Free Web NovelChapter 48: Chapter 48
"What do we do now?" Astrid sat slumped over the table. "We’ve searched everywhere and still no sign of them."
Augustus sat with a pinched look on his face. His side hurt so much he could hardly breathe. "We’ll look again he said.
"But we’ve looked everywhere."
"Have faith, Astrid. We’ll find them."
There was a knock on the door, and Adonis entered the room like a ghost.
"I heard someone call my name," he said.
"Your majesty," Astrid and Augustus cried out in unison.
Adonis laughed. "In the flesh."
"We’ve searched everywhere for you. Where have you been?" Asteid asked, going up to him.
"I think we were at the female quarters far from this one," he said. " I don’t think you knew to search there." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
"We didn’t. We were looking everywhere in here."
Adonis nodded. "I’m here now. I thought you wouldn’t make it back in time."
Astrid shook her head and tried to run a hand through her hair, but stopped. "Andrea? Doris? Where are they?"
"They’re probably in front of the palace at this moment. I asked them to wait for me at the gates, just in case things weren’t exactly as we thought."
Astrid breathed a sigh of relief, but then furrowed her brows. "You actually wanted to come back to this place, not knowing if you’d get killed or not? "
"It’s all behind us now. Tell me what happened. How did it go back there?"
"Everything went just as you predicted, your majesty," Augustus chimed. "If we’d known about the bombs, it would have been an easy win for us. But as it is now, we’ve sustained a lot of casualties. We cannot continue on this journey unless the men heal up. "
Adonis’ head hung low. "The bombs," he mumbled. "This is the second time we’re having this issue. And twice is no coincidence."
"True, your majesty. It is a little strange that the kingdoms we’ve attacked so far have something we haven’t released to the world yet. I’m afraid this might be the same for the rest of the kingdoms. They know we’re coming, and they are prepared."
Adonis collapsed into the chair. His body and mind were achy from all the planning and fighting.
"We need it. We definitely need to rest from all of this. Look at us, we can barely stand as it is." His voice was weak.
"What do we do about those men?"
Adonis arched his brow.
"Aman’s men," Astrid said. "They’re the ones who called everything off?"
"Of course they are. Those bastards," Adonis cursed. "Immediately they found out that their soldiers had re-entered the palace, they immediately reneged on our agreement."
"Just as I suspected they would." frёeωebɳovel.com
"Show them to me," Adonis said and got up. He clenched his hands tightly, and the veins in his head began to pop.
They went down to the outer courtyard, and in the middle were the men Aman had left behind.
Adonis smiled, and his eyes darkened.
"I really thought the gods had failed me," Adonis drawled and knelt before them. "I thought I would die on these wretched grounds. Who would have thought..."
He stood and held out his hand to one of the soldiers. Instinctively, he handed over his sword to Adonis.
In swift, clear movements, Adonis slashed all four necks. Then he dropped the swords to the floor, relief and exhaustion washing over him.
"Dispose of them," he ordered. "Tell Andrea to come back in," he turned to Astrid, " Doris is badly wounded. We need to treat it now, or I fear she might not make... "
Astrid ran for the gates before he could finish. She looked frantically for her sisters, pushing and shoving soldiers as she went, and then completely stopped in her tracks at the sight of them.
Doris leaned against Andrea, wincing and groaning in pain while Andrea stood awkwardly, patting her on the back with a running down her face.
"Girls," Astrid cried loudly and ran towards them. "Look at what they’ve done to you. "
"She needs help, right now, " Andrea said with a sniffle. "Please get her help."
Astrid nodded, "Put her on my back." She hurried back into the castle.
"Help!" Astrid shouted. "Please help. We need a physician."
Augustus hurried over to them and gently lifted Doris from her back, then took her to one of the rooms on the first floor, laid her on the bed.
Adonis rushed in a physician who immediately went to work on her. "Please, I need the room," the woman said sternly.
Astrid lingered while everyone left.
"Let’s go," Andrea said, gently pulling Astrid with her. "Standing here, getting all worked up will not help her. Allow the physician to do his job."
Astrid held a hand to her heart, tears pouring down her face.
"I know my love, I know." Andrea said gently, "I hope she’ll be alright as well."
They all hovered around the door, waiting for news from the physician. After what seemed like an eternity, she came out.
Her gaze was intense. "Her fate is undecided," she said loud enough for all of them to hear. "I have stopped the bleeding, but the wound is deep. Pray to the gods that she survives this."
"Wait!" Astrid said, "Does that mean she’s better or not?"
"I do not know, girl." She hissed. "I have done the best I can do. Now you pray. Pray that she does not cross the land of the living."
"Aren’t you supposed to be a physician?" Astrid’s voice rose in frustrations, "how can you spew all of this rubbish? You’re supposed to give me a definitive answer. Not babble on about the gods. What do the gods have to dk with any of this?"
"Astrid," Adonis said, and went to stand beside her, "calm down. We will find another physician, i promise you, she’ll get better."
Astrid was breathing heavily. "Leave," she said to the physician eyes blazing with anger. "Never come back here."
The woman gave her a hard stare. "If the gods have written her death, no miraculous hands could save her," she said, and then left.
