The Beast That was Promised ✔

TWENTY-ONE: The Battle Of Liman

Rina was in the infirmary healing the last of the injured when the first sounds of battle rang out. She'd known for hours that it was coming, but with guards at every doorway stopping her exit, she was stuck healing people. The yells and screams and sounds of destruction echoed in her ears and she longed to be down there, fighting with the people she had spent so long trying to get back to.

The windows in the room she sat in didn't face the city walls, but the ocean, which was dotted with the ships that held those who couldn't fight. They were safe for the moment, but without being able to see what was going on, Rina had no idea how long that safety would last.

She was nearly done, onto the last small group of wounded people. Some were missing fingers, others had been stabbed in non-fatal places and most were complacent as she worked. The second they were healed, they were forced up by the guards in the room and told where the armour was. She had heard it so many times over the last few hours that she knew the words by heart.

That morning, Cillian had woken her early to start her work and she'd known without him saying anything that the army was nearly at the gates. She hadn't seen Isiah since the night before when they'd been on the beach together and she wanted to make sure that he was alright. Cillian had him working on the walls again. He shouldn't have been down there, but he was anyway, preparing for a battle he wouldn't fight it. There was no way to check on him unless she went down there. She couldn't do that unless she found a way to get past the guards.

Every time she thought she was nearly done, another wounded soldier was dragged in. The mansion was too far from the town walls for any of the seriously injured to be carried in, so there was no point in having it set up in the middle of battle. Her entire role was useless, made up by Cillian so that she wouldn't argue. But it wasn't going to work.

People were dying in the streets and along the walls. She could save them easily if she was done there. The longer she sat there with people who were barely injured, the more restless she became. With every sound that drifted up from the walls, the guards around her looked to the fight, even though there was nothing to see.

All she could do was hope that their agitation would be enough for her to get out of the mansion. Using the stone for hours on end left her exhausted, but she still had some energy in her, enough to fight and heal at the same time. She would show everyone just how good she was, how powerful she was and if they dared to stop her, she would show them her wrath as well.

Somewhere out the window was Teremtys' island. She needed to make sure that Isiah survived the battle so that they could get the final stone. Ishin was out there somewhere, destroying everything in his path and Emrick still hadn't arrived. All they could was fight and survive and wait for him to show up. But she couldn't do that unless she was down where she should be.

Wounds closed up under her hands and the stone glowed a steady green. In the background of it all was the sound of the walls falling. Tears welled in her eyes as those she healed climbed to their feet without a word, marching towards the armoury, towards the wall, towards another injury and potential death. They would all be fighting to get back to her while the town crumbled, but she was too far.

A boom that echoed through her ears and made her legs shake was what finally got her moving. As quickly as she could, she finished healing the rest of the people in the room. Cillian wasn't going to keep her locked away for the whole battle, not when she could help and look after herself.

When the last person was running from the room, fear and determination in her eyes, she stalked over the guards in the doorway. "Your Highness, we can't let you through," one said, standing straight and proud.

"Under whose orders? Someone below me?" she asked, knowing that she sounded petulant, but if it was the only way to get out of the mansion, she would gladly do it.