Queensmen

Chapter 57

~Dreams~

Her eyes still shut tight, Oris held her breath, waiting for what the three men in front of her would choose to do.

There were really only two options.

The first was attacking without any concern for her life.

The second was letting Bren go now and attempting to capture him later when her safety had been ensured.

It was obvious that the second option would give Bren the highest chance at surviving this whole escapade, so his only hope now was that Oris' well-being turned out to be more important to the men than capturing the man that had almost killed the Emperor.

"Don't be hasty," she heard Magnus try to play mediator, his voice as cool and calculative as ever, "if a way out is what you want, we will give you one. Just leave the lady behind."

"You must think me a fool." Bren's voice was equally as frigid. "The moment I drop her, your bowman will sink a bolt in my back and I will die without having had a chance to help myself."

Oris felt the blade of his sword press harder against her neck as he continued, "Here is what will happen. None of you shifts their foot by even a step as I leave. If I get any sense of you chasing after me, I will slit her pretty throat."

"How are we sure you won't kill her anyway?" Oris heard Lord Eugene ask.

"I'm not the one who shot her now, am I?" Bren replied emotionlessly. "After I leave, you will find the lady in one of the many rooms in your palace, unharmed by me."

"Fine!" It was Hermes speaking now. "Do as you wish. As long as you do not hurt her, we will not give chase."

"I'm sorry," Bren whispered to Oris a moment later and tightened his arm around her waist to apply to her wound as discreetly as he could.

He dragged her with him as he took a step away from Hermes and his entourage. "I didn't know."

"I forgive you," Oris whispered back, glad that the men could not see her lips moving behind her blood-soaked veil.

"I cannot take you with me."

Another step back.

"The palace is too fortified. I didn't plan on escaping."

Oris' breath halted at that. "You planned to die."

"I had nothing to live for without you by my side," he said quietly. "I did not know what happened to you or who had taken you. Revenge was the only path left for me."

"Don't you dare leave me behind."

"You are dying in my arms."

"I don't care."

"I do."

Another small step towards freedom.

When Bren began loosening his grip on her, Oris' eyes flew open. Her mind reeled as it tried to come up with a way to stop him from leaving this hallway without her.

She saw Mikeal's worry as he stared at her and gripped the hilt of his sword restlessly. She saw Lord Eugene's guilt as the sights of his crossbow continued to follow her and Bren's movements.

She saw nothingness on Hermes' face. Only his furrowed brows gave away the fact that he was thinking deeply.

It was obvious that all three men were waiting for an opportunity to turn the situation around.

Oris didn't want to be the one to give that to them. She couldn't let Bren's indecision cost him his life.

How great would it be if his hostage was anyone but me? Her gaze fell to the sword still in her hand. It was a miracle that she had managed to hold on to it all this while. She could barely feel her arm, not to talk of the fingers she had wrapped around its hilt.