Golden

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

        The woman’s figure is small, standing 3 inches shorter than me, but I know she is older than she appears. Her stare is lethal as she commands Quinn – this must be Vera.

        “Yes, my love,” Quinn breathes dazedly at her before turning to face me. “You!” he points. “You stole something that belongs to my love and she wants it back!”

        Julen raises his hands in what seems to be mock surrender. His body is slouched as he stands beside me, as if considered Quinn to be no threat. “I have no idea what you are talking about,” he sings.

        Quinn unsheathes his sword and points it at Julen. His left foot twitches – I move in front of him before he can attack. Grabbing his dagger, I spin him around to wrap my other arm around him but he slips under my grasp and lurches at Julen. He pulls out his dagger from underneath his armour and pulls Julen’s back to him, holding the edge of the knife at his throat.

        “This is the man who you cheated on me with?” Quinn says, laughter bubbling at his lips. “He is nothing!” The tip of the dagger draws blood. “You killed my family for this? For this?!” Hysteria laces his voice.

        Panic swells in my chest. “This woman—”

        “This woman has a name! Vera! And she is the most beautiful woman you will never become!” he shrieks.

        My mind is racing. “Vera,” I say slowly, inching backwards, “has been feeding you lies, Quinn. Everything she has said to you is a lie.”

        “My name is Adrian, you witch! Murderer!” More blood trails down Julen’s neck.

        Adrian? Vera knows Adrian? How?

        Calming Quinn down will do nothing, I realize. What do I do? What do I do? An idea slams into me. I whirl around and grab Vera by the shoulders, her shrieks of protest ringing in my ears. She struggles in my grasp as I unsheathe my right sword and hold it against her own neck.

        “Step away from Julen,” I tell Quinn.

        His eyes widen, “my love! What do I do?! How do I save you? We were meant to be together – you told me this would work and then we would be together!” His hysteric spluttering causes him to let go of the dagger in his hand.

        Immediately, Julen elbows Quinn hard in the ribs and swipes the dagger off the floor. He points it at Quinn just as the bedroom door creaks open.

        Everyone freezes, watching as a small head peeks out from the open door. “Dad?” Daneth speaks.

        The next moment seems to happen in a motion so slow that my breaths come quicker than the speed of everyone’s movement.

        After giving a confirming glance to Vera, Quinn knocks Julen to the side. He grabs the dagger from his hands and sprints at the boy. The tip of the knife is raised to strike. I let go of Vera, pushing her onto the floor. She knocks her head against the wood as I stretch my hand in Quinn’s direction.

        A pulse of gold bursts from my palm, piercing Quinn through his right calf. He drops the dagger, screaming in agony as the poisoned liquid soaks into his skin. He falls to the floor, holding his leg with his left hand. His other hand reaches for the dropped dagger.

        After Quinn fell, Daneth had locked himself in the bedroom. However, Julen is five feet away from him. With a flick of his wrist, Quinn sends the knife right through Julen’s chest.

        A sudden sharpness pierces the flesh of my thigh. Pain explodes through me and a feral sound echoes in the air that I realize is mine. I look down at the small knife that rests imbedded in my leg and then at the monstrous girl that stares at me from the floor.

        I pull the knife out, feeling my blood immediately knit itself over the wound and seal the skin back together. I grab the girl’s neck, my eyes burning and my lips trembling. My heart pounds fiercely in my chest as hot liquid travels to my hand that’s holding her throat. Her eyes widen as the heat bleeds into her skin, and her lips part to scream. All I can see is red as her skin blackens and chars until there is nothing left to grasp but ash.

        Quinn is screaming a bloodcurdling sound that clenches at my chest. “Vera!” he shrills. “We were meant to be together for eternity! Vera! My love! Come back to me!” his sobbing grows louder.

        All I can think of is Julen. He lies on his back, his eyes open and staring at the ceiling. His chest rises once, and then stops moving.

        “Vera! Vera! Vera! Don’t leave me, my love!” His shrieking creeps into my ears and invades my thoughts.

        I look at Quinn as he holds his weakened calf with one hand and pulls at his hair with the other. He rocks himself back and forth, screeching that witch’s name. I grab the knife by the hilt and knock him unconscious with it, welcoming the sudden silence.

        Julen’s eyes are blank as I kneel beside him. I close his eyes and close mine too, holding his still-warm hand. My chest aches, and my throat feels as though something is squeezing it dry. I hold his hand tightly. I need to try…

        I breathe deeply, feeling the warmth of my blood flow to my palms. It seeps through my skin and into his. I keep my eyes closed, forcing myself not to watch as the gold travels through his body. If there is a slight chance that I can do this; I will need the entirety of my concentration.

        I stay there, feeling my blood replenishing as fast as it leaves me. His hands grow hot, but I don’t hear a breath or feel any movement. His blood is still, the only working thing in his body is my own blood trying to revive him.

        “Come on,” I whisper. “You cannot leave me. Don’t leave your son!”

        I don’t dare to move as the gilded liquid works itself around his body. I pour every ounce of strength that I have into this process, but I hear nor feel nothing.

        After what feels like an eternity, I open my eyes. His skin has lost a bit of colour, his eyes remain closed, and there is no breath that moves his chest. Gone.

        I let the blood return to my body. A heavy weight settles on my shoulders and my breathing is painful as it travels down my throat. A sharp feeling pricks through my chest.

        “Did it work?” Daneth asks from behind me.

        I don’t look at his face. “No, I could not revive him,” I whisper. The little boy moves to sit cross-legged beside his father. He takes Julen’s hand from my grasp and then takes the other hand before placing them on his stomach.

        I wait for him to shed a tear, but he remains composed. “It’s okay to cry,” I try to keep my voice soft, only to realize that that is as loud as I can speak.

        He raises his eyes to meet mine and I am unable to look away. “Dad taught me to always be strong. He said that it’s okay if he dies because he will be born again and when that happens, he will come find me. Daddy always finds me.”

        “Your father raised you well,” I manage. My throat feels constricted and my eyes are slightly damp. I had planned to bring Julen to the new Valsea. I had planned… I wanted to find that love he talked so fondly of.

        “Is it true?” Daneth asks. “Will he be born again?”

        There is no part of me that is capable of telling the truth to such an innocent soul. “Yes,” I whisper. “He will be born again.”

        The smile he gives me nearly breaks my heart.