poked at a pile of charcoal with a stick, her expression blank and distant. Scarlet still knelt where he’d left her, shoulders shaking.
Rain approached her slowly and knelt.
He lifted her chin with a gentle finger.
Her breath hitched. A flicker of heat pulsed in her chest, but it stayed contained.
“It isn’t your fault,” he whispered. “You haven’t been trained. The people who should have supported you… let you down.”
Her eyes glistened.
“I promise I will get you the help you need. One day, this will be nothing but a distant memory.”
He waited until she met his gaze fully.
“Until then… you will slip up. You will burn things. And it will hurt—inside and out. But you will use that pain. You will turn it into something beautiful. You will not let your father win. You will show him what you are truly made of; with control and grace. I will not accept anything less.”
A tiny spark of hope ignited in her aura; fragile, but real.
“Are you ready to accept that challenge?”
She hesitated, eyes flicking to his bare chest, then back to his face.
“I am ready,” she whispered.
She cleared her throat, straightened her spine, and shouted:
“I am ready!”
Rain grinned and shouted up into the sky with her.
“She is ready!”
He stood and offered his hand. She took it, rising to her full height, tall, slender, bones visible beneath her skin, but strong in spirit.
He held both her hands.
“Remember: calm body, relaxed breath. See the ball of fire in your chest. You control its size. If you lose control, pull it back into a tight ball. Can you try that next time?”
“I… can try,” she said, gazing up at the stars.
He squeezed her fingers once more and moved to check on the squad.
“How are you holding up?” he asked Renn, eyeing the bandages wrapped around his arms.
“Good,” Renn said, breath shaky. “Thank the Gods for Ember.”
“She’s something else,” Hamish added. “What happened to your cheek?”
Rain touched the tender spot where Vass’s fist had landed.
“We have one casualty,” he said quietly.
Short’s face fell.
“Vass had to be dealt with.”
The squad exchanged grim looks. No explanation needed.
“With that in mind,” Rain continued, “I need you two to stay clear of Rose. I think Vass’s personality played a role in what happened, but we don’t know how her influence will manifest in each of you.
It took him frighteningly fast. I need all of you to return home to your families. We travel with more precaution.”
“Sir,” Glass said, stepping beside him, “I propose we change formation. These two up front.” She nodded to Renn and Hamish. “All Royals in the centre; including you. Captain and I at the rear. Everyone keeps distance from the princesses. Give them room to stretch their legs as we hit the dunes.”
“I like it,” Rain said. “Eyes and ears open up front. We just broadcast our location with a giant forest fire. If they didn’t know the princesses were taken, they will soon.”
The squad nodded grimly.
Rain scanned the area; eight energy signatures, all fragile, all on edge. They were exposed. Vulnerable. But alive.
They moved into the desert.
The soldiers were sombre, weighed down by death and exhaustion.
But the princesses…
They came alive.
Briar and Ember raced ahead, rolling down the dunes, shrieking with laughter.
Rose twirled beneath the moonlight, a delicate desert faery tasting freedom for the first time.
Scarlet clung to Rain’s sleeve, quiet and wide-eyed, marvelling at the glittering night sky.
Their innocent joy; fragile and precious as it was, softened the bitterness still lodged in Rain’s chest.
For a moment, he let himself breathe again.