6
A single simple tear
I fell to my knees, my hand clutching the knife.
This was real. I was dying.
Gods, I must have been dying, because all I knew was pain—indescribable pain—and the sound of screams echoing around me.
And blood. So much blood.
And I was gasping for air because suddenly I needed it, and I didn't have it.
I closed my eyes slowly, still on my knees in the middle of the church, on my wedding day, with a knife buried in my stomach and blood soaking the dress of my dreams.
That was all I knew.
And pain. So much pain.
And no one was coming.
Please, was someone seeing this?
Open your eyes, Lady Love.
Screams and clashing steel filled the air, but one voice rose above them all. The voice of Dara, screaming.
“You must take her to the sea! Take her to the sea, Captain!”
Open your eyes, Lady Love.
“Now! Take her to the sea now!"
Open your eyes, Lady Love.
"Someone take her to the sea! Captain! Someone!”
It will haunt you forever, the fact that you didn't open your eyes today, Lady Love.
“Traitor!” The King's voice this time. “Kill her! Kill that traitor!”
NOW, LADY LOVE! NOW! OPEN THEM!
“KILL HER NOW!”
My eyes snapped, as if by an inexplicable force, and I cried in agony when I saw it wasn't just a nightmare. The knife was still there, the blood, the pain. I was about to close my eyes again when a horrific scream forced me to look up.
I locked eyes with Dara across the church, the exact moment Diego was piercing her heart with his sword.
My friend was murdering Dara.
Diego killed Dara, right in front of me. It happened so fast. And I had only enough strength to shed a tear. A single simple tear.
My eyes closed again against my will, and my body collapsed to the ground.
Immediately, I felt someone at my side, ripping the knife out of my stomach.
“I believe this belongs to me.” That voice. No.
Yes, Lady Love.
No .
Suddenly, my corset was being torn away, the wings with it, and I felt water spraying across my abdomen, soaking through my undergarments, followed by a searing burn. It was so intense that I opened my eyes wide and grabbed onto the nearest thing. An arm.
And when I looked to my side, there they were: blue eyes and a scar above his left eye. And a smile.
“Welcome back.”
What a beautiful smile. Hadn't he just tried to kill me?
“How was heaven?”
Why wasn't I dying? Where did the pain go? And why was he still smiling?
“I hope you put in a good word for me with the Gods up there. Every compass points to me going straight to hell.” And then he winked, as if nothing was happening around us.
“You,” I breathed, pointing a bloody finger at his face.
“You.” He smiled. “Quite the challenge to find you, love.”
Again. He smiled again. And I was so confused because why wasn't I in pain anymore? And why was he still smiling like all of this was amusing to him?
He pushed my finger away with his hand as he continued saying, “As much as I love a good introduction, we need to leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you. You tried to kill me!”
“Ah, yes. Apologies about that, it was a pretty dress.”
He suddenly seemed to snap back to his senses, looking around at the chaos of the battle still unfolding. I still didn't comprehend what was happening, but then he grabbed me by the arms and lifted me up .
Instantly, a soldier came running straight towards us, and in a flash, the stranger with the scar pulled out a pistol and fired.
I gasped and took a few steps back as the body fell at our feet, and he murmured with disgust, “What a waste of ammunition.”
He faced me, put an arm around my waist, and pulled me extremely close to his chest as he said, “You owe me a bullet, love.”