Page 18 of Heir Of Sun And Moon
“Rhea, let this be a lesson for you.Icontrol your life.Idecide who you are allowed to speak to.Iam your future.” He speaks with a low, taut voice, saying the words through gritted teeth while trapping me with his gaze. The energy in the room shifts, a crescendo building as if in warning of what is to come.
I move my eyes down to meet Alexi’s, expecting to see terror on his face, but instead I’m met with calm resignation. And somehow, that is so much worse. I try to scream at him to move—to fight. To dosomethingso I don’t have to watch what is about to happen.
“It’s okay,” he whispers, but the words don’t comfort me.
This is not okay.Tears roll down my cheeks and drip one by one onto the wood floor.
In the deafening silence, the king makes his last remarks. “I will make sure no one ever tries to take you from me. Everything I have done has been to keep you here, where you’re safe,” he declares, eyes bearing down on me.
Safe from what?The only person I’ve ever been in danger from ishimbecause I am nothing more than something to possess—a thing to him, not a person. He’s never loved me like a family member should. Not like the man he’s currently holding captive.
“Look at me.” Having zero fight left, I obey. In the glow of the torches at his sides, my uncle doesn’t even look mortal; his eyes and smile are illuminated, while shadows cover the rest of his features so that they appear contorted into something monstrous. “This is your fault, Rhea,” he says calmly, like it’s the most obvious truth. “You allowed thisguardto pretend he was someone important, and it will cost him his life. Don’t ever forget that.”
Before I can inhale my next breath, King Dolian plunges the sword through Alexi’s back, the tip of the golden steel dripping blood from where it protrudes from his chest. A scream like nothing I’ve ever heard before pierces the air; its anguish and sorrow causes the guards to cringe as it reverberates off the stone walls. Alexi’s eyes are wide as he slowly looks down to where he’s been stabbed. The king plants a boot onto his back as he kicks him off the sword, leaving him to fall chest first onto the floor. There is already so much blood, the crimson color pools around Alexi and dots the walls; it splatters across King Dolian’s tan breeches and his otherwise pristine boots.
It’s like time is moving in slow motion, my body thrashing as I fight to get out of the guards’ hold. If I can get to him, I can save him. Finally, I’m shoved to the ground in a painful crash. My screaming stops as I crawl on my hands and knees to reach Alexi. Grunting, I push with all my strength to roll him over, the new position placing his head in my lap as I sit back on my heels.
“Should we take the body, Your Majesty?” asks a muffled voice behind me.
“No. Let him lie there until tomorrow morning.” There is a shuffling of footsteps before the door slams, the king and his guards gone. Grim silence settles in as Bella darts down the stairs, coming to a halt and taking in the scene before her. A whine leaves her throat, long and high pitched, as she sinks down to the ground away from the blood still pooling around me.
Alexi’s face is pale, his eyes nearly shut as tears flood my own. Leaning forward, I whisper on a shaky breath, “I will heal you.”
My left hand cradles Alexi’s head as I move my right hand down to his chest, on top of his horrific wound. The warmth of his blood seeping out temporarily distracts me. Even Bella didn’t bleed this much. My eyes close, and I try to settle into the warmth coiled near my stomach. My mind feels too full to focus though, too many thoughts and feelings rushing past to silence. I let out a frustrated growl, squeezing my eyes even tighter. In my mind’s eye, I visualize my magic at the base of my spine—like glowing white ends of a flame. I reach for the tendrils, but it’s like my hands keep swiping through, unable to grasp them.
Suddenly I feel a hand, not quite warm but not quite cold, land on top of my own. I startle, my eyes opening as I look down at Alexi. The tips of his fingers, now pale in color, lay over mine on his chest as he slowly pushes our hands from his gash.
“No,” he rasps, blood leaking out of the corners of his mouth while his eyelids droop heavily.
“Alexi, I can fix this. Let me fix this,” I beg, trying to close my watery eyes again to focus.
“No,” he says a little more forcefully. I blink and stare at him, confused about why he won’t let me try. “You can’t. He will know.” The words are spoken so quietly, barely loud enough for me to hear though I hover over him.
“I don’t care. Ican’tlose you. I—”
His other hand, trembling with the effort, slides up to cup the side of my face gently, silencing my words.
“I love you, Little One.” A tear rolls down his cheek as he struggles to take a breath, a gurgling sound coming from the movement.
My tears drip faster down my own cheeks as a sob rips from me. “Please,” I whisper, trying to slide my hand to his wound again, but his fingers scarcely press down in resistance.
“This is not where your journey ends. Promise me,” he gasps, the gurgling sound louder as his lips move but no sound comes out. The hand on my face falls to the ground, grimly splashing the blood that now surrounds us as his eyes flutter closed. My chest heaves as I watch the man who raised me, the guard who protected me, thefatherwho loved me, take his last breath. Frantic, I lay both palms flat on his wound as I try to call on that magic to help.
Save him, I beg internally.Please, save him.I reach inside of me for that feeling of life that is coiled within, but like before, I can’t grasp it. The magic seems to dance away from my touch. “Save him!” I desperately scream out into the room, my hands pushing down more forcefully.
Finally,finally,that warmth begins to move up my torso. It’s something I can feel, but it can’t be seen from the outside. It flows slowly, resisting my call. Like it knows it’s too late. My teeth grit together as I force it to move, to get to my palms and flood Alexi with its healing abilities. When I feel the tingling sensation gather at my hands, I watch as the shimmery white light hovers over him.
Save him. Save him. Save him.Over and over, I command it to heed me.
But nothing happens. Seconds turn to minutes while my entire world crumbles around me. Alexi’s chest never rises again; color never returns to his beautiful skin, and his eyes never come back to life.
Chapter Ten: Bahira
“Comeon,Haylee,areyou even trying?” Drenched in sweat, I bounce on my feet, waiting for my friend to get back into her stance and lift her weapon. Her bright blonde hair is pulled back, her tan skin flushed as she breathes heavily. She’s already exhausted, likely from a night spent with Arin and not from our training.
“Bahira, you’re more feisty than usual this morning,” she pants, her hands on her knees as she rests.
“And you’re more tired than usual. What’s your point?” I retort as I twirl my spear.
