Shattered Heart (Red Queen)

Chapter Thirty-Four

     "CAL!" I scream as I throw the door to our room open.
He whips his head towards me from his seat by the window. He is on his feet and moving towards me before I can even take a breath. His arms wrap around me and his eyes scan my body, checking for injuries.
"Mare, what is it?" he asks, concern lacing his voice.
"We have to get out of here. Carac, h-he betrayed us," I rush out while grabbing his arm and shove him out of the room.
      He tries to stop but I pull him along and urge him to keep moving. "You were right about Carac. He just wanted to use me to get to Maven so he could rule Norta," I explain.
Cal doesn't look surprised when I tell him. "How did you get away?"
"I knocked him out, but not for long. We have to hurry."
He nods and sprints down the hall beside me. People in the halls step out of our way as we dash past. I only falter once when a loud blaring noise sounds. The alarm. Carac must be awake and now everyone will be searching for us.
"Faster," Cal demands as we fly down the grand staircase.
The thundering of footsteps comes from all directions as guards rush to stop us. I look ahead to see the gigantic double doors blocked by dozens of guards.
"Shit," I curse and whip my head around, searching for another way out.
Cal's eyes widen and he exclaims, "The window!"
I nod curtly and pick up my speed. Neither of us hesitate as we near the glass. I brace my body for impact and leap for the window. The world slows down and the only thing I hear is the shattering of glass. Shards slice into my arms and face and I grab onto Cal. In a matter of seconds, we collide with the ground. I feel sudden pain in my side, but I ignore it. He pulls me onto my feet and we take off again.
"What's the plan?" I ask him.
He huffs out an unamused laugh and responds, "Hell if I know. I suppose we'll go south."
"But that will lead us to The Choke. That's too close to the Lakelands' army."
"You're right, but if we can get to Corvium we'll be safe. We have to go through The Choke, Mare. It's our only choice."
I swear colorfully and he gives me a look. We continue to run, and I ignore the burning pain in my side. After a while, it is getting hard to breathe and the pain is too intense to go on. Cal looks back at me when I slow my pace and ushers me on.
"Can we rest for a minute?" I ask, trying to hide my pain.
He doesn't need to know that I'm injured. I discreetly touch my side and flinch. There's a large piece of glass protruding from my left side between my ribs. I look at my hand to see it covered in blood. Not good, this is not good.
"Mare, we haven't been running for that long. We don't have time to stop," he explains.
I lean back against a tree in the swampy march we're in and take a deep breath. "I know, but I'm out of shape and need a break."
He shakes his head, "Come on, we have to keep moving."
I let out an exasperated sigh and push off the tree. He sprints off and I shove down the pain. I can make it. I can make it. I can make it. Just a little farther.
I'm distracted by my thoughts and don't notice the tree root sticking out from the ground. I trip and fall face-first onto the ground. The root slams into my side and drives the glass deeper. I shout in agony and roll onto my back. My legs refuse to move to get up and blood is pouring from my wound.
"Cal!" I call.
I hear the crunch of leaves as he runs to me. He falls to his knees beside me and takes one look at the blood before he releases a long stream of curses.
"What happened?" he asks in a strangled, pained voice.
"When we jumped through the window a piece of glass got lodged in my side. I didn't realize it until we started running," I tell him.
He runs a hand through his hair and takes off his coat. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to slow us down."
He clenches his jaw. "You did a great job with that. I mean, damn, you're bleeding out and you can't move. What are we going to do?"
I grab a fistful of his shirt and pull him down towards me. "You have to get out of here, Cal. They are coming for us and you have to run. You are the rightful king and you need to take your throne back. I'll only slow you down, so get off your ass and run."
"I am not leaving you," he says forcefully.
I shove him away, trying to get him to leave. "Get away! You are not dying here!" I cry.
"Neither are you." He moves to pick me up, but my hands light up with sparks.
"If you touch me, I will hurt you. Cal, I am begging you to get away from me. Don't make me do this," I plead.
My heart truly breaks when I see his face. It is full of hurt, but he knows that I'm just tying to get rid of him. He presses his coat to my wound and I hiss in pain.
        "Mare, I will carry you all the way to Corvium if I have to. I will never let go of you, that is a promise."
       "It's one you're going to have to break. Carac won't hurt me, so I need you to get out of here. It is the only way for this to work, Cal. Get to the Scarlet Guard and get to Maven. Convince him to join us to save Norta. Take back your throne and your kingdom. This is not the end of our story, my love. We will see each other again after this war is over. I know you don't want to leave me, but it's the only way. I'll just slow you down and you don't have time to waste. I'll be fine because I've don't this before. I still have my lightning and that's all I need. So run, Cal. Run and don't look back. Save yourself."
         He closes his eyes and shakes his head. "I'll find you, Mare. As soon as I rally an army, I will come for you."
"I know," I whisper and gently place my hand on his face. "I love you."
"I love you too, Mare Barrow. I always have and I always will." He leans down and gives me a final kiss before he stands to leave. Tears are streaming down my face as he backs away.
I hear shouting in the distance as the guards chasing us get closer. He turns and looks back once before he runs. In seconds, he is out of sight.
"Goodbye, Cal," I manage, my voice breaking.
      I hope he lives. I hope he raises an army worthy enough to destroy Hell. I hope he tears down the world.
"Mare! Mare! Where are you?" I hear Carac yell tauntingly.
I close my eyes and prepare myself for what is coming next. I breath the free air one last time and open my eyes. "I'm here, Carac! Come throw me in a cell and let me rot!"
Carac appears from behind and tree and kneels by my side. His devilish grin makes my heart stop. He grabs my face and forces me to look at him. "Darling, you aren't going to rot in my cells. No, you are going to bleed. You and all of Norta will stain the ground red and silver in blood."

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Hey guys! I'm sooooo sorry I haven't updated in forever. But I'm back now and ready to do some writing. The final battle is coming soon and it might not end the way you expect😈 Stay tuned to find out what happens to Mare, Cal, Maven, and the rest of the crew. Thanks so much for reading!!

Xx Hanna