Page 138 of Somber Prince
Darkness fringed my awareness as my mind swam, deprived of oxygen. I staggered back, my knees buckling and my legs crumbling under me. Alzali bent over me, arching me backwards.
With a strangled gasp, her grip on my neck suddenly weakened. She swayed backwards as a strong arm wrapped around my middle, yanking me out of her reach.
Unimpeded, she lurched farther back, tipping over the edge of the platform. She plummeted down, the handle of her own dagger sticking out from between her ribs. The weapon was sunk all the way to its hilt.
As an experienced warrior, Rha knew exactly where to strike to make Alzali’s death certain and quick. He’d hit from the side, going straight for her heart. And he did it with his right wrist still chained to the pole.
His left manacle lay open on the platform, with the key in its lock. I’d unlocked it when Alzali startled me. I just never had the chance to open the restraint. But Rha had. He’d opened it, freed his arm, then grabbed the dagger I’d dropped.
He flexed his arm around my waist, drawing me to him.
“Dawn. My treasure. My one ray of joy.”
I threw my arms around his neck, catching my breath.
He pressed the side of his face to mine. As much as I wished we could stay like this forever, we needed to hurry. The guards could walk around the platform any minute now. They’d see Alzali’s dead body.
“We have to run, baby.” I grabbed the open manacle and wrenched the key out of the lock. “I’ll unlock the other one, then we’ll go.”
“No, my sweet.”
He took the key from me and tossed it off the platform, the way Alzali had gone.
“What have you done?” I shouted over the wind, shaking in shock. “Why?”
“There are guards below.”
“Not that many.”
“The queen’s guards are on every street of this city, day and night. There is a small army of them at the gate. We won’t get far.”
“We can climb up a wall.” I frantically gestured at the buildings around the plaza. “I got down like that already. We can climb up.”
He shook his head. “It’ll take time. Enough time for them to catch us. You’ll be tried as my accomplice in both the murder and the escape.”
“They can’t hurt a Joy Vessel,” I repeated as a mantra.
“The queen can do whatever she wants, even if it’s just to make an example of you for the others. She will punish you,” he said with conviction that came from experience.
The queen had condemned her own son to torture. Why would she care about me?
“I can’t let it happen, Dawn. I can’t let her hurt you.”
“But I can’t leave you here to die,” I cried in anguish.
He pulled me tighter into his chest, talking in an urgent half-whisper. “The most important thing is that you’ll be safe, my treasure. It was I who killed the princess. I tried to escape. You had nothing to do with it. You’re innocent. They can’t do anything to you.”
His words gutted me. My chest ached as if the dagger was lodged in me, not in Alzali. Voices came from below. Surprised shouts. The guards must have found their dead princess.
“I can’t leave you…” I pleaded.
“But you must. You can’t die with me.”
Despite everything, he remained calm and stoic, like always, while I was a sobbing, miserable mess, clinging to him.
“No…Rha. Please come with me. We’ll be together. We’ll dance again. We’ll make another necklace. I need you…” I cried openly now.
“Kiss me,” he said softly. “It always feels better when you do it.”