Page 32 of Love of the Bladed Dove
Layla nodded before quickly following Kain into the thick of the forest. They approached the southern cliffside entrance just behind a group of Antonin warriors scaling the rocks. Blending in, Layla and Kain moved swiftly, unnoticed amid the chaos. Making the treacherous climbin stealth with all of the others. When they reached the secret door, Kain leaned in, his breath barely a whisper.
“Once inside, you lead. I’ve got your back.” Layla simply nodded in response.
They slipped into the castle. The roar of steel on steel rang out around them, Antonins clashing with Bartorian guards. The battle had already underway. Layla kept her focus.Long corridor. Ballroom balcony. Through the garden. Southeast wing—dungeons.She repeated the route like a mantra, grounding herself in the plan. Her grip tightened on her blades just as a Bartorian appeared in front of them. Kain's arrow hit him before Layla could even raise her arm. They kept moving.
Another hall—more blood. Layla flung a blade into the skull of a Bartorian who had pinned an Antonin to the ground. The man gave her a grateful nod and charged back into the fray. They pressed on, slipping behind a pillar near the ballroom balcony.
A warrior sprinted past, bloodied and breathless, catching sight of Kain. “They pulled the queen back to camp,” he shouted over the chaos. “Bartorian blade caught her in the gut during the breach. She’s alive, but pissed—won’t stop barking orders from the tree line.” Layla didn’t slow, but the words struck like a jolt to her spine. The queen was down. Which meant… Theron was leading now. Inside these walls. Inside her home. His voice. His command. She didn’t know what that meant—what he would choose to do with that power. Only that, impossibly… it gave her hope.
“Gods,” Kain muttered, breathless, “that woman’s made of iron.” Layla nodded, driving one of her daggers into the side of a Bartorian who lunged from a blackened corridor. She twisted sharply, yanked itfree, and kept moving. But her gaze lingered on Kain a beat longer. He didn’t waver. Didn’t let the blow of his mother’s near-death rattle him. He fought with steady hands, sharp focus—like a soldier bred for chaos.Like a son forged by a queen.
Another enemy rushed them. Kain stepped forward, parried with his sword, and rammed his elbow into the man’s face. Blood splattered. The body dropped. Then he tapped Layla’s shoulder.
“Three ahead,” he whispered. Her breath caught, but she nodded, daggers ready as her focus snapped back into place. Kain leaned out, loosed three arrows in quick succession—thwip, thwip, thwip. Three Bartorians fell.
“Go!” he hissed. Layla darted forward. She was immediately met with a Bartorian guard swinging wide with an axe—she ducked low as she slid past. Slashing her dagger across his thigh as she went. He howled before collapsing behind her.
She vaulted the stair rail, boots landing hard. Below, she caught an unexpected glimpse and nearly stumbled.Theron. He was forged fury as his sword carved through the chaos with devastating precision, each movement as fluid as it was lethal. She hadn’t expected to see him here. Not like this. Not like some wrathful god made flesh. She nearly stopped to watch, heart stuttering at the sight of him—until Kain grabbed her by the collar and shoved her down the stairwell.
“Live now, gawk later.”
Layla swore under her breath—but immediately obeyed, sprinting into the dark.
Layla’s chest rose and fell as they reached the garden entrance. She paused for a heartbeat—too exposed, but the fastestpath. Seeing no one in sight. She inhaled sharply and then they darted into the open garden. Instantly, pain exploded in her shoulder. An arrow. Blood.
“Kain—!” She winced. He immediately threw himself over her, arm wrapped tight around her as they continued their sprint. She felt more than heard two arrows thud into Kain’s back. He stumbled but didn’t stop. Before she could truly react, he squeezed her tighter, yanking her on.
"Keep going! Don't slow down!" Kain yelled with an edge of pain in his voice. Layla abided, not slowing down until they ran behind an archway near the entrance to the dungeons. Kain's warmth was instantly gone as she heard a loud groan. She spun around to check on him while they were momentarily safe from the aerial assault. He was leaning his shoulder against a wall. Two arrows sticking out of his back. Layla gasped in horror. Her face must have shown her concern because Kain looked at her with a pained smile.
"I'm okay, Little Dove. But if I'm going to be of any help to you, I will need you to pull these out," Kain sarcastically quipped. She couldn’t believe he was joking around at a time like this!
"You want me to take them out?! Now!?" Layla exasperatedly responded. Thoroughly alarmed by the request.
"Just do it quick, Little Dove. We don't have time for this." He retorted. Still acting as though it wasn't a big deal. Layla reluctantly nodded her head and stepped forward. She slowly reached her tremoring hand for the first arrow that had pierced just below his right shoulder blade. As her fingers wrapped around the shaft, Kain let out a small groan of pain.
"Just pull it!" Kain snapped with biting humor through gritted teeth. Layla instantly yanked with all her might, ignoring her own screaming pain from her left shoulder as she did it. The arrow was dug deep but thankfully came out. Blood started pouring down his back. She looked around but there was nothing she could cover it with.Shit, shit, shit!Layla internally panicked.
"Just get the other one, Dove. We need to get going before our friends come down to find us." Kain tossed out dryly.
What he was saying made sense, but Layla definitely felt like she was more worried about the blood loss and injuries than he was. She shook her head and held her breath as she yanked the other arrow out of his lower back. It had narrowly missed his spine. As she tossed the bloody arrows to the ground, she looked over at his blood-soaked back in panic.
"We need to stop the bleeding!" Layla desperately rasped as she attempted to get across to Kain how pressing of a matter this actually was. He jus turned around and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to the dungeon entrance. Clearly, only one of them was concerned about it.
Kain groaned as he let go of her wrist and grabbed for one of his arrows to prep his bow. As they swiftly descended the stairs, expecting to run into a group of Bartorian guards, they rounded the bottom step and came across only one. He drew his sword out, ready to attack, but Kain was too quick. His arrow had pierced the guard's sword arm, forcing him to drop it to the ground. Kain stepped forward, now holding another arrow directly in front of the guard, aimed at the center of his skull.
“Go find your family,” Kain growled. “I’ve got him.”
“Keys,” Layla demanded. The guard snarled and tossed them at her feet. She grabbed them and ran.
Cell after cell—nothing. Then the last one. A body on the floor.Her mother.
Crouching down beside her mother, Layla gently pulled her hair back from her face and checked the pulse of her neck.She is still alive!!!Layla rejoiced internally as she released the shaky breath she had been holding. She rolled her mother onto her back and froze. The woman had been beaten so badly, it was a miracle she was still alive. She was covered in only the Gods know what, atop of swelling and bruises from head to toe. Layla's heart fell to her stomach. She tried to lift her but couldn't. She wasn’t strong enough and she couldn’t seem to muster her mother to wake up. Reluctantly, she left her there and ran back to Kain.
“Kain!” she shouted as she sprinted back. “I found my mother—but I need you.”
Kain looked up, pale and bloodied. “Where are your sisters?”
“I don’t know. They’re not in the cells.” She turned on the guard, the sight of her mother like that reigniting the seething anger that was at a constant simmer. “Where are they?!” she shouted. He just sneered in response. Layla approached him in a blind rage as she punched him square in the face. The guard rocked backward and quickly brought his hands up to his nose, blood instantly gushing down his face.
