Chapter 52

Chapter

Fifty-Two

JOHA

I stare down at Alyx’s pale face. Her eyes are closed, and her jaw is slack. She’s quiet and so small in my arms. Panic fills me as I cup her cool cheek. “Alyx?” I call, but she doesn’t respond, and I lift my head to meet Crux’s and Orion’s worried eyes as they hurry over.

“My king, are you okay?” Orion asks.

I nod rapidly. “Alyx saved me. She got hurt,” I explain, sounding weak before I shake it off. I’m king, and she’s depending on me. She saved me, and now it’s my turn to save her. I stand and lift her into my arms, uncaring about the blood covering me as I hold her tightly. One of her arms hangs low, and Crux places it over her chest as he runs his eyes over her face. I see fear there I have never seen in anyone before, and I know then that Alyx is this assassin’s weakness.

“I will take her to my room. Call the healers at once, all of them,” I order. “And gather all the guards. I want her protected while she is weak.”

I stride away, and they fall into step next to me. “My king,” Orion hisses. “We killed the ones we found, but there could be more. You should wait?—”

“And waiting might kill her!” I roar. “Crux will stay with me. Go, Orion. That is an order.”

He nods and bows, then he hurries away as Crux paces at my side, his eyes darting to her every few seconds. Mine drop to her as I walk, finding her silent and pale. I almost stumble.

Alyx is a force of nature.

She cannot die.

I begin to run, Crux keeping pace beside me, his blade out and ready. We burst into my palace, and uncaring about the horrified looks from the staff, I lay her on my bed, covering her to warm her up.

“We should strip her,” Crux says, taking charge. “Get her warm and staunch the bleeding.”

Nodding jerkily, I pull the covers back, and we work together silently to strip her, neither of us focusing too much on what we expose. Crux gently lifts her, leaning her against his chest, and I press a pillow to the jagged, bleeding wound as we lay her down and cover her once more.

“Tell me what happened,” he demands, his voice hard, but when I glance at him, I see the terror on his face.

“She threw me into the water, and she was hit while we were in it. We bound the arrow, but she was dragged out by an assassin. I heard her fighting. She would not let me come up.” I felt so weak in that moment, so filled with shame. “When she came back, she was like this. I think it’s blood loss from the wound.”

Crux nods, but he doesn’t seem sure. He melts into her side, holding her tightly, like he may never let her go again. “Stay strong, they are coming. Good job you have a king on your side, eh? He won’t let anything happen to you.”

For some reason, those words only fill me with more shame. She was hurt protecting me, and now she lies deathly still, and I hate it.

I pace before the bed. After what seems like forever, but must only be minutes, the door flies open. Orion’s there, surrounded by healers. They hurry into the room, and I jerk my head at the door. He quickly gets everyone else out and shuts it to give her privacy. I hate the jealousy and anger I feel when they strip the covers back, but they remain professional, which is good since Crux looks like he’s waiting for one of them to twitch to kill them. It’s clear they feel it, all of them terrified, but they work swiftly to check her over. When they roll her to the side, I watch with narrowed eyes as they treat the wound, making sure they do it right.

It’s too quiet, and I know we are making them tense, but I do not care.

When they lay her back and cover her, I wait, my hands fisted at my sides. They busy themselves in their bags, except for the head healer, who glances at me, clearing his throat. He’s an older man with a long white beard and hair. He’s supposed to be the best in the kingdom, hence why he serves the king. I’ve never had any problems with him, but I hate him at this moment. I hate that we’re here and that being with me put her in danger.

The head healer bows his head as he moves closer. “She will recover now. She lost a lot of blood, and she will need to rest. We will keep checking on her for any signs of infection, which is highly likely due to the water she was in. I have given her some herbs to help combat any early signs. She should be okay in a few days, though she will need to be careful of her movements, lest she reopens the wound,” he explains calmly.

“You are sure?” I ask as I lower my voice, stepping closer to him. “If she dies, healer, then so do you.”

The healer’s eyes widen. “My king?” he whispers, true fear in his gaze. I have never made any of my subjects fear me before, but I do not care.

I arch an eyebrow, and he pales.

“I swear it, my king.” He falls to his knees, bowing before me. “We will ensure she lives.”

“You better,” I warn as I look at them all, “or I will have all your heads.” I step around him and sit at her side, taking her hand as I brush her hair back from her face.

“I’m here. You’re going to be okay. Just rest, and we will watch over you,” I promise as I kiss the back of her hand. I wish I could see her flashing green eyes as she sasses me. “It’s my turn to protect you.”

Alyx isn’t getting better. In fact, she is getting worse. The healers do not leave her alone. They keep checking on her, and they seem worried, but they do not speak about it. She is sweating, her eyes twitching in her sleep, and occasionally, a rattling cough escapes her lips.

Even Orion is worried, though he will not admit it, but when I went to speak to one of the healers, I came back to find him holding her hand and whispering softly. Crux has not left her side, and when he shares a look with me, it’s obvious he feels the same.

She isn’t healing.

“Call the healers again!” I demand. It’s the middle of the night, but I do not care. I will go and wake them myself if I must.

“My king,” Orion says sadly, “they said there was nothing else they could do?—”

“Then call other healers!” I roar as I turn to him. “She is not getting better. Something is wrong, I know it.”

He looks at her, his face clouding as he rolls his shoulders back. “I will find every healer. I will send out a message to the kingdom, and we will fix this.”

I turn away, taking hold of Alyx’s hand again as we wait. It doesn’t take long. The head healer appears and checks her over as we watch anxiously. He even checks the wound, and when he looks at me, he seems terrified.

“What is it?” I ask.

“I believe the arrowhead was poisoned to ensure even if they did not land a killing blow, their target would die either way. Since it was inside her body for a while, the poison has taken hold. I don’t even know which poison it is, not without the weapon—” He pales as I snarl, dropping to a bow.

“What can be done?” I demand.

“I—” He lifts his head, swallowing hard. “I don’t know. I do not specialize in healing poisons?—”

“Then who does?” Crux asks. “Tell me their name.”

“There is one, Master Yiel, but I heard he was taking a boat in the morning. He might have left already.” Crux is on his feet, and he glances from the healer to me before a blade presses to the man’s neck, silencing him.

“You will keep her alive until I am back with him. If not, I will kill your entire family while you watch, and only then will I end you.” He glances at Alyx once more before meeting my eyes. “I’m trusting her to you both while I’m gone. Do not let me down. Crown or no crown, I will destroy this kingdom if she dies.”

He departs as quickly as he came.