Making her way through the crowd, Kaori maneuvered to the side of the scaffold, reminded of the last time she stood there. It seemed years ago now, though she knew it was mere months since she’d come to this very place to beg the General to spare the lives of her parents. She had been driven by emotion that day. Wild in her desire to save her mother and father. Today would be different. She would address the General with poise and confidence befitting of a countess. So many of her people praised her ability to stand up to that man. And if he was distracted by her defiance, he might let his guard down and leave an opening for Sivar to make the first move.
“General Deliao,” she stated loudly, catching the General’s eye as she strode boldly up the scaffold steps. He looked over to her, a devious smile crossing his thin lips to see her.
“Ah, yes! Countess, I should have known you would put in an appearance today. How serendipitous. I have a message from the Emperor that he wanted me to give you personally.”
“I have a message for you as well.” With grace and elegance she turned to face the people of Rothdara already gathered around the base of the scaffold, their eyes looking up at her, almost hopeful in their gaze. They relied on her strength to represent them. She was the only one with the courage to say what was on the lips of every Vor’shai there. “This madness must cease!” Kaori announced, clenching her fist for emphasis. “Too much blood has already been shed. The Emperor stands to gain nothing by continuing this slaughter. If he allows this to go on, he will lose the support of his people and our country will fall, torn asunder by his selfish desire to keep us under his thumb.”
The crowd cheered wildly at the proclamation. Kaori was impressed by the strength of her own voice, satisfied that she was getting the exact response she wanted. The General’s eyes were on her, irritation visible in their depths belying the smile on his face. “Nothing you say is going to change what happens here today, much the same as it failed to change anything the day you let your parents die so you could live. You are a coward, Countess. A little girl. But you have these people fooled, don’t you?” he chortled. The smile on his face made Kaori uneasy. He was unpredictable. If he chose to attack her again the way he had at her parents’ execution, she couldn’t be sure she would be able to keep up the image of confidence she wanted so desperately for these people to see.
“You are the fool,” Kaori spat, her nose wrinkled in disgust. She hated this man. Although her parents told her such feelings darkened the soul, she couldn’t deny that hatred was what coursed through her veins to look upon the General’s face. He was a prideful, murderous scoundrel with no scruples; and no mind of his own. Stepping toward him, she hoped he would see the loathing in her eyes. It was all she had to mask the fear she felt in allowing herself to get close to him. “You think you are so great and powerful. The legendary General of the Imperial Army. A puppet of the Emperor.”
There was acid in her tone. With every breath she moved closer, posture erect, shoulders back. Her senses were on high alert, watchful of the soldiers slowly creeping forward to guard their beloved general, hands on the hilts of their swords, just waiting for the order to cut her down. They were afraid of her. It was comical, really. She looked harmless enough. Small. Slender. At first glance she appeared to have no means of protecting herself. They couldn’t see the small dagger strapped securely to her thigh in case she had need of a weapon. Her hope was that she wouldn’t have to use it. She had the General’s attention. Why did Sivar not take advantage of the distraction and save the prisoners?
Adjusting the gloves on his hands, Deliao looked bored. Unfazed by Kaori’s insults. Not that she expected him to be. He had no reason to fear her. He knew she was no match for his strength. “I tire of this,” he sighed, lifting his head to address the crowd. “Perhaps now would be a good time to let you all know that by Imperial decree, Kaori Levadis is hereby stripped of all rank and title. She is no longer your Countess. Until such time as a proper replacement can be appointed, Rothdara is under direct authority of the Emperor.”
At the announcement the townspeople went wild, screaming and shouting in outrage. The crowd moved toward the scaffold, several citizens reaching for the platform, attempting to lift themselves onto the surface. Kaori watched in amazement at the uproar. All of this was for her? Had she really created such an image of herself for these people that they would openly seek to attack the soldiers in the middle of the city?
Her thoughts were broken by the feeling of a strong hand weaving into her hair, the grip tight and unyielding. Yanked backward by the force, Kaori grimaced, her hand reaching down in search of her dagger, realizing in dismay that she couldn’t get to it from her current position. The General’s hold was too strong. “Stay back!” Deliao shouted, drawing a knife from his belt to press the cold, deadly tip of the blade against Kaori’s neck. “If you come any closer, I will make your beloved Countess the first execution today.”
The crowd immediately ceased their forward motion, staring up at the scaffold in horrified awe. They didn’t want anything to happen to Kaori. In their anger, they couldn’t risk doing anything that would make the General follow through with his word. Kaori’s heart went out to them. She hated for the people to see her like this. Manhandled by the General for all of Rothdara to see. It was humiliating. And where was Sivar? Deliao was beyond distracted. Why did they not come forth to save the prisoners?
Kaori’s frustration was growing. This was getting them nowhere. Did they wait for a sign? An indication that it was time to fight? She was entrusting Sivar with the responsibility and to this point he was failing to come through. But what could she do? She had to be careful. Anything too forceful would make it obvious that she was working to aid the rebels. At the same time, she refused to stand there and let this man think he could push her around. “Let me go,” she demanded, the order loud enough to be heard by the people nearest the scaffold. “I have committed no crime yet you threaten my life. Even you must know that you cannot detain me.”
“I can do whatever I want, sweetheart.” The sound of his voice sent chills down her spine. His lips were right by her ear, practically brushing the skin as he spoke. Menacing. A poorly veiled threat intended for no one but her.
Disgusted, she couldn’t hold herself back any longer. She wanted to hit him. And she was justified to do it. Self-defense. There were enough witnesses to solidify her story in case the General thought to claim her actions were unwarranted. He put his hands on her first. Threatened her life. She was well within her rights to strike back. Making up her mind, she brought her elbow back hard into Deliao’s stomach, catching him off guard as the wind was pushed from his lungs in a harsh exhale.
His hands loosened their grip, granting Kaori the space she needed to escape the blade of Deliao’s knife. From the crowd she could hear voices shouting her name. Cheering for her to hit him again. No matter how much she wanted to listen, she couldn’t bring herself to. If she struck beyond that which was necessary to free herself, it could be misconstrued as an assault, thereby placing herself at risk of arrest for a legitimate crime committed in front of the entire population of Rothdara. There would be no defending herself from such a grave error. No. She couldn’t keep fighting. She had to stop now or she would ruin everything.
Deliao regained his composure quickly. His face was contorted in unmasked anger, cheeks flushed, nostrils flaring. Kaori had never seen someone exhibit so much rage before. In a way, it was frightening. Deliao was heartless. Cruel. There was no telling what he would do while lost in a fit of rage. To see him coming at her now sent her heart racing, panicked at the thought of how quickly he approached. She couldn’t get away. He was too fast, impressively agile. Before she could side-step the blow, he clenched his fist tightly, delivering a solid strike to the side of Kaori’s face. Her neck snapped to one side under the pressure, her eyes going dim, white speckles of light dancing across the darkness as she struggled to stay conscious. She wobbled drunkenly, arms outstretched to try and
keep her balance. Everything was blurry. Light slowly started to filter into her vision but it did little to bring anything into focus. All she could hear were the shouts from the crowd, screaming, terrified by something. Watch out. Get away. They called for her, hoping to help her defend herself, but she couldn’t. How was she supposed to fight an enemy when she couldn’t see where he was?
A sharp, intense wave of pain shot through her abdomen, suddenly bringing everything into focus. Deliao was in front of her, one arm wrapped around her waist to keep her standing while the other drove the blade of his knife deep into her side. “How dare you!” he shouted, spittle flying from his mouth to land on Kaori’s face. “You think you are immune to the laws of our Emperor? That you can get away with assaulting me in front of these people?”
The pain was unbearable. Kaori groaned as Deliao withdrew the knife, holding the blade up for everyone to see. Her mind was in utter chaos. Was she dying? Was he going to kill her here on the very scaffold where her parents had been murdered? If he took her life, he would only make her a martyr. The last thing he would want was to add to the already growing discontent so unmistakable throughout the crowd.
“Rilas, I implore you to stop.”
It was Therek’s voice, though Kaori couldn’t see his face. He was somewhere nearby, moving closer, the sound of his footsteps across the wooden surface of the platform echoing through Kaori’s head. At his approach Deliao beckoned for two of the soldiers to take Kaori from him, their hands gruffly snatching her from Deliao’s grasp as Therek reached the center of the stage.
“Avishul. Don’t tell me you have come here to defend this girl.”
“She is distraught. Returning to the place of her parents’ execution has created a great deal of emotional strain. Please, if you release her to my care, I will see she is removed from the city so you may continue with your duties.”
“Release her?” Deliao’s jaw hung open in disbelief at the request. “She has assaulted me with everyone here as witness. No, she will return with me to Eykanua where she will be properly punished for her crimes.” Turning sharply to face the crowd, Deliao extended his hand to direct his index finger at the people standing near the front, his face stern, angry. “The same goes for any of you here today who fancies yourself a hero. If anyone attempts to disrupt the execution, you will be arrested, and I will see you taken before the Emperor so he can personally witness your deaths. Do you hear me?”
Kaori’s thoughts raced over what was happening. Her side ached. It took all her strength to remain on her feet so she wouldn’t have to rely on the guards to keep her standing. No matter how much it hurt, she couldn’t let herself give Deliao the satisfaction of seeing her suffer. But she was confused by Therek’s sudden desire to become involved. He was taking a risk by coming to her defense. “Let him take me, Your Grace. Everyone here knows I have done nothing but defend myself against this animal.”
She watched Therek’s eyes shift to where she stood in the hands of the guards, shaking his head at her in disapproval. With his usual calm he let his gaze fall on the General once again, his lips downturned in a deep frown. “General, if you arrest her, you will incite a riot. Let me take her so we can avoid further unnecessary bloodshed.”
The General thought to respond, his lips parting as if to speak though no words came out. From somewhere next to the scaffold a commotion had broken out, shouts ringing through the crowd as the soldiers surrounding the wagon began to call for Deliao’s attention. He held Therek’s gaze a moment longer, angered by his inability to finish the conversation. “We will discuss this later,” he muttered, turning from Therek to make his way toward the wagon.
At Deliao’s dismissal, Therek made his way to Kaori, looking at the two guards in turn. Respectfully they released their hold on her, the weight of her body nearly causing her to collapse into Therek’s arms. Around them, the city was in pandemonium. Citizens jumped to the defense of the rebels, sheer numbers forcing the soldiers back. People were fighting everywhere. From where she stood, Kaori couldn’t tell who was winning, fear helping to block out the pain of her wound, giving her the boost in energy she needed to find her footing. “I have to help them,” she breathed, pushing at Therek’s chest to get him away from her. Before she could step away he managed to get a hold of her right bicep, preventing her from going any further.
“If you help the rebels now, you will be arrested. What good will you be to our people then?”
She stared at him, shocked by the conviction in his words. The azure glow of his eyes seemed to burn into hers, desperate to make her understand the severity of what was at stake. She couldn’t say no to him when he looked at her with such passion… and stubbornness. Even if she thought to disregard his request, he would stop her. Had their positions been switched, she would do the same to him, and he was the only person she’d ever met who shared her tenacity. “Fine,” she surrendered, stumbling slightly as she gave in to the insistent tug of Therek’s hand on her arm. “Get me out of here before I change my mind.”
Relief was evident on every line of Therek’s face as he quickly ushered her toward the stairs, another familiar face greeting them before they could reach the bottom. “Your Grace.” Pehrona. She sounded less composed than usual, shaken from the excitement of the battle raging around them. “Is she okay? Is there anything I can do?”
“I have not had a chance to inspect the wound. We need to get her somewhere safe so it can be properly tended.” There was a hint of what almost sounded like fear in Therek’s voice. Genuine concern for her well-being. Under any other circumstances Kaori might have thought to laugh at him, though at the moment she couldn’t bring herself to find humor in anything. The wound hurt. Every step she took aggravated it, blood pouring over her fingers where she pressed against her side to try and assuage the pain.
Hunched forward, Kaori grimaced. Everything around her was spinning. This was a disaster. The only thing they had succeeded in doing here today was getting more of their people arrested, possibly killed. And she blamed herself. She should have known the General wasn’t fatuous enough to let his men continue to be made into fools. It was only a matter of time before he put in an appearance. She had just hoped it wouldn’t be today.
Aware of the discomfort Kaori suffered, Therek draped her arm around his shoulders to support her weight. Pehrona hurried to Kaori’s other side, following Therek’s lead to take her other arm. “Where can we take her?” Pehrona looked around the area, searching for someplace they could go that wasn’t overrun with soldiers.
Therek said nothing, his eyes locked straight ahead on a darkened alley to their right. He was careful in his movements, not wanting to jostle Kaori. She was thankful to him for that. As much as she wanted to get away from there quickly, she couldn’t deny the excruciating pain caused by every step she took. She wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to move at all. “I… I have to stop,” she breathed, teetering under a new wave of dizziness. At her words she felt Therek’s hold on her tighten, his other hand dipping under her legs to sweep her off her feet.
“We cannot stop here. My carriage is not far. You can rest once we are on the road.”
She didn’t have the strength to argue with him. It felt good to let herself relax into his arms, her head tucked against the soft fabric of his burgundy doublet. With him, she knew she was safe. Tilting her chin up, she watched the stern expression on his face as he hurried through the alleys with Pehrona on his heels. Yes. She was safe. At least for now. There was no way to know how long that would last.
Everything was hazy to Kaori after leaving the city center. Vague memories drifted through her mind as she started to come to, alarmed to discover that she had lost consciousness. The wound must be worse than I thought… Her eyes fluttered open, taking in the sights around her. Pehrona was kneeling on the floor beside her, bloodstained swatches of cloth scattered about the carriage. Therek was next to her, the buttons of his doublet partially undone, the pale, smooth sur
face of his chest visible from underneath the expensive cloth. It was an odd fashion for him. She was used to him always looking so – together. Perfectly attired. Now, here he sat, devoid of his undershirt which now lay in tattered pieces, covered in Kaori’s blood.
“Are you sure you know what you are doing?” he asked, the sound of his voice drawing Kaori’s attention to the haggardness of his appearance. Something was wrong. It wasn’t like him to reveal so much emotion. It heightened Kaori’s fear in regards to the severity of her injury, muscles tensed as she tried to sit up, stopped instantly by Therek’s strong hand resting firmly against her chest, pressing her back down on the cushioned seat.
Pehrona was equally strained, pallid. Streaks of blood could be seen across her coral gown, evidence of the effort she gave to tend Kaori’s injury. “My father has been a physician for years,” she replied distractedly, her fingers nimbly moving across the fabric of Kaori’s gown to tear at the material, exposing more skin around the wound. “I am no expert, but I know we do not have the tools necessary to suture the laceration. Until then, it is unlikely we will be able to stop the bleeding.”
“There has to be some way to slow it. If she continues to bleed at this rate, she may not live long enough for us to retrieve the proper tools.”
“I only know of one way, but I have never done it myself,” Pehrona sat back on her heels, wiping a droplet of sweat from her brow. “My father has been known, on occasion, to utilize the energy within our bodies to manipulate blood flow on other Vor’shai, but the treatment is not common. I have only seen it done once.”
The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Four: In the Beginning Page 37