Chapter 6 The Aftermath. #2
Selene loved Percy; of that, I had no doubt. She was devoted to her witch, smitten, obsessed, and had not a drop of give within her. Selene would not so easily yield to venom poisoning. Not even Hades’ Delight could hold down my niece. Her remarkable survival had already become a legend.
“She has venom poisoning,” Efstratios argued.
“Her love is in the maze, and she has Ardens’ stubbornness,” I countered, “Do you truly believe that my niece would find a bed to lie down in these circumstances?”
“She won’t have a choice. Venom poisoning is not only paralytic; it is excruciatingly painful and delirium-inducing.
She will be entirely incapacitated by now.
I’m sorry, but I’ve seen dozens of cases of venom poisoning.
I believe I am correct. Let's start our search on the second floor. I doubt they got much further before they could go no further.” He turned from me to Sasha, and I felt myself tense at the way I was dismissed.
“Where on the third floor did you leave them?” he questioned.
“The east wing, near the offices.”
“Right.” He nodded again, looking around him, thinking.
“I don’t anticipate any further waves of combatants, but I do believe there will be many of those fighting in vain, unaware that this battle is lost. I need to find my lieutenants.
Kostas’ post is in the east wing. My radio was destroyed, but he wouldn’t leave his post. Not while there is breath in his body.
If we have any luck, his comms are intact. ”
He turned to me and bowed his head slightly as if only now remembering himself.
“Lady Adamantia of Ardens, I propose we regroup in the east wing, gather what Ardens’ Guard remain and are available, reassess our position and our enemy and from there quickly locate the Princess.”
“I trust your judgement as commander of Ardens’ Guard,” I said as Sasha took my hand and squeezed.
-
It was eerie that the first corridors we entered, towards the east wing, were undisturbed.
Only the art hanging from the walls askew and a few shattered sculptures and vases indicated that they had been shaken during the barrage of explosions.
But as we moved further from the foyer, windows held no glass, and the threat of fire smouldered.
I watched as Efstratios stomped out a small, smouldering piece of something that had made its way through a split-open window, landing on the carpet and had almost instantly begun to smoke.
“I think a full evacuation may be in order,” he said.
“We will decide upon such a need once we regain full control of the estate,” I replied.
“Yes, Ma’am,” he agreed.
A rebel fled from a room directly in front of us. His face was bloodied, and he was holding his limp arm to his side. He didn’t attempt to engage us; he only ran in the opposite direction.
“Sasha, dear?” I asked.
She knelt and picked a small piece of broken stonework from the litter on the floor and then threw it with deadly precision towards the retreating rebel soldier in front of us. He hit the ground face-first.
“Well done,” I praised.
It always thrilled me to see Sasha’s gift at work. So powerful, so deadly. Petra could own this land, this kingdom. How unfortunate that witching kind seems to despise such leadership. My wife would be exquisite in a crown.
We continued towards the east wing, quietly, careful of our surroundings. It wouldn’t do any good to let our guard down, even in the face of victory; the battle was not won yet.
As we neared the end of one corridor, a pistol was slid across the floor ahead of us.
Efstratios raised his closed fist. We stopped, and I stepped in front of Sasha.
“We’re on your side,” came a voice, followed by open and raised hands exposed from behind the corner. “Please, don’t shoot,” the voice continued.
“Come out,” Efstratios commanded.
A young man side-stepped from behind the wall.
“We’re here to help. We’ve been helping,” he said.
“Who are you?” Efstratios questioned.
“I’m a member of The New Foundation.”
Efstratios raised his gun and aimed. Of course, we both knew there was no ammunition left, but this boy had no such knowledge.
What was The New Foundation doing here? I knew so little about them. Hardly whispers, really. They were a southern group. I had received but one letter from my contacts in Viridis about a new group going by their name.
“I only want to help,” he promised.
I saw that Sasha held a small stone in her hand as she played with the oval rock. Always ready for a fight. Her bloodlust could match my own, and I had to tame my lustful desires. When this was all over, I would confine her to a bed for days, weeks, however long it took to satisfy my desires.
“How many are ‘we’?” Efstratios asked.
“I have four with me,” he answered.
“And where are they?” Efstratios continued.
The boy wavered; he looked back towards where he came from, giving their location away.
“They’re close,” he decided.
“Directly to your left,” I stated.
He grimaced. No reply.
“What do you want?” Sasha demanded.
I saw her arm twitch and watched her gaze focus on the wall next to him. The whole estate was a weapon if she so wished it.
“We’ve been helping. We’re no friends of True North,” he answered confidently. “You’d all be dead now if it wasn’t for us,” he continued arrogantly.
“Is that right?” I asked.
He flinched.
“I didn’t mean it like that. I meant we’ve been helping.”
“The real question is why?” Efstratios interrupted.
The boy looked even more put off. The fingers of his right hand began pulling a frayed edge of his dark green jumper.
The stones above his head began to crumble, a small broken chunk landing before him and forcing him a step back.
“Careful, child,” Sasha warned, “Or the next,” she waved her hand and the wall beside him splintered outward, and the yelp of one of his fellows gave their position away, “might smash your skull.”
“We were here for the flower witch,” a female voice answered for the boy. He turned angrily, glaring at whoever had spoken behind the wall.
“For Percy?” I asked.
The boy turned his attention back to us, his hands raised.
“Do you want the Princess or what?” he asked. “We could have killed her,” he continued cockily.
He fell to his knees, before I could respond, his hands clutching at his chest.
“Where is she?” Sasha roared in anger, and I noticed that the small stone she had clutched in her hand was gone.
“Shit, what do we do now?” I heard the female's whispered voice.
“Run,” another answered.
“That would be a terrible decision,” Efstratios told them. “Show yourselves, and you might be granted mercy.”
A girl stumbled out from behind the wall, her hands raised.
“I’m sorry. He didn’t mean anything by it. Always trying to look brave. We never came here to hurt anyone. But we couldn’t let all the innocents here die at the hands of True North. We had to help,” she explained quickly.
“And the others,” Efstratios commanded.
She turned, her eyes desperate, and another woman and a man slowly stepped out from behind the wall, their hands raised.
One was missing. The dead boy had said he had four others with him.
“And Selene?” I asked.
“She’s fine. I mean, well, not fine, but we didn’t do anything to her; I swear. We just helped find somewhere to put her down until more help can be given,” she told us.
“Helped how?” Sasha asked now.
“We were sent for the Princess’s flower girl.
To make sure True North didn’t get to her.
We never anticipated such an attack from True North.
Your guards were almost overwhelmed. We had the benefit of surprise, of high ground.
We’ve been holding them off. Freeing the servants taken by them.
Protecting the innocent,” she explained.
“And where is the Princess now?” Efstratios demanded.
“Third door on the right,” the man answered, pointing down the corridor.
“A trap?” Efstratios questioned, turning to me.
“Possibly,” I replied, “But such bravado only comes from na?vety. I doubt they have the intelligence for such a ploy.”
He nodded in agreement.
“I say we kill them just to be sure,” Sasha suggested.
“There’s no need for that!” the young man stammered.
“There’s no need for further violence. We’re unarmed. We can get one of the Princess’s guards to come out and tell you for themselves,” the woman made to move.
“Not so fast,” Efstratios warned, shaking his useless gun at them, “No one moves.”
I watched the girl swallow and nod dryly.
“You,” he pointed to the other woman, “Come here.”
“Me? What for?” she cried, stepping back before the man with them pushed her forward.
“Just go,” he growled at her.
I made a mental note to kill him last and slowly. Cowards demanded special treatment.
The young woman approached us, shaking with every step.
“This has got to be a ploy,” Sasha whispered beside me.
“Calm, my love,” I told her, taking her hand in mine. She was giving my bloodthirst competition.
As the cowering girl neared us, Efstratios took hold of her arms and dragged her forward.
“Are you lying about the Princess?” he asked, staring intensely into her eyes.
“No,” she whispered.
“I believe her,” I said.
I could feel Sasha’s distrust radiating from her.
“I don’t,” Sasha said.
I smiled, amused. Of course not.
“You,” I called to the male with them. He looked at his leader as if I was speaking to her, then back to me. “You, the big brave man, go and retrieve a guard named Rylan, he will be with the Princess,” I commanded.
He turned quickly down the corridor, stumbling over his own feet in his haste to escape the situation.
“If he doesn’t return, we kill her,” I nodded to the young woman that Efstratios held captive, “and then you,” I informed their leader.
“He’ll return,” she promised.
“He better, Kay,” the girl cried desperately. “We haven’t done anything wrong,” she pleaded.
“What did you want with Percy?” Sasha asked.
The woman's tears doubled as she fell silent.
“Better answer,” Efstratios warned.
“To get her out of here,” Abby answered.
“And take her where and for what purpose?” I questioned.
“We don’t know,” Kay answered for her. “We’re not privy to that sort of thing.”
“You enter a battle without knowing why?” Efstratios questioned.
“We entered to help people!” the girl cried. “The House system is corrupt. We’re freeing people. We don’t leave them to die. Not anyone.”
Ah, so that was what The New Foundation were about, or at least that was what their ardent supporters believed.
“And you were here to free Percy?” Sasha asked.
“Yes,” Kay answered. “We know that the flower girl has been under the enchantments of Princess Selene Borealis.”
“And who cares about that?” I asked.
Silence.
“Hmm, not so chatty?” I asked.
Kay frowned deeply.
“I don’t know, we just follow commands,” she finally replied.
“That’s the first lie you’ve told me, child,” I warned.
She swallowed again.
“I can’t say,” she answered.
“Can’t?” I questioned.
“We really can’t,” the girl Efstratios held began to cry again.
“Can we kill this one already?” Sasha asked, a disgusted look at the redhead blubbering in Efstratios’ grip.
“Not yet, love.”
“I smell blood magic,” I said.
“An oath?” Efstratios questioned, clearly surprised.
Some people fell apart under pressure. But not Kay. She was calm.
She looked away, her greasy black fringe falling over her eyes, and she pushed it back.
“What a shame, I like you,” I told her.
“What’s to like?” Sasha mumbled. I smiled and squeezed her hand tighter.
“A soldier who is calm while in the hands of an enemy is valuable,” I explained.
“You just want to play with her like some blood whore,” Sasha spat and pulled her hand free from mine.
The girl was attractive, tall and lean, with piercing brown eyes, but Sasha had misinterpreted.
“No, I wish to convert her,” I explained. “Efstratios.” He turned to me, and I nodded towards the girl he held.
He did not hesitate, releasing her arms only to take hold of her head and snap her neck.
“Stop!” Kay screamed. “What’s wrong with you?” she continued angrily. “You’re a fucking monster.”
“There are ways around a blood oath,” I informed her.
“Fuck you,” she said calmly.
“Don’t threaten what you aren’t willing to commit to,” I replied.
Kay looked to her left.
“He’s here,” she said.
“Lady Petra and Lady Ardens,” Rylan greeted as he came into view. “The Princess is this way.”
“Efstratios, if you wouldn’t mind securing our new prisoner,” I commanded.
Kay did not argue or put up any resistance as Efstratios took hold of her, and we followed Rylan.
“I’m happy to see you’re safe,” he said, looking over his shoulder to Sasha as we walked.
“And you. How is Selene?” Sasha asked.
“Delirium has set in,” he told us. “I see you met our unexpected allies and dispatched with a couple,” he continued.
“They were annoying,” Sasha replied.
Rylan smiled, but the grin didn’t reach his eyes. I could smell his anxiety.
“It’s me,” he called as he knocked on a door, and another of Selene’s guards opened it.
Rylan turned to me, “She isn’t in a fit state,” he warned.
“Percy!” Selene called, sitting up from the table she was lying on. Blind eyes searching the room before falling back, one of her guards catching her head to rest her down gently.
“How long ago did the delirium hit?” Efstratios asked.
“Maybe an hour ago. I’m surprised she’s still moving,” Rylan replied. “I’d expect the full paralysis to have kicked in.”
“Yes,” Efstratios agreed. “Is it true that she is resistant to poisons?” he asked.
“I don’t know. If you had asked me that eight months ago, I would have said no, but now I’m not sure. Her survival of Hades’ Delight was a little-known antidote. But venom poisoning usually progresses much faster,” he continued.
“There is little we can do. She is strong, and this will pass,” Efstratios stated.
“But how long will it take to pass?” I questioned. “Are we sure this is venom poisoning?”
“Certain,” Rylan answered.
“Don’t. Where have you… Where are you going?” Selene mumbled; her eyes were shut, but she tried to push herself from the table.
Rylan gently guided her back down, and she groaned in pain.
“Find her, Rylan, it’s dark,” Selene said, her voice low, words slowed, grasping at his wrist.
“We’ll find her. I promise,” he reassured Selene.
Selene nodded, her head falling back, and the room became silent.
“Is she alive?” Sasha asked worriedly beside me.
“Yes, my love, we can hear her heart,” I explained.
“Now we have to make sure that her heart keeps beating,” Efstratios said, “Venom poisoning, while usually not fatal, can be, if the paralysis extends to the vital organs such as the heart.”