Adrenaline coursed through her veins as the city drew nearer. Imperial soldiers lined the streets, signaled into motion by the sight of the Vor’shai army marching closer. Light glinted off their drawn swords, defensive in their stance to create a barrier between the Vor’shai and the city. Therek’s blade could be seen, lifted into the air as a beacon for the men who followed him. Another step. Covering the ground at a quick, deliberate pace. Kaori could hardly breathe by the time she watched Therek’s arm lower in a sharp and precise motion, his voice ringing out over the city to command their people to charge. Frozen in fear, she felt the men and women rushing past her toward the Imperial guards, shouting their battle cries into the air, the sound echoing through Kaori’s head until it was the only thing she could hear. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t move.
You have to fight. A man was running toward her, the red sash on his uniform catching her attention above everything else. He was no ally, the way his sword pointed toward her. Challenging her to fight. Panic washed over her, the sword in her hand feeling heavy and foreign despite the training she had with the weapon. He was upon her faster than she expected. Closing her eyes, she relied on instinct to guide her arms and legs, the sound of metal against metal ringing through her ears as she brought her sword up to block his initial strike. This was no time for fear. She could either fight or die. And she had no intention of dying today.
With every swing of her sword, images flashed before her eyes, reminded of the gruesome scene created by her subconscious while in her feverish stupor in Namorea. All around she could hear groans of pain as men and women fell victim to their opponents, some enemy, some ally, their bodies littering the streets. Shivers coursed through her spine at the way it resembled her dream. Only now she could see the faces of the dead. No matter how much she prayed for it to be nothing more than a nightmare, she couldn’t deny the reality of what was happening around her. Her people were dying. Just like in her nightmare, she saw their corpses in greater numbers than the humans – and she would join them if she didn’t get herself together and focus on her opponent.
Slowly coming out of her reverie Kaori inhaled a deep breath to see the man’s sword bearing down on her. Guided by pure instinct she brought her weapon up to block, countering with the precision and accuracy Therek instilled upon her during their training. It felt so long ago yet his directions played through her mind as if he was by her side, telling her what to do next. Parry. Weave. Thrust. She felt ready for anything, watchful of the man’s guard. He was bound to make a mistake. And when he did, she planned to exploit it to the fullest extent.
Their one-on-one battle went on for what seemed like days though she knew it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes. The man was persistent, but so was she. Her arms burned with every strike, weary from the constant motion, back and forth, neither one gaining the upper hand. Engrossed in their rhythmical pattern, she almost missed the blade of a second opponent coming to aid the first, the sharp edge of the sword narrowly missing her neck to slice off several strands of her long ebon locks. She wasn’t skilled enough to take them both on at once. If she wanted to live, she would have to kill one quickly or call for help and pray someone was able to come to her aid. Pride wouldn’t let her scream. No one would hear her through the commotion anyway. Her greatest chance at survival was to step up her efforts and take one of the men down before they overpowered her.
The only advantage she had was size. Compared to these men, she was small. Slender and agile. Faster on her feet. Easing her stance, she lifted onto her toes to avoid settling her weight, springing from one side to the other while the soldiers struggled to keep up. As one of the men turned to face her, she found the opening she sought, arms moving by pure instinct to drive her blade forward into the man’s abdomen. The sickening tear of flesh under the blade made her cringe, drawing back her weapon quickly to avoid hearing the sound again. It wasn’t the first time she’d killed but the act never got any easier. Just knowing she’d taken a life – stolen someone away from the world where their family and loved ones would mourn their passing the way she did her brother and their parents. It tugged at her heart to know these men weren’t the true enemy. They attacked because they were ordered to do so and bound by oath to act as Sulel and Deliao commanded.
Enraged by the sight of his fallen comrade, the remaining man lunged toward Kaori with greater fervor than before. His anger worked to Kaori’s benefit, leaving her opponent vulnerable. His focus broken. Judging her next move based on the irregular timing of his strikes, Kaori side-stepped to the right, slipping in to grab onto the man’s hair to pull his head back, exposing his throat for her blade to slide across in a fluid motion. An awkward technique, but effective for what she required. The small size of her sword made it easier to maneuver.
Blood covered the front of her shirt, the weight of the man’s body falling from her grasp to land in a heap on the ground. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, her eyes darting from one side of the street to the other in search of her friends. There were so many people. It was impossible to determine who anyone was in the crowd, their faces blending together, identified as friend or foe only by the color of the uniform they wore. A loud crash from somewhere nearby caught her attention, legs instantly in motion to find from where it had come. The gate. Had they already begun the assault on the palace walls?
Stumbling over the gravel she weaved through the fighters, leaping over bodies, eyes locked on the street in front of her, unwilling to let herself think about how many of her people had already lost their lives so soon. They weren’t prepared for this fight. Before they left Avesian, she knew this, yet she allowed them to move forward with the plan. Their deaths were on her head. The only comfort she could offer was that these people came there of their own free will. No one forced them to take up arms. The danger they faced was made clear at every turn yet they marched into the city, determined to stand up for their freedom. They died fighting for what they believed in. Surely the gods would understand and forgive her for the role she played in bringing them to their demise.
Up ahead Kaori recognized the unmistakable movement of Liurn’s figure, focused on three Imperial guards who made him their target. Forgetting about the gate, she rushed forward to help, sword raised, afraid to think what might happen to her friend if she didn’t come to his aid. He was a strong fighter, but three against one were deadly odds for even the most skilled swordsman. Fear aside, she leapt into the fray, intercepting a blade as it thrust toward Liurn’s back, not a moment too soon, Liurn’s eyes opening wide to realize just how close to death he’d come.
No words were possible between them as the fight raged on, Kaori’s eyes narrowed in concentration. Her initial panic from the start of the battle had come to pass. There was too much going on around her to focus on fear. She could think of nothing but the technique of her enemy, the fluid, graceful motions of his weapon attempting to pass her guard, unable to find an opening. She refused to give him one. The faster she could dispatch him, the sooner she could be to Liurn’s side to help ease his strain in keeping up with the two remaining soldiers. In a flurry of motion she lunged toward her opponent, high, low, parry. Mesmerized by the swiftness of her movements the man lost focus on his weapon, the tips of his fingers sliding from the hilt with a final twist of Kaori’s blade, his sword falling with a dull thud onto the street. With him disarmed and vulnerable, Kaori finished her gruesome task with a cry of determination, satisfied to see the tip of her blade puncture the man’s chest. Content that he wouldn’t survive the strike, she turned to find Liurn, leaving her opponent to collapse lifelessly with nothing more than a solid kick of her foot to help draw her weapon from his body.
The sound of her scream rang through the city as she spun to face Liurn just in time to see his body lurch forward, the sharp, blood-covered tip of his enemy’s blade protruding from a vicious exit wound in his back. Horrified, her legs carried her forward faster than she thought possible, catching the
man off guard as she swung her sword at his head, watching it tumble to the ground in a spray of blood, his mouth frozen open in a look of shock and awe. The third soldier stumbled backward at the sight of Kaori’s seemingly crazed expression, stepping away slowly to see her coming toward him. He was afraid. As well he should be. She might have been compelled to chase after him as he took off across the street had it not been for the sound of Liurn’s labored breaths where he lay on the gravel, the finely crafted sword of his opponent still lodged firmly into his midsection.
Afraid to leave him in the open, she sheathed her blade, hands grasping tightly around Liurn’s shoulders to drag him closer to the palace gates. Nowhere was safe on the battlefield, but the wall provided enough protection so she could try to help him without being ambushed from behind. “You’re going to be alright,” she groaned, the weight of Liurn’s body feeling heavier than expected. It took every ounce of strength to pull him the final distance to the palace wall, dropping to her knees beside him. “We need to get the sword out. I can go find Pehrona…”
“No,” Liurn coughed, his fingers latching tightly around Kaori’s sleeve to stop her from standing. “The soldiers will kill me if I stay here. I cannot defend myself like this.”
“Then I will find someone else to fetch Pehrona while I stay here to keep the enemy at bay.”
A faint smile passed over Liurn’s lips to hear the insistence in Kaori’s tone. He looked happy in that moment aside from the grimace of pain which tensed the soft features of his face. “You would stay here with me?” he asked. Hopeful. The amber light of his eyes brightened slightly, dulled almost immediately by a fit of coughs.
“Of course I will stay with you,” Kaori frowned, her hand lightly running along Liurn’s stomach to determine the severity of his injury. The blade was deep. Angled upward in a way that left her uneasy. It was a precise blow. Calculated. Intended to slice the internal organs. Based on the blood pouring from the wound, she feared it found its mark more accurately than she wanted to believe. “Can you breathe? Is there anything I can do to help?”
It was all she could do not to cry. Tears would do nothing to console her friend. She had to be strong. Convince him everything was going to be fine. Pehrona was a good physician. There was a chance she could still save him. Desperate, she searched the street for someone who could help. Anyone. As long as they wore the Vor’shai uniform, they were capable of seeking someone from Pehrona’s unit.
“Take it out.”
She stared down at Liurn in disbelief of his request. It was too dangerous to remove the weapon. If it hadn’t impaled any organs, it was close enough to them that she didn’t dare risk pulling it and finishing the job their enemy started. “Let me find someone to get help first. I don’t have anything to staunch the bleeding and it will worsen without the blade –”
Tightening his grip on Kaori’s arm, Liurn pulled her closer, the pain more evident in his eyes than before. “I do not want to die with this damnable thing in my chest. Remove it… please.”
“You are not going to die. I won’t let you.”
“You may be a queen, but you are not a goddess. My fate is not up to you to decide.”
“Sytlea would regret crossing me. I do not give up so easily.”
He started to laugh, the effort causing him to double forward in pain. Afraid of the motion causing more damage than was already done, Kaori pressed her hand against Liurn’s chest to push him flat onto the ground. A trickle of blood could be seen in the corner of his mouth, the sight sending chills through Kaori’s core. He needed a physician. There was no time to wait.
Through the sea of people, Kaori recognized a man from those she had met in Avesian, his dark hair tousled from battle, the corpse of an enemy soldier freshly fallen at his feet. “Alenell!” she called out, ignoring Liurn’s incessant tugging at her sleeve to try and stop her from moving. At the sound of his name the man looked over to where Kaori knelt at Liurn’s side, eyes open wide to see his fallen captain, hurrying toward them without a second glance at the soldier he just killed.
“Your Majesty,” he exhaled, winded from battle.
With a sharp motion of her head toward Liurn she brought her hand up to point toward the direction Alenell had come, struggling to maintain a steady tone at the thought of losing her friend. “Find Commander Tiasi. Hurry. There is not a moment to lose.”
Obediently, Alenell turned on his heel toward the city border where the medical units had been directed to remain. Please let him find her; she thought miserably, lowering a disheartened gaze upon Liurn once again. He stared up at her, shaking his head in dismay. “It is no use, Kaori. Why… must you make this so… difficult?”
His speech was broken. Interrupted by another wave of coughs, harder than before, the trickle of blood upon his lips flowing more freely. He was having trouble breathing. Although her knowledge of medical practices was minimal at best, it was evident that the blade had struck something vital in Liurn’s chest. His lungs. It made the most sense, given his symptoms. Pehrona can help. Her skill with medicine had been enough to save Kaori from the wound Deliao inflicted upon her in Rothdara. That was not a lethal wound. This is different…
No. She refused to accept that there was nothing she could do. Enough of her loved ones had died while she was powerless to help. The trend had to stop or she was going to lose her mind. “Just hold on,” she urged. “Pehrona will be here soon and we will get you fixed up.”
“If you do not take this damn thing out, I will do it myself.”
Torn, she stared down at Liurn, unsure what to do. She wanted to do what he asked. The sight of the blade protruding from his midsection was making her nauseous. It pained her to see him like this. He was so strong. One of the few friends she acquired who possessed a similar tenacity to her own. She was prepared for a great number of her people to perish during this war, but never had she thought Liurn would be one of them. He’s not going to be. She couldn’t allow the thought to stay in her mind. They were going to get him help.
Hands sliding along the sword, she forced her fingers to close around the hilt. This was a mistake. Removing the blade would increase the blood flow and heighten the chance of further injury. But Liurn wasn’t going to give up. His palms were already secured against the back of Kaori’s hands, applying pressure to help pull the blade upward. “Be careful,” she gasped, afraid the tremble in his hold would prevent her from completing the task with the steadiness it required. Not wanting to risk him making things worse, Kaori pushed Liurn’s hands away, drawing a deep breath to try and calm her racing heart. You can do this. Just go slow…
Breath held, she gathered her strength, careful not to move too quickly. She shuddered to feel the blade shift, a grotesque sound of tearing flesh meeting her ears, causing her to stop mid-pull. The pain was too much for Liurn, his cries echoing on the air, Kaori’s heart leaping in her chest until she thought she might faint.
“Do it, Kaori! Slow only… makes it worse!”
“I’m sorry!” she cried, tightening her hold on the hilt to finish the motion, screaming as she discarded it to the side, not wanting to look at it any longer. Liurn’s wound was open now. Blood pouring from the opening in a steady stream. Her hands instantly moved to cover the gaping hole left behind from the blade, pressing down to try and stop the bleeding. It was no use. She needed something to put over it. Desperately she looked around, cursing at her inability to perform the necessary procedures to help her friend. Where was Pehrona? She should have been here by now.
Limited in her options, Kaori straightened her leg out from underneath her, the tips of her fingers grabbing firmly onto the fabric around her calf to tear a piece of material from the garment. In a rush of panic and desperation she laid the swatch over the wound, pressing harder in hopes that it might somehow miraculously stop the blood from seeping out of Liurn’s chest. But it did little to aid in her efforts, soaking through immediately, leaving her sitting there with nothing more than a blood-
covered cloth and her trembling hands.
“You are not dying on me today, you hear me?” she lectured. It was pointless to attempt anything more on the wound until Pehrona arrived. The best she could offer while they waited was encouragement. Liurn had to stay strong. If she let him give up, there would be no saving him.
Sliding her right hand under Liurn’s neck she pulled him closer to cradle his body against her chest. He gave little resistance, only a soft groan of pain at the motion until she situated him over her outstretched legs. The light in his eyes was fading. She didn’t want to admit it, but she could see the difference in their glow, the amber light devoid of the usual brightness she was used to seeing when he looked upon her. “Stay with me,” she whispered. Nothing else felt appropriate to say. What did you talk about with someone when they were so close to death?
“Where am I going to go?” he forced a smile through the agony. “I am in your arms. I can die a happy man.”
“I told you, I am not letting you die.”
Weak from loss of blood, Liurn brought his hand up to lightly brush the side of Kaori’s face. She grimaced at the sensation, tears stinging her eyes. Why did he have to look at her that way? It was as if he was telling her goodbye but she wasn’t ready to say her farewells. What is taking Pehrona so long?
“I love you, Kaori.”
Her heart broke at the sincerity in his voice, the words soft, barely above a whisper. It didn’t feel right to reject him the way she’d done so many times before. What were a few lies for the sake of a dying man’s happiness? There would be time to make it up to him if they survived this. Right now, all she cared about was easing his mind any way she could. “I love you, too. That is why you cannot leave me. Do you understand? I need you to stay with me.”
The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Four: In the Beginning Page 83
