He sees it just in time and sidesteps, causing Lily to be in the path. My heart stops as I realize my mistake. But she reaches out, catching the blade in her hand. Blood drips down her arms as she takes the dagger and plunges it into Saar’s chest.
She doesn’t miss the mark and he falls to the ground, groaning as the last bit of life leaves him. The dagger falls to the cold, hard ground. Lily sinks to her knees, clutching her hand to her chest. I kneel down beside her.
“Let me see it.” I don’t wait for her permission, but grab her wrist and look at the cut. It’s deep and runs across her entire palm. I rip the sleeve off my shirt and wrap it around her hand to help stop the bleeding.
“We need to get you to the infirmary.” I guide her by her elbows as she stands. She is already losing too much blood. Her dress is soaked in red, though some of that is from Saar. I walk behind her and guide her every step.
I lose my balance and begin to fall. “I’ve got you.” Gavin whispers behind me, placing an arm below my knees, and the other behind my back. He lifts me up and carries me.
I wrap my arm around his shoulder, trying to help, but unable to comprehend if it’s doing any good. My head feels light. My dress feels heavy. I just want to fall into the darkness threatening to consume me.
“Lily, stay with me,” Gavin says. At least, I think it’s Gavin. Or Derrick. I don’t remember anymore.
“She’s lost a lot of blood. Please help her. Save her.”
I can feel something soft beneath me now. And I’m no longer moving. I try to open my eyes, but my eyelids refuse to budge. I stay put. Feeling more secure, I let the blankness take over.
“Your Highness?” a woman asks.
My eyes flutter open before immediately closing again. I try once more to look up at the person speaking to me, but it seems my body isn’t ready to move again.
“It’s all right. You relax. But you do need to drink this. Can you open your mouth?” the same woman asks.
“Lily, I’m going to help open your mouth, all right? Just don’t spit the liquid back up. You need to drink it,” a man says. The way he speaks my name, the silkiness of his voice. Gavin.
I try to nod, though it doesn’t work very well. I attempt to open my mouth. Strong hands, though they are incredibly gentle, help hold my jaw as someone pours liquid into my mouth. It has a strange flavor, but it is cool and comforting. I swallow and try again to open my eyes.
Hera is standing beside the bed. Sitting on my other side is Gavin—or Derrick. Now I’m unsure which to call him. But I can’t fight with him right now. Despite helping to cause my injuries, if only by being a part of my life, he did save me.
He told me he loves me. He wouldn’t say that if he didn’t mean it, would he? I don’t know. I suppose right now, it doesn’’t matter.
“Lily?” I look up to find Father approaching me from the doorway. He hold something in his right hand, but as he comes closer, I see him set it on one of the empty beds before pushing Gavin aside and wrapping his arms around me.
“I’m all right, Father,” I whisper, though I don’t even know if it’’s true.
“What happened?” he asks me, but I can’t answer. I don’t recall enough to piece everything together.
“I told you what was coming, Your Majesty. One of the men got here early and took her, knowing she is the reason I no longer work for our enemies. He was going to kill her just to get back at me. I went to save her, but mostly, she saved herself. Unfortunately, in the process, she lost a lot of blood,” Gavin explains.
Never once does he look the king in the eye. Instead, he looks into mine, and all I see there is sorrow and regret and pain. Perhaps worse than the pain I’m feeling physically right now.
“Come with me,” Father says to Gavin.
He nods and stands up, releasing my hand.
Father kisses me on the forehead. “I’m so glad you’re all right.” He looks at Hera, who is still standing at my side. “Keep her safe.”
With that, he picks up the item from the other bed and walks out, Gavin following after him.
“You said the only way to win this war is with dragons. I myself cannot call upon them and ask for help, but I knew one who could. King Osric of Wentsden and Umare had in his possession the sword of dragons. Whoever owns such a weapon can call upon the king of dragons at any time and the king must answer.” Chavez looks down at the sword, wrapped in cloth, he is holding in his hands.
“Osric bestows upon you the power to wield this sword. Go forth and do so. Call for help,” he says, putting the weapon in my hands.
“Thank you.” I bow and turn to leave.
“Gavin, you must win this war. Any destruction caused, any people we lose, you will answer for.” Never before have I feared a man so much.
“I understand. I can promise you one thing, Your Majesty. I will win. Or I will die trying. Protecting your family is all that matters to me now.” I nod and walk away.
Hardly watching where I’m going, my eyes stuck on the sword, I run hard into somebody. I look up only to find myself staring into Lily’s eyes. Or that of her mother.
“Your Majesty—”
“Don’t say another word,” she says softly, sadly. “Know this. My daughter loves yo. You have wronged her—all of us—in many ways. But there is still hope. You are willing to give everything you have to save her, to save all of us now. Lily may feel a kind of hate for you because you betrayed her. You hold her heart and her love, and you hurt her. But all wounds can be healed. Do not go out there and only think of dying in battle to pay for your mistakes. You will live. You will survive. And you will win. You have my word that no matter how this plays out, there is good still to come. You have not one, but two armies at your side. Mine, and that of the dragons. Never give up hope.” She leans forward and kisses my forehead.
“Thank you,” I say, my voice hushed, tears welling up in my eyes.
“Now go. Save us all so you can save yourself.” She smiles, and it gives me a new hope. A stronger hope.
I walk outside and find a place in the garden that seems large enough for a dragon to land. I realize now that I should’ve asked for more instruction on how to call for the king of dragons.
Not knowing what to do, I raise it to the sky. “King of dragons! I call upon thee!”
I wait, hoping for any kind of sign saying it worked. But I can’t expect the dragon just to appear out of nowhere. It could take hours for him to arrive, depending on how far away he is. Or he could simply not be coming at all.
I sit down on a small stump and wait. A strong wind blows through, causing the trees to sway and leaves to be pulled from their branches. I look up to a darkened sky, but the shadow passes rather quickly.
It wasn’t a cloud. It was the body of a dragon. Only he isn’t landing inside the garden, but swooping around again and flying overhead once more.
“He can’t land in here,” a man says from behind me.
I whip around to be startled by Elian standing there.
“What?” I say, not sure if I’m more confused by his statement or the fact that it’s him, of all people.
“The dragon is too large to fit in the garden. Go outside the city walls,” he explains.
“Understood. Thank you!” I run, not bothering to get Kova, weaving past and around people and shrubbery and horses and carts.
I jump over pigs and goats, and run between the trees. No matter how hard I push myself, I feel like I’m going nowhere. But finally, I reach the gates leading outside the city.
I run faster, harder, stronger. Elian was right. The dragon, with scales a light teal and a stomach silvery white, sits before me. I skid to a stop and marvel at the dragon’s stature.
“You called, assassin?” His voice is so deep, the very ground beneath me trembles.
“I am no longer an assassin. My name is Gavin. And yes, I called, for Tivor needs your help. I need your help.”
“I know why you have brought me here.”
> “You do?”
“Of course I do. How do you think Tohomoth got the venom needed to create an army of dragon-like soldiers?”
“I—I don’t know. I didn’t really think about it.””
“Of course you didn’t,” he roars. “But I do. I have to weep for the loss one of my loyal subjects. His life was taken so Cordae could build an unbeatable following. And now you need me to save your life and the lives of all those who reside in this forsaken kingdom. So tell me why I should help you. Why I should risk the lives of more of my kin so that you may live and be forgiven and get your happiness back?”
“You may not care about me, Your Majesty. But you can’t tell me that you don’t care for a single other person who lives in Tivor. I’’m not asking you to do this for me. Help me destroy this army so that neither of us will ever face this situation again.”
“I will help you on one condition.”
“What?”
“When this is all over, the sword is returned to King Osric.”
“Done.”
“I will help save Tivor. Now, I must know—what do you plan on doing to help when this is a battle for my kind?” His voice darkens, as if he is afraid of my answer.
“Whatever you ask of me.” Because honestly, I don’t know what to do.
“You kept a vial of the potion, did you not?”
“I did.”
“Drink it. You’ll need the extra strength.” He turns away from me.
“Wait!” I reach out as if I could grab ahold of him.
“What?” He bends down so he is eye level with me, making it so the bottom of his chin rests against the grass.
“We’re trying to destroy this army. If I have the same powers, will you not have to kill me when this is over?”
“Leave that to me. When the time comes, you will seal your fate one way or another. Of that, I am sure. Perhaps dragon life is my gift to you, if you prove worthy of it.” He doesn’t stay a moment longer. He flaps his expansive wings, beating up a dirt cloud as he goes.
He takes flight and disappears toward the East Mountains.
I walk back to the castle, filled with doubt. How is this going to work? I stop and pull the vial from my boot. Holding it carefully in my hands, I examine it again.
“If I drink this, I will be as strong as Cordae’s army. The strength of a dragon. Unbreakable to anyone but a dragon itself,” Gavin says aloud, speaking to himself.
“And what of your future children? Will they hold the same power, or will it fade away?” I ask.
He jumps, startled. He turns to find me approaching him. “Your Highness, what are you doing out of bed?”
“I wasn’t going to lie around and let others fight for me.” I explain.
He nods, either accepting my answer or simply refusing to argue with it.
“I don’t know. The dragon king has agreed to help. He has gone to form an army to protect Tivor. He asked how I intended to help—”
“I know. I heard. What I didn’t hear was any discussion of what you’re going to do after you no longer need to be as powerful as dragons.””
He pulls the phoenix pendant from below his tunic and holds it up. “I’m going to use this as a second chance, Lily. Reborn from the ashes of my past, and rise once more as a new man. Only because of you was I able to find my true self again. And I will never return to being the person Cordae made me.”
“And your true self? Who is he?” I continue walking toward him, careful with my every step. My right arm is bandaged and held against my side with a sling.
“Gavin. A poor man who only wishes to work for everything he receives. A weapon’s master in love with the princess he hurt.”
“What if that life isn’t as great as your old one?”
“It’s already better. I am not a monster people fear. I have an honest job, and should I survive this battle, even if I lose that, I will have a clear conscience. I will find work elsewhere. I fell in love, and that is something only Gavin can say. And even if I should lose the woman who owns my heart, I cannot complain because I do not deserve her.”
“What if you did deserve her? What if despite the hurt, the lies, all of it, she couldn’t find it in herself to hate you for very long?” I stop walking.
Now he approaches me. “I would live every day working my hardest to prove to her how much I love her. How much I care about her. I would shower her with gifts and kisses and everything I have left.”
We stand only inches apart. I hate forgiving him so easily. And a part of me knows that I am still angry—livid, even. But another part of me also knows that I may never see him again.
I lean forward, my lips almost against his, and wait for him to close the distance. Just as our lips meet, a roaring sound so loud, it feels like my ears are bleeding, fills the sky. I step back, holding one hand over my ear, trying to block out the noise. Gavin covers my other ear, seeing as I can’t use my hand.
We both look northeast. No fewer than a thousand men march toward us, all roaring with the might of a dragon.
“Run!” Gavin grabs my free hand and pulls me along as he runs for cover behind the kingdom wall. I run, but find I am not able to keep up with him. I drop his hand, falling behind at an alarming rate.
He stops and backtracks, whisking me up in his arms and carrying me. I don’t argue, realizing it would only slow him down further.
“What are we going to do? Fuentes has not returned.”
“I’m going to get you to safety. Then I’m going to drink the potion and try to do as much damage as I possibly can until backup arrives.”” He puffs, still running while carrying me.
We make it inside the wall just before the gates come slamming closed. Gavin sets me down on my feet, keeping his arm around my waist to steady me.
“Gavin?” I look up at him, hating everything about this situation.
“Yes?”
“I haven’t forgiven you, and there’s still a lot we need to discuss. But know that I do love you. So go out there and bring down whoever is trying to hurt the ones I love. And then you come back to me.” I bite my lower lip, clenching my fist.
“Thank you.” He kisses my forehead.
“For what?” I grab his wrist, stopping him from just walking away.
“Giving me the power I need to survive.” With that, he’s gone.
I stare at the gate and clench back every tear threatening to escape me. “Oh, forget it.” I rip my sling off and run after Gavin.
“Wait!” I yell, trying to catch up with him.
“Lily, you need to get to safety. Go inside the castle, find your father, and let him know what’s happening.”
“No.” I stand my ground, putting my fists on my hips.
“What happened to your sling? You’re bleeding again.” He presses against my arm where the blood has started to run free again.
“I don’t care. I’m not going to stand here and let you defend my home. I’m coming with you whether you like it or not. So go drink that potion, do what you have to do, and meet me back here.”
“Lily, this isn’t a regular fight. I’ll only barely match their strengths, their powers. You will be nothing to them.”
“Then I will die protecting everything I care for.” I stand tall, refusing to back down. All I’ve ever wanted was to fight, to protect, to be a princess who could take care of herself.
“You and I against the world?” He holds his hand out toward me.
I take it, wrapping my fingers around his, though my hand only covers half of his. “Until the end.”
“Then go. Get a new bandage on that.” He nods toward the bleeding. “A change of clothes into something like breeches might be helpful as well. And I will see you out here in no more than twenty minutes.” His Adam’s apple bobs. I can see the fear in his eyes, and I’m sure my own features mirror his.
“Don’t you dare go out there without me. I mean it.” I squeeze his hand before dropping it and running to the castle doors.
<
br /> “You’re going to allow her to enter a fight we both know she can’t win?”
I turn, surprised I didn’t know Elian was behind me. “I’m not going to stop her, that’s for certain. It is her wish to enter this battle. And while I hate it, while I fear even now that I will lose her forever, I also know that aside from perhaps locking her back in the dungeon, there is no way I could stop her from joining it. So it is better that she stay beside me, where I can at least protect her to the best of my ability.”
“I want to fight as well. I know of the potion you carry. I’m also sure that it is enough for at least two. Allow me to drink as well. It may not even the odds, but perhaps it will give us enough time for our reinforcements to arrive.”” He looks at the bottle in my hand.
I want to share it. To only have half the burden. But I also know Fuentes is livid with the situation. He only allows me to live freely—should I survive at all—with these powers because it is his gift. Even so, I do not understand it. “The king of dragons will surely kill anyone who carries dragon blood inside him. I cannot condemn you to death only for wanting to help.”
“That is a price I am willing to pay if it means we can save everyone else. Captain Armando is already preparing his soldiers for war. They don’t realize the kind of battle they’re going into. I do.”
“Elian, I’ve already lied, betrayed everyone here, killed, and helped bring this war upon us all. If anyone deserves to die, it is me.”
“I don’t care who deserves to die and who actually does so long as my family is kept safe. For whatever reasons you did what you did, I do not know. But I am aware that the only reason we have any time to prepare for this is because of you. So drink up, and pass the vial.””
I take the cork out and drop it in the grass. I take a whiff of the liquid, noting its lack of smell, grateful for it. I close my eyes, put the cool glass against my lips, and swallow the elixir.
I pass it off to Elian and watch as he does the same, finishing off the rest. We look at each other, wondering what happens next.
“Any idea how long it will take to go into effect?” He hiccups.
Once Upon an Assassin Page 16
