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Chapter thirty-two

I took another step forward to avoid the cause of the woman's warning, but as I stepped, I felt the unmistakable burn of my skin being sliced apart.

I wasn't quick enough.

The cold metal of a blade split me from what had to be my shoulder to my waist. I barely recollected the scream that escaped my throat as my shoulders jerked back and my muscles tensed.

The dress around me slackened, and it was all I could do to hold it up with my mostly healed shoulder.

My lungs struggled to catch enough breath as I stumbled forward, away from the person behind me.

I turned around in time to see them make their second attack.

The man dressed in leather was shorter than the other two, but he was also quicker, lunging for me with speed like Nessy’s.

On a good day, I would be able to dodge it easily, but I was not having a good day.

As I stepped out of the way, the tip of his blade caught my bicep.

“Fuck!” I cursed at the pain.

This blade was different. It wasn’t steel, but it had something in it that I could tell my new body didn’t like. The wounds that he had inflicted were not healing, and I could quickly feel my back and arm getting covered in blood.

This was definitely not a good day.

I felt the being within me flare to life with a new wave of anger.

“Let me take over, girl,” the woman practically growled.

The idea sent a wave of fear rolling through me.

I didn’t even know who or what this was.

All I knew was that we were linked. How could I let them take over my body?

“I’m Khalia, you can trust me,” the voice answered in a rush.

The man made a move to attack me again, forcing me to drop the hold on my dress as I used my other arm to support my sword. The metals crashed together and held, putting the man within a few feet of me. His eyes traveled down my mostly naked body, with a wicked smile splitting his face.

“I’ll make sure to have my fun with you after this.”

His comment had my stomach suddenly in my throat. This couldn’t be happening.

“Do it — ”

My agreement was cut off by a sword going through the man’s back and nearly reaching my stomach. His eyes went wide as he realized what happened. He had a few seconds of emotion wash over him before they rolled to the back of his head, and he collapsed.

My sword fell to the ground—all the strength in my arms leaving me.

A relief-filled sob escaped my mouth as Nickolai appeared from behind the man, his face splattered in blood and filled with rage.

He scanned me over, noticing the still open cut on my arm which had his jaw clenching.

I was almost too nervous to show him my back.

I stepped toward him, falling into his chest as my trembling legs buckled. He wrapped his arms around me to catch my fall, which placed his fingers right on the gash. I dug my nails into his arms and groaned in pain. His eyes widened, and he instantly moved to support me under my arm.

“Mira. . . What is that?” he growled.

I locked my legs beneath me and held onto his forearm for stability as I dropped my head. Things were starting to get dizzy, and I wanted to close my eyes more than anything.

Nickolai stepped around me partially to take in the damage done to my back.

I could only imagine the look that formed on his face as he took it in, but by the way his forearm tensed told me that I didn’t want to see how mad he was.

Taking off his cloak, he draped it around me, careful not to let it touch the middle of my back any more than it had to.

I didn’t know how the rest of the village was doing, but by the sounds, the fighting had stopped.

Wooden frames of homes dripped with water and cracked from the residual heat of the fires.

The family that I had worked to protect now had many people helping to save the husband while the mother cradled her two children, protecting them from witnessing the scene.

She looked up at me with unmistakable gratefulness that was joined with shock as she took in the king beside me before nodding in thanks.

I returned the gesture, even though it pulled at the cut.

Nickolai was ordering everyone around, practically in a panic as he commanded that his horse be brought to him immediately.

Before I knew it, he was telling me to wrap my legs and arms around him.

I did, and he somehow mounted his horse with me hanging from his torso.

My head buried into his chest as his arms surrounded me to reach the reins.

He was so warm, and even through the blood, I could smell the pine on his skin.

I barely recalled the horse carrying us through the woods.

It felt like I was floating compared to the ride out to the village.

Every time I closed my eyes, either Nickolai or voices from further away had me opening them again.

I knew we were getting close when Nickolai started shouting to the guards around us once more.

We slowed to a stop and what I had thought was the ground shaking turned out to be Nickolai shaking me awake again. “Mira? Stay awake, baby, we are almost there.” I nodded and Nickolai slid his hands under my ass to support me.

I didn’t even realize we had made it into the castle until I heard Nickolai shouting for the healer.

My body trembled as he set me upon his desk, allowing me to keep my head against his torso. The bloody cloak was now haphazardly wrapped around my waist with my broken bra being held up to my chest by my remaining good arm.

While this wasn’t how I’d hoped tonight would go, I didn’t regret it. To think of what those men would have done to that little girl if I hadn't stepped in—the thought made me sick to my stomach once again.

A warmth other than the blood still spilling down my back had me jolting awake just as shouts of Loughlan, Nessy, and Zeke came barreling through the door.

Blood was splattered upon them, especially shown on Loughlan and Nessy whose blondish hair caused the red to stick out, unlike Zeke’s.

Their smiles dropped from their faces as their eyes locked on Nickolai, me, my back, and what I assumed was the healer behind me.

“What the hell happened?” Loughlan asked, stepping closer to get a better look.

Nickolai didn’t say anything, as I’m sure he was waiting for the answer himself.

I racked my brain, trying to recall what exactly happened through the pounding behind my eyes.

There was the family, then the two men that I killed, then.

. . then the aufhocker on the edge of the forest. It had distracted me.

I went to speak, but stopped as the healer shifted behind me, reminding me that there was someone else in the room.

Nickolai noticed my hesitancy and gave me a nod in confirmation to continue.

Taking a deep breath, I finally said, “I saw a beast along the edge of the forest and I was watching to see if it was coming into the town.” I partially lied.

I didn’t want to think about the questions they would ask if I told them what I really saw.

While Zeke most likely saw what the aufhocker did in my memories the first time, a part of me hoped that either he couldn’t tell what I had thought in that moment, or that it all went by so fast that he couldn’t see it properly.

Nessy scoffed and mumbled under her breath, “Idiot.”

At any other time, I would have ignored her comment, maybe.

But as my back was currently being melded back together by the healer and I sat half-naked before everyone, I found myself instantly in a rage.

Whipping my head around, I caught her gaze, and blurted, “You're becoming even more of a bitch than Katryn.”

“You—” she tried interrupting, but I stopped her.

“You got your feelings hurt? Big deal! Nickolai and I were going through something that didn’t involve you sticking your nose in it,” I snapped.

“Mira. . .” Nickolai warned.

Neither Nessy nor I paid him any attention. “How does news about my nephew not involve me?”

“Nes. . .” Loughlan said warily.

The realization that she was upset because she felt the loss of her nephew, not because she didn’t know, had me pulling back a bit. “I’m sorry, Nessy. But Nickolai needed time to handle the news before he had to worry about everyone else’s feelings,” I answered, my voice calmer.

Even though I was calm, she only seemed to get angrier. Her face was beet red, and I could practically see the steam pouring from her ears. She turned and stormed toward the door. Loughlan followed after her, rushing to block her path.

“Nes, this has more to do with them. Cut her some slack.”

She stood with her back to us for a long time, allowing the healer to finish with my back and grab me a blanket before he started on my arm. I thought she was going to throw Loughlan out of her way to leave, but she surprised me by taking a deep breath and turning back around.

Keeping her eyes on the floor, she said, “I’m sorry, Mira.”

Clutching the blanket around me like it was a towel and I had just gotten out of the bath—I stood up on my shaking legs.

The healer gave me a frustrated sigh, which I ignored as I walked towards Nessy.

Wrapping an arm around her, I whispered in her ear, “I’m sorry about your nephew.

Maybe later I can tell you about him.” She hesitated before nodding and finally hugged me back.

The sniffle in my ear made me squeeze tighter before finally retreating.

Grabbing her hand, we walked back to Nickolai’s desk, and I let the healer continue.Every guy in the room seemed awkward at the display that went from shouting one second to crying the next. But Nickolai, who even though he was still pissed, showed a hint of appreciation.

Loughlan was the first to break the silence, asking, “So, are we going to talk about why Mira wasn’t able to heal?”

Each of their gazes shifted to me.

Holding up my hands—while keeping my elbows to my sides to hold up the blanket—I said, “Don’t look at me! I have no idea. It wasn’t a steel sword.”

Thankfully, Zeke drew their attention by asking, “Could it have been poison?”

“There hasn’t been anything found to stop fae healing that I know of,” Nickolai countered.

“Just because you haven’t heard of it doesn’t mean there isn’t one, I used steel powder on the dagger for Katryn.” I argued.

Nickolai looked like he was chewing on the inside of his cheek as he mulled over my words, slipping back into his brooding anger.

I knew it was because of me, but there was no changing what I did.

Not that I would if I could. I could handle him being mad at me, but there was no way I could’ve handled sitting in my room while everyone else fought.

“If there is something out there that can stop our healing, and our enemy has it, we are screwed,” Nessy said, voicing what appeared to be everyone else's thoughts.

Loughlan stated bluntly, “Even if we find out what it is, there isn’t any guarantee that we can counter it.”

“We at least need to find out what it’s made of,” Nessy quipped.

The healer finished and left without saying a word while the conversation became solely between Zeke, Loughlan, and Nessy.

Nickolai’s gaze seemed to flitter back and forth between them and me.

He didn’t bother adding to it as he took in what his most trusted advisors had to say with his jaw clenched—finger tapping on his crossed arms.

I dreaded the upcoming time alone with him.

“Maybe we should counter-attack, try to find the source of the poison,” Zeke offered, pulling my attention again.

“We can’t counter-attack if we don’t know who we are fighting against, Zeke,” Nessy explained. He looked defeated by her words.

“Who could it be?” I asked finally, looking at each of them before settling my gaze on Nickolai.

He shrugged, “It could be Sorith. That king has always been trying to start things.” His jaw clenched at the thought of the kingdom. “But then again, things with Ylouver have been strained.”

My brows furrowed. “Why is that?”

Nickolai shook his head and said, “I’m not sure, it’s been that way since before I became king.

I have tried reaching out, but the king and queen have been.

. . slow to talk. I think they're doing everything they can to stay out of things. But I’m sure they would’ve never started something like this. ”

“What about Wrodgow and Arklas?”

Nessy let out a quick laugh. “Arklas wouldn’t do anything to us, and while Wrodgow can be. . . problematic,” she paused, “they would also never go up against us.”

“Well then, you need to find out who it is. If it’s Sorith, make one hundred percent sure. But we can’t do nothing. There were children slaughtered tonight, over a fight they had nothing to do with. So we need to figure out who we are dealing with and figure it out fast.”

Each face turned somber as they nodded slightly in agreement. I had no right to speak to them like that, but that didn’t change the fact that what I said was true. This wait for answers has gone on too long.

Nickolai’s calm and commanding voice broke the silence, “Nes, send spies out to find any resistance groups in the area. I want to be made aware of everything that breathes, eats, and shits in my kingdom. Loughlan and Zeke, gather the weapons of the rebels in the town and give them to the philosophers. See if they can find what was on that blade.” When Nickolai finished, it was clear that he was dismissing them.

They each bowed their heads at him before tossing a worried look at me as they walked out. Leaving me completely alone to face Nickolai’s wrath.