Chapter 42. The End.
Iwiped the last tip of Roxanne’s arrows against the bottom of my cloak, freeing it of Wurdulac’s blood, before setting it on the ground by my feet.
“What is taking her so long?” Florence watched the depths of dark woods where Roxanne had disappeared into.
“Should we go after her?” I asked, following Florence’s gaze.
“We sh—” she trailed off as the redheaded woman appeared in the distance: no horse followed after her as she rode towards us. “I’m sorry,” Florence whispered to me.
“I couldn’t catch her, she was too frightened,” Roxanne said when she reached us. “Sorry.”
I shook my head, passing Roxanne her lost arrows.
“You should ride with me.” Florence walked to her horse. “My horse is a lot bigger, she can carry us both.”
“It will still slow us down.” I followed after her nevertheless.
“We have no other choice.” Florence helped me mount her horse. “At least we are not far,” she mumbled as I sat behind her, my hands wrapping around her waist when she ordered her horse into a run, towards the palace.
The quiet battlements of the palace appeared in the distance as we slowed our steps. The dark clouds hid the Moon from our view as we neared our end.
“Wait!” Roxanne hissed, bringing her horse to a stop. Florence halted in an instant. “There is someone by the trees,” Roxanne pointed towards the spruce that surrounded the palace. “Right there, you see?”
Florence and I followed her gaze.
A figure in a black cloak—with a hood covering their head—stood by the line of dense spruce, their eyes planted on the palace’s silent walls.
“Wait here,” Roxanne whispered, drawing her bow as she ordered her horse to walk slowly in the direction of her target.
Florence and I froze in place; Roxanne closed the distance between whoever hid behind the bushes—
Roxanne lowered her bow, her shoulders visibly relaxing as she gestured for us to follow.
“Roxanne?” The figure got to his feet, walking towards us as we neared. “I thought I’d lost you,” Gabriel looked over at me and Florence. “The outskirt villages are in ashes,” he added, lowering his gaze.
“Have you seen anyone leave the palace?” Roxanne dismounted her horse, tying the reins to a nearby tree.
“Not a single soul,” he replied. “The palace seems vacant.”
“Tamira said half of the army is still here.” I jumped off of Florence's horse, before we all made our way into the bushes. “It must be a trap.”
Three silent pairs of eyes met mine as I scanned the empty grounds of my old home.
No guards stood at the perimeter of the palace, no Wurdulacs guarded the main gate. No candlelight flickered through the palace’s windows: only a withering wind whispered its spells, brushing over my hair.
“It’s quiet,” Florence whispered.
“Perhaps some of them left, like Caleb had predicted.” Hope shone in Roxanne’s eyes as she pointed her arrow at every entrance of the palace, searching for possible targets.
“If Kane is still here, he isn’t alone; he wouldn’t stay without protection.” I shook my head. My mind wandering through every possibility—
Damnation.
How did I not think of it earlier?
My heart banged against my rib cage. “I should go by myself.” I swallowed as the realization swept through me. “It’s a trap for me.”
“What do you mean?” Gabriel’s eyes met mine.
“Kane wanted me to join him,” I explained.
“He made me kill Sandra to prove my loyalty.” I forced air into my lungs before continuing, “He was mad I wasn’t by his side from the very beginning, but Caleb convinced him I didn’t know any better.
” I met Roxanne’s and Florence’s gazes. “Now that I’ve openly refused him, he will want retribution for my disloyalty—Francis is my bait.
” A chill went through me at the words, yet Kane’s intentions were clear as day.
“I should go alone, give Kane what he wants.”
“Are you mad?” Florence caught my hand when I got to my feet, pulling me back down.
“Perhaps he will let Francis go if he has me!” I hissed, fighting with Florence’s strong hold.
“No!” Roxanne hissed back. “He will not, and you know it.” She lowered her bow, looking around the perimeter of the palace. “Where do you think they are keeping him?”
“Probably the dungeons: same place he’d kept me.” I swallowed the growing lump in my throat.
“Then it should be easy enough,” Roxanne mumbled, her eyes searching for the small door connecting to the dungeons. “We won’t have to go through any obstacles like we did last time.”
I prayed to the Moon she was right, despite a small voice telling me the opposite.
“It’s time.” Gabriel unveiled an unused torch attached to his saddle. “We cannot wait any longer, we must leave the palace before the sun starts to rise. We have an hour, or we will be trapped in there.”
I watched the door to the dungeons carefully, as though it would open at any moment, and Francis would walk out unscathed.
“Ready?” Roxanne asked, looking over at all of us. Satisfied with our determined gazes, she took a long breath in before getting to her feet. “Let’s go.”
We jogged to the palace silently: our cloaks like shadows under the raising sun.
My heart stopped as my legs carried me back towards the place that had stolen everything from me; my lungs froze in place as my legs carried me towards the place that could give me everything.
Roxanne halted right before the entrance to the dungeons, gesturing for us to freeze in place.
Gabriel took the canteen out of the inside pocket of his cloak, pouring the contents onto the tip of his torch.
“Let me go first,” he whispered to Roxanne, taking the golden flint out of his pocket.
“The fire will take whoever is inside off guard.” He stroked the flint against his sword, before lighting the torch in one smooth motion.
Roxanne nodded before averting her gaze to me and Florence. “Stay safe,” she whispered, disappearing behind the door after Gabriel.
I held my breath, counting every beat of my heart, as utter silence followed from the dungeons.
“Let’s go,” I told Florence as my eyes captured the last moments of peace before I took a step into the dungeons.
The strong smell of mold reached my nostrils as my eyes watered. The familiar smell of Sandra’s blood made my stomach turn upside down.
The dungeons were dark, save for Gabriel’s torch, its stoned walls keeping the sun away as we walked through the—
My eyes planted on the splattered blood across the floor. The memories I was so desperate to get rid of overwhelmed my mind anew.
Sandra’s empty blood body lay in the middle of the room, her empty eyes staring back at me, thanking me for taking her life. My hands shook as I watched the dry blood stain the stones—
“Francis!” Florence’s voice echoed through the dungeons. My head flew in her direction as I ran towards the open cell.
“Francis!” I dropped to the floor in the corner of the cell. “Francis!” My voice echoed through the dungeon when my hands reached his peaceful—too peaceful face.
“Go get the horses!” Roxanne ordered Florence. “We can’t carry him all the way there.”
Florence offered a quick nod before disappearing behind the door that led outside—
“Put pressure here!” Roxanne pushed my hands against Francis’ open wound on his stomach. “It’s silver,” she mumbled under her breath.
The shining blade had pierced deep into his insides as his closed eyes planted on the ceiling. I held my breath, listening for the only sound that mattered in that very moment—Francis’ weak breathing. “Francis,” I whispered as a groan escaped his lips, yet he did not move.
“We need chapizhnik leaves to burn out the poison.” Roxanne rushed to cut the bottom of her cloak.
“Burn!?” My crimson hands shook when I met Roxanne’s gaze.
“Where is the apothecary in the palace?” She wrapped the fabric around Francis’ wound.
“I—” Panic choked me as I glanced back at—unmoving—Francis. Blood splattered around him, soaking my fingers red. “It’s—”
“I will take you there,” Gabriel’s voice banged through the dungeons as he shoved the torch into my bloody hand. “For protection,” he threw over his shoulder to me, charging towards the only door that led up to the palace.
“Stay with him, and continue applying pressure!” Roxanne yelled, rushing after Gabriel—Royal steel dagger in her hand.
The undergrounds of the palace quieted, the weak echoes of Francis’ slow breathing whispered against the walls. The torch’s fire danced on his face, illuminating the dark purple bruises covering his cheekbones, illuminating the blood–painted cuts on his lips.
“Francis,” I whispered as tears clouded my vision. My hands fell to his chest, feeling his heart—
A hard surface met my fingers. My brows furrowed, undoing his cloak. Francis’ metal canteen shielded his heart from my touch.
My crimson hand wrapped around the full flask, bringing a sad smile to my face.
My eyes never left Francis, as though a mere glance lost would strip him away from me forever.
How long has he been like this for?
“Francis,” I whispered when his eyes fluttered open before closing anew. “Please stay with me.” Tears rushed down my cheeks—
The sound of boots outside reached my ears when a shadow appeared on the stone walls.
“Florence?” My voice shook as my hold hardened around the shaft of the torch. My other hand pocketed the flask inside of my cloak.
The slow steps neared; the shadow grew bigger.
My heart banged in my chest as I gathered to my feet, moving the torch in the direction of the entrance.
“Florence?” I whispered, praying to all the Gods and Goddesses that would listen—
A broad figure appeared at the threshold; the fire illuminated the familiar features.
“Caleb?” My eyes narrowed on my blood brother.
“I’m not alone,” he croaked, taking a step into the dungeons.
With a blade to Caleb’s back, Kane walked the man to the middle of the room.
“I’m sorry, Cordelia,” Caleb met my gaze; his face was covered in bruises and cuts that still bled crimson, a bright silver dagger planted deep in his stomach.
His right leg dragged behind him as Kane pushed the man forward.
“And so we meet again, daughter.” Kane’s lips stretched into an ugly smile as he brought a Royal steel sword to Caleb’s throat.