Glass Princess

by M. Lynn

  A tear slid down Helena’s cheek. They’d lost him. Quinn was gone.

  But Dell was still there, and he’d been hurt. She turned her attention to him as his eyes slid closed.

  “Dell.” She ripped at his clothes, searching for the wound. “Don’t you close your eyes. Stay with me. Please.”

  “Len.” Every breath rattled in his chest as if it was a great struggle. “Trying.”

  Edmund knelt beside him and gripped her hands to still their shaking. “Let me look.”

  She nodded and Edmund lifted Dell’s shirt to find a deep cut. “We need to stop the bleeding.”

  Helena tore the cloak from her shoulders and handed it to Edmund. He pressed it to the wound.

  Dell jerked and sucked a breath through his teeth.

  “Is he going to be okay?” Fear surged through Helena as she thought of the possible answers to her question.

  “He needs a healer.” Edmund searched for any other injuries. “And soon. We don’t have time to return to Bela.” He lifted his eyes to Tyson as if waiting for permission.

  Tyson ran a hand through his wild hair, emotions warring in his eyes. “Yeah. Okay. We can go.”

  “Go where?” Helena leaned closer to Dell until she could hear his breathing. As long as that sound filled her ears, he was still with her.

  “I have a friend,” Tyson began. “Here in Gaule. She has a Draconian healer in her household.”

  Edmund tore strips from the bottom of his shirt. “We can’t move him until we wrap the wound. Ty, I’m gonna need water to clean it.”

  Tyson ran forward as Helena helped Edmund bunch Dell’s shirt up to the broad span of his shoulders.

  When Tyson poured a drop of water from the bag at his waist and it expanded over the wound, she jumped to her feet, her heart pounding in her ears. “What are you doing?”

  “Cleaning it.” Tyson’s brow furrowed in concentration. “I can send the water in and then call it back, dragging any impurities with it.”

  She shook her head. Magic.

  Tyson and Edmund finished cleaning Dell’s wound and wrapped it tightly. Dell hadn’t opened his eyes.

  Helena couldn’t stare at his still face any longer, but when she turned away, all she saw was the expanse of sea and the ship where her brother was now a prisoner.

  She added Reed Tenyson to the long list of people who’d betrayed her family.

  Rustling came from the trees and Helena turned just in time to see Vérité burst free. He ran across the beach until he stopped at Tyson’s side and dipped his head.

  Tyson breathed a sigh and rubbed the horse’s nose. “Perfect timing as ever, buddy.”

  Landon appeared a few minutes later with the other horses in tow. His eyes widened when he took in the dead soldiers. When he settled his gaze on Dell’s prone form, he slid from his horse.

  “Is he okay?” Landon ambled his thick frame over.

  Edmund set his hands on Dell’s chest. “We need to get him to the Leroy estate.”

  Vérité stepped to Helena’s side, nudging the side of her face with his nose. A sob shuddered in her chest and she turned to bury her face in the beast’s soft neck. He rested his nose on her shoulder as if wrapping her in an embrace.

  That was stupid, he was a horse. But Helena needed some kind of comfort.

  She’d failed. Again. It seemed she couldn’t save any of her brothers. A feeling of uselessness sank deep into her chest. Recovering Madra was a far-off dream with no hope of ever coming true. She’d never get to look Cole in the eye and take it all back from him.

  It would have been possible with Quinn. Her brother could do anything. She gripped Vérité’s mane, needing something to hold on to.

  “Put him on Vérité,” Tyson said.

  Edmund started to argue, but then cut himself off. “You’re right. Vérité will take care of him. That horse takes care of everyone… except me.”

  Landon and Edmund hoisted Dell onto Vérité’s back before Tyson slid up behind him. Helena pulled dry clothes over her wet ones as quickly as she could before mounting her own horse, never taking her eyes from Dell’s face. A peace settled over him, but she refused to let him keep it.

  They’d get to the healer before he disappeared altogether. She couldn’t save Estevan or Quinn, but she wouldn’t lose Dell.

  Her heart clenched.

  No, she couldn’t.

  Chapter Ten

  “I’m not going to die,” Dell said simply.

  “The illegal fights. Stealing. Do you even have a head on those shoulders?”

  An angry flush rose in the young man’s face as if he was preparing to explode. Helena grabbed Edmund’s arm. “Edmund, leave him be.”

  Dell’s anger snapped away in an instant as his eyes fixed on Helena, seeing her for the first time. “Who do we have here?” He sat up to peer closer. “You don’t think you’re fooling anyone in that getup, miss, do you?”

  Helena ripped the hat from her head. Her dark curls spilled out, and she turned to Edmund. “Am I that obvious?”

  The first time Dell had seen Helena, he’d wanted to get under her skin. He’d wanted to test her, challenge her, to make her face flush with anger. She was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.

  “Dell.” Her voice floated through the air as if in the dream itself. “Dell, are you still with me?”

  Always, he wanted to answer. He’d never leave her. But the words wouldn’t leave his lips. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t move.

  As reality crashed in around him, a spearing pain shot through his side. A scream ended in a gurgle on his lips as something beneath him moved. Was he on a horse?

  He could hear the people around him, but his body no longer followed the commands from his brain.

  “Will they help us?” Helena asked, desperation plain in her voice. “I trust nothing in Gaule.”

  Tyson sighed. At least, he thought it was Tyson. “Yes.”

  “Who are these people?”

  When no one answered Helena, her voice rose in anger. “We’ve been riding into the night to reach this estate and the mysterious people who live there. I deserve to know what we’re walking in to.”

  Tyson grunted but didn’t answer as he kicked his horse and rode on ahead.

  Edmund’s voice filled the silence. “The Leroy estate was once owned by Lord Leroy, the man Alex had executed for treason. His daughter now resides there.”

  “Can we trust her?”

  Edmund hesitated. “More than anyone else in Gaule. Amalie… she grew up with Tyson. They were the closest of friends even when she was betrothed to Alex. After the war with Dracon, Tyson stayed in Gaule for a time to be with her but returned to Bela about a year ago. Amalie felt she had a duty to return to her family’s estate. The people in the villages nearby needed someone to get them through these hard times. Tyson loved her. That was never a secret. Yet both of them chose duty over that love, and it didn’t end well.”

  The words filtered through Dell’s hazy mind, but he only wanted to sink back into the darkness. Not allowing himself that mercy, he latched onto everything Edmund said as a way to maintain his hold on his conscious state.

  “So, things aren’t amicable between them, yet she’ll help us?” Skepticism rang in Helena’s voice.

  “You don’t know Amalie. She’d help anyone who showed up at her door. That’s just who she is.”

  “And this healer in her household?”

  Edmund paused for a moment. “Maiya. She was once an agent of La Dame. We all knew she didn’t have a choice in any of it, but after the war ended, she didn’t feel as if she could stay in Bela among the people she’d betrayed.”

  They fell quiet and Dell wanted to tell them to keep talking, to keep filling his mind, to keep the darkness at bay.

  Instead, he focused on the pulse of pain, letting it leech into every cell.

  Without the pain, he feared he’d disappear.

  The guards spotted them before they reached the Leroy est
ate. Helena watched them approach warily.

  “Prince Tyson,” one of them called. “You shouldn’t be on the roads this late.”

  “We’ve been lucky, Cameron. Haven’t seen a soul for hours.” Tyson rode up to the guard and stuck his hand out.

  Tyson must have been here many times before.

  “Lady Leroy is away for the night.”

  The tension in Tyson’s shoulders relaxed. “That’s okay. Is Maiya at the estate house?”

  The guard spotted Dell for the first time. “Yes, of course. We’ll escort you to make haste.”

  He asked no questions before motioning to the rest of the guards and turning to gallop down the road into the village. The road winded between storefronts and homes before coming to a dead end at two massive gates with a small door at the base of them.

  Cameron yelled to one of his guards. “Go wake mistress Maiya and bring her here.”

  The door opened, and another guard appeared. “Prince Tyson? We weren’t told to expect you tonight.”

  Tyson slid down. “It’s been a long time, Calvin. We must catch up, but right now I need a bit of help.”

  Helena jumped to the ground, her tired legs almost giving out beneath her. A hand gripped her elbow, keeping her upright. “Careful, Len.” Edmund pulled her to lean against his side and wrapped an arm around her waist.

  The guards lifted Dell down and carried him through the door.

  Cameron gave orders to have their horse’s taken care of, but Helena barely heard him over the roaring in her ears. She sprang free of Edmund and followed the guards to where they laid Dell on the ground in a stone courtyard.

  She knelt and pressed her fingers to his neck, needing to feel his life for herself. When his pulse thumped against her hand, she pulled back with a sigh.

  They’d made it. Tears cascaded down her face as the day’s desperation washed over her. What if someone had stopped them on the dangerous Gaule roads? What if Dell hadn’t been strong enough? So many possibilities rolled through her mind, and she closed her eyes.

  A gentle hand on her shoulder had them snapping open to find a dark-skinned young woman with black corkscrew curls standing at her side in a long sleeping gown.

  Helena wiped the back of her hand across her eyes. “Please, save him.”

  The woman offered her a smile. “You’re the princess?”

  Her eyes widened as panic built in her chest. No one in Gaule was supposed to know who she was. She scanned the faces of the guards surrounding them, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Finally, her gaze settled on Tyson.

  “The people here can be trusted.” His face pinched as if it hurt him to say.

  She remembered what Edmund had said of the lady of this estate. Tyson had loved her once.

  “Don’t worry, Princess.” The healer’s soft voice held a musical quality that soothed Helena’s nerves. “You’re safe here.”

  Helena’s shoulders sagged as the words permeated the aura of fear she’d trapped herself in.

  “Maiya.” Edmund gestured to Dell.

  The healer knelt and lifted the bottom of Dell’s shirt to press her palms against his skin. She closed her eyes and threw her head back, lost in some unseen force.

  As Maiya worked, Tyson nudged Helena out of the way and used his knife to cut the strips of fabric binding his wound.

  Helena’s mind protested—he couldn’t afford to lose more blood—but as she caught sight of the wound, the words died in her throat. Dell’s skin tugged and pulled, closing the gap where the knife had sliced through soft flesh.

  Dell’s breathing—a struggle only moments before—evened until he appeared to be only sleeping. The hard lines of his face softened into a peaceful mask, and Maiya pulled her hands away.

  Helena choked back a sob. “He’s…”

  Maiya reached for her hand. “He’s going to be okay.”

  “But he’s still…” Helena gestured to where Dell remained unconscious.

  “His wounds were deep. Any longer and I wouldn’t have been able to save him. It took a great deal of his remaining energy to heal.” She lifted her eyes to Cameron, giving him a signal. “We’ll bring him to a room and make him comfortable. It could be a day or so before you’re able to speak with him.”

  Helena sniffed and nodded before rising to her feet. Cameron and one of his fellow guards lifted Dell and carried him toward the enormous stone entryway of the great house. Helena made to follow them, but Edmund gripped her arm.

  “We could all do with a bite to eat, a hot bath, and some sleep.”

  Helena pulled her arm free and ran a hand over the top of her head. He was right. Her oily hair was proof of the need for a wash. Her stomach growled. But she couldn’t.

  “I won’t leave him.” She took off through the mahogany front doors. This time, Edmund didn’t stop her.

  The guards carried Dell through dark halls lit only by a few candles that burned through the night. They didn’t see a single other person before reaching a simple room with a large bed sitting against the far wall covered in furs. Dim light spilled in through an open window, illuminating the green draperies.

  Helena made to pull her cloak tighter about her, forgetting she hadn’t had it all day. The air’s chill hadn’t touched her on their ride as Edmund used his magic to keep the winds at bay. Yet a sliver of ice had still worked its way into her heart.

  The guards laid Dell on the bed before turning to her.

  “I’ll send someone to get a fire started.” Cameron looked to the barren fireplace. Two chairs sat before it. A long table rested against the wall near the bed.

  Helena only nodded as they left. She went to the window, pulling the two glass panes shut to block out the night. She turned to Dell who had yet to move. Pushing out a breath, she crossed to the bed and tugged at the laces of his boots. As soon as she had the shoes off his feet, she shifted him to free the fur covers and pull them over his body to trap him in warmth.

  A knock came from the door, and she answered it to find a handful of servants who looked as if they’d been roused from their beds.

  “Miss,” one of the said with a bow. “We are here to ready the room.”

  Helena stepped aside for them to enter. A young man went straight to the fireplace while two women carrying trays of food moved to set them on the table. Her mouth watered as she smelled the meat pastries and wine.

  How long had it been since she’d eaten a proper meal? At the Gaulean palace, she’d been too worried about their upcoming battle for Quinn. On the road, none of them had wanted to waste time stopping when Dell’s life hung in the balance.

  She muttered a ‘thank you’ as the servants retreated from the room, leaving her alone once again with Dell. Walking to the fledgling fire, she stood closer than her mother would have approved to thaw her frozen limbs.

  When she was warm, she used every ounce of strength she possessed to push one of the high-backed maroon chairs to the side of the bed.

  She then stood in front of the table, examining the trays. A bowl of water sat on one with a rag inside. She lifted it and sat on the edge of the bed.

  When Dell woke, he would want the grime cleaned off his face. She wiped the dirt that had been kicked up onto his skin as he’d rested across a horse all day.

  Each stroke of the cloth brought his handsome face further from the darkness. She set the rag in the now muddy water and ran her thumb down his soft cheek to the firm jaw covered in short blonde hairs.

  She closed her eyes, imagining him as he’d been in Madra the day she saw him bathing in the river. Cocky. Confident. So darn charming. And infuriating. She’d hated him and been completely fascinated by him. He was the reason she continued to risk going into the city without her mask.

  Where had she lost that feeling? She was still risking herself for many reasons, but for months, she’d only felt this crushing defeat that led to a burning need for revenge. Against her brother of all people. A man she’d once loved with her entire heart—jus
t like the rest of her family who were now gone.

  She pulled her hand away from Dell’s face and stood to put the bowl aside. Her stomach pleaded for food, but nausea rose up in her when she thought of eating. Instead, she settled in the chair by the bed, pulling her legs in beneath her.

  The movement of Dell’s chest mesmerized her until all she saw was him.

  Chapter Eleven

  Dell didn’t know where he was as his eyes slid open. Heavy furs weighed him down on the unfamiliar bed. Was he back in Bela? How did he get here?

  His eyes roamed the sparse room until settling on the girl sleeping next to the bed. Helena. If she was there, he knew he had to be somewhere good. He was okay.

  Early morning light streamed through a window, casting a glow along the floor.

  An ache began in his head, stretching down through his entire body. He tried to push the covers aside, but his arms lacked the strength.

  “Len,” he whispered, trying to force strength into his voice.

  She didn’t stir.

  “Len.” Louder that time.

  Helena shifted in the chair that couldn’t have been comfortable, her lids peeling back slowly. She took a moment to find his gaze, but her entire body jolted when she did.

  “Dell.” She stood to get a closer look. “You’re awake.” A sad smile slid across her lips. “I should wake Maiya to check on you.”

  As she turned, he finally forced his arm to move enough to catch hold of her wrist. She froze, breathing deeply for a moment before turning back to him.

  “Tell me what happened,” he pleaded.

  She shook her head, unshed tears hanging in her lashes.

  “Please.”

  Sucking in a shuddering breath, she squared her shoulders. “There was a fight at the cove and someone stabbed you. We rode a long way to bring you to the only known Draconian healer in Gaule.”

  Something sparked in his memory. He’d heard them talking. Maiya. Yeah, that was her name. But that wasn’t what mattered in that moment.

  “Quinn?” He asked, fearing the answer.