Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Emilie
“Hold still,” Cyrus said. He had one hand planted on Ladon’s back and the other wrapped around the arrow protruding from his shoulder. Cyrus’s face was paler than Ladon’s, and if one of them were to pass out, I’d bet money on the former.
“I didn’t expect you to be squeamish, Cyrus,” I said. As king, he didn’t spend as much time as Ladon on a battlefield, but he wasn’t completely shielded from it.
“I’m normally not. It’s different, though, when it’s a family member. There’s a hole… in his flesh,” he said with a shudder.
“Just pull it out,” Ladon hissed. They’d been going back and forth like this for the past fifteen minutes. Ladon obviously wanted to get the ordeal over with, but Cyrus wasn’t sure how to do it without causing more damage.
Initially, I had volunteered to do it, but they both agreed that I didn’t have the strength needed to pull it through. I watched with dread; I didn’t know how much more I could stand.
Meanwhile, Jade leaned against a tree, twirling half an arrow in her hand—the half that had been snapped off in preparation to pull the rest through. She noticed my glare and ceased her idle activity.
Ladon growled, and my attention snapped back to them. “Gods, Cyrus, if you can’t do it—”
“I can do it. I can. Okay, now breathe… On the count of three?”
“Whatever.”
Cyrus sighed and seemed uncertain still. He wasted a few more seconds, and I could tell Ladon had lost all patience. The silver in his eyes reminded me of a sharp blade, and his lip curled up in a snarl.
“Gods, you are pathetic,” Jade said, stepping forward. She walked around Ladon and pushed Cyrus out of the way. In one swift motion, she ripped the arrow from his shoulder.
Ladon gasped, throwing his hand over his wound and applying pressure. He huffed a laugh. “Fuck. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, throwing the arrow aside. “Can you take it from here?”
“Yes,” Cyrus grunted, reclaiming his spot behind Ladon. “Can you remove your shirt, or do you want me to cut it off?”
Ladon responded by using his good arm to pull his shirt over his head awkwardly and down his injured arm.
I inhaled a sharp breath when I saw the blood on his skin.
Somehow it was equally as awful as seeing the arrow sticking out of his shoulder.
Blood had seeped from the wound and dried halfway down his torso.
Cyrus touched Ladon’s back, and Ladon twitched. He quickly masked his discomfort, and Cyrus carried on as if he hadn’t noticed. It saddened me that even his brother’s touch was difficult to endure. I’d hoped that his journey toward mental healing had been going better than mine, but apparently not.
Light emanated from Cyrus’s hand, and the smell of burning flesh filled my nostrils. I looked away and covered my mouth, afraid I might gag. Ladon handled it exactly how I would’ve expected—with gritted teeth and a string of curse words.
After a few seconds, I heard the shuffling of feet. I looked over my shoulder to find Cyrus standing in front of Ladon and braced to cauterize the other end of his wound. I spun away again just in time to hear Ladon hiss.
“All done,” Cyrus said. “How does it feel?”
When I turned around, Ladon was carefully lifting his arm and winding it in a circle. “It’s sore, but I’ll live.”
“Do you need a minute before we continue on?”
Jade answered before Ladon could. “We don’t have time to waste. There’s a good chance Reyna sent more loyalists after us. We shouldn’t stay in one place for too long.”
“I’ll be fine. Give me a minute to wash up, and then we can keep going.”
Ladon’s answer seemed good enough for Jade. She walked away and began to monitor the tree line.
I found Ladon’s pack and threw it open, grabbing a clean shirt and a spare. Approaching the stream, I knelt down and wet the spare before returning to him.
He reached out for the wet cloth, but I pushed his hand aside. “Let me.”
Carefully, I rinsed the dried blood that lingered near his wound. The flesh there was angry and red, no doubt a result of Cyrus’s magical healing. This method would have to do while we were out here in the wild, but it would leave a grisly scar.
Ladon’s back muscles rippled under my touch, and I dared to let a finger trail over his skin. Goosebumps spread down his arms, and I smiled.
“Turn around,” I said once I finished with his back.
He spun around, and I wasn’t prepared for how close he was.
His face was mere inches from mine, and I withdrew a step.
Ladon grinned, seemingly enjoying the way he could so easily rattle me.
He spread his legs so I could reach his torso without bumping into his knees, and I hesitated before inching closer.
“Why are you smiling?” I asked him. Whatever the reason, I didn’t want him to stop.
He just shook his head.
I gently patted the area around his burnt skin, and he sucked in a breath through his teeth. His knees squeezed my sides, and I wasn’t sure if he did it intentionally or if it was merely a reaction to the pain I was inflicting.
“Sorry,” I said.
“Don’t be.”
I studied his face again, and the way he was looking at me made my skin flush. Like we were the only two in the world. Like his brother wasn’t standing feet away…
I cleared my throat and finished cleaning his shoulder. Softly, I said, “All done.”
Before I could stand, he grabbed my wrist. “Princess…”
“Yes?”
He smirked, and I immediately regretted responding to his pet name for me. But I’d given up fighting it some time ago.
“Tell me what you’re thinking. Tell me something honest.”
What was I thinking? Everything had happened so fast, I didn’t feel like my brain had had a chance to catch up to my adrenaline. It had been awful watching an arrow pierce his body, but it could’ve been much worse if he hadn’t jumped out of the way.
I was thinking about how those awful attackers were in the business of trading people.
My face must’ve shown my disgust, because Ladon grabbed my chin and lifted it. “Now I’m even more curious.”
I chuckled. “I’m glad you’re alive.”
He waited for me to say more, but I didn’t have the energy this time. Honestly, I wanted to return to the woods where we could pretend like it was just the two of us and then sleep for a week.
Finally, he said, “I’m glad we’re both alive.”
“Are you all finished?”
Ladon and I both jumped and hastily stepped apart. I wasn’t sure when Jade had snuck up on us, but she seemed to have a habit of popping up at the least opportune time. It was starting to get on my nerves.
Ladon took the clean shirt from my hands and pulled it over his head. “Yes, we can carry on now.”
I stood up and went to rinse out his bloodied shirt. I wasn’t sure if it was salvageable, but I didn’t want to toss it back in a bag without attempting to clean it.
While we finished packing up, Cyrus addressed both of us. “I’ve got to be honest, I never expected the two of you to get so close.”
My heart started to race, and I looked toward Ladon for support. He quietly pulled his pack over one shoulder, the good one, and stared at his brother.
Cyrus continued, “It’s surprising. That’s all.”
“We’ve been through a lot together,” I said, hoping my voice was as steady as I aimed for it to be. “I don’t think anyone expected this.”
His eyes darted to me on the last word, and I wondered if he was reading into it.
What exactly was this?
If I were asked to define it, I would’ve called it fate. Or destiny. An undeniable and unbreakable tether to one another. Ladon’s answer might be more grounded—it was love. It was affection and maybe even a little obsession.
But Cyrus… Cyrus would call it betrayal.
Was that the word running through his mind now? Was it on the tip of his tongue?
“I’m happy,” he said. “That you’ve become friends. Gods, my brother needed one.”
Ladon rolled his eyes, but his shoulders relaxed, so mine did too. “When did you become such a sap?”
Cyrus ruffled Ladon’s hair, and Ladon pushed his hand away. “I’ve always been looking out for you. You just never noticed. Come on. We should get moving before Jade leaves without us.”
Jade gave him a blank stare, unamused. But then she took her place as leader of the pack again and guided us through the forest.
“Have you ever been to Sage Harbor?” I asked while we walked on. It had been quiet too long, and I was growing tired of counting trees as a means of entertainment.
“No,” Cyrus said first.
Ladon shook his head. “No one from Osavian has ventured this far. Our borders have always been locked down.”
“Oh, that’s right,” I said, feeling foolish. I had read that in a history book somewhere. “What about you, Jade?”
Jade glared at me with disinterest before answering. “Yes.”
Okay then. If it weren’t for the fact that she treated everyone so curtly, I would’ve been offended. But she rejected all of us equally, so I brushed it off.
“What is it like?”
She scoffed and walked on, and I wondered if boredom would’ve been a better alternative than trying to engage in conversation with her.
I pursed my lips and started counting trees again. Maybe I could switch it up and count rabbit holes instead.
“You don’t need to be so rude,” Cyrus said.
I shook my head. “Cyrus, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. In case you’ve forgotten, we didn’t ask you to come on this trip. We didn’t ask you to come to Osavian either. You forced yourself into our lives, and we’re all more miserable for it. The least you could do is to be polite.”
Jade turned to look at him, and I swore she was fighting a grin. The two of them squared off and engaged in a war of glares. I’d never seen Cyrus angry before, and I was thankful not to be on the other end of his irritation.
When Jade finally spoke, it was with an air of tediousness. Like it was the hardest task she’d done all week. “It’s a harbor. It’s exactly what you’d imagine. There are a few shops and taverns and a lot of boats.”
“Was that so hard?” Cyrus snapped.
“It’s fine, really,” I said, attempting to ease the mounting tension. “I just thought some conversation would help pass the time. We don’t have to, though.”
Jade faced forward again and moved between the trees. I waited a moment, and when Cyrus began to follow, I did as well.
Ladon came up behind me, and his hand grazed my arm. “Maybe next time you can ask something less personal. Like what color is the sky?”
I snorted. “Then she’d think I’m stupid and too inquisitive.”
“Hey, Emilie,” Jade called from the front of our group. “What do you intend to do now that you’re no longer engaged to Cyrus? Don’t you think it’s a little weird to stay in Renoa with your ex-fiancé?”
My face turned bright red, and I was grateful she hadn’t even bothered to look back at me. Cyrus did, though, his eyes bouncing between me and Ladon, who was almost attached to my hip. Ladon sensed it too and fell back a step.
Cyrus was polite enough to answer on my behalf. “I’ve told Emilie she is free to stay. She’s a guest in our home for as long as she wants to be.”
Jade chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing. It’s very benevolent of you to let her live in your home. You don’t get anything in return?”
“I wouldn’t dream of asking for anything. She has been through enough. It costs me nothing to give her a place to stay while she heals.”
“Ah,” Jade said, toying with a tree branch as she moved ahead. “Is that it? You’re hoping once she gets over her trauma, she’ll come back to you?”
“For fuck’s sake,” Ladon grumbled beside me.
“Could you stop?” I snapped. “We all get it. You have no interest whatsoever in making friends or even being cordial. You’ve made your point.”
Finally, she peeked behind her over her shoulder, eyes locking with mine. “I’m not certain I have, Emilie. There’s so much more to talk about. Don’t you think?”