The Myths of Ophelia (The Curse of Ophelia #4)

Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

Malakai

The chamber erupted as Titus stilled, drowning out Vale’s shrieks.

Starsearchers charged to their fallen chancellor’s defense; the room became a mess of clanging weapons and my blood beneath my hands and knees.

My blood…fuck. It was so warm down my exposed back, my gloves were sticky with it.

And the scars that had been ripped open burned.

Mila flipped her guard over her shoulder and slammed the woman into the floor effortlessly. With the Starsearcher’s own dagger, Mila impaled her through the throat. Fucking incredible.

Then, she was ripping her twin swords from the guard, and she got to work on the other opponents.

Heal , I wanted to scream at my wounds. I needed to get up. I needed to help.

I breathed heavily, each inhale painful as my ribs expanded. It hadn’t hurt this badly last time. Maybe because I’d given up, then.

Now I was desperate to help. I focused on the way crimson was smeared across the ivory floors, marring the reflection of the Fates in the dome’s glass, something oddly poetic about the seeing chamber resulting in so much death.

As the pain in my back became a steady ache, I assessed the fighting through swirling vision. Dax and Barrett had weapons now, too. Harlen, stumbling and face contorted in pain, had his chain wrapped around the throat of a warrior. There were maybe eight of them in Starsearcher garb.

Too many…

There were too many.

Vale was still collapsed on the floor, biting back cries of pain. Celissia crouched beside her, whispering to the Starsearcher and pressing her hands over Vale’s shoulder, as if that would absolve the ache.

With tears streaming from her hollow eyes, Vale nodded at Celissia. One hand still clutched something to her chest, but with the other, she ripped a dagger from Celissia’s waist. The Starsearcher grunted, launching it at an approaching guard. It landed squarely in his eye.

Celissia pulled a hatchet from her belt and joined, skillfully beating back a Starsearcher guard while keeping one eye on Vale.

Vale, who poured every ounce of desperation—of rightful vengeance and tormented tears—into crawling toward that guard’s body. Into relieving him of his other triple blades and fighting as fiercely as anyone.

Because she had a reason to fight, too.

The open wounds across my back stung as I stumbled upright, feet slipping in my blood. There was so much of it, my stomach turned. I wasn’t used to seeing it in such bright light. My cavern prison had been a blessing in one way, I supposed.

The warrior who had been seeing to me was fighting Mila now. In a flash of steel, they danced about the room. There was no way I could lift a sword or throw a dagger, but...the chains hanging from my wrists clanked together. My vision swam, and an idea took shape.

Tightening my grip around the chain, I waited to catch Mila’s eye?—

There it was.

A flash of a glance, not enough to lose her opponent, but enough to check on me. And see that while blood dripped down my back, I stood.

Her eyes swept over my hands, and she understood my plan. I crouched down.

Back, back, back she drove that Starsearcher.

I couldn’t lift my arms, not enough to wrap my chain around his throat. But I could?—

With a stumbling step, the warrior’s ankle met the iron. I bit my cheek to keep from screaming at the pain driving through my body, and he crashed backward to the floor with a cry that cut off in an echoing thud.

Mila crouched before me, hands on my face, knees in my blood. The others continued to fight, but she was here. I nearly collapsed at the relief.

“It’ll heal quickly,” she said, voice wavering as she reassured both of us. “It’ll heal, Malakai.” She pressed her forehead to mine, hands shaking against my cheeks. “I’m going to get you out of here. You saved me before… I’m going to save you now.”

I saved her?

I tried to ask what she meant, but I moved too quickly and a bolt of pain went through my back.

It didn’t hurt as badly as it should. Not when I could see she was safe. But even opening my eyes was hard. So much blood was on the floor. My head swam.

I had no concept of time as the fighting silenced. I didn’t try to count the seconds. Just tried not to move too much with each rasping breath.

“Malakai,” Mila said softly.

Everything hurt, that last effort to stand draining all the adrenaline keeping me upright. My back was flayed open, raw skin sticky and throbbing.

“Mila,” I muttered, keeping my eyes closed.

“Yeah?” she asked shakily, and I forced my eyes open. Looked into her watery, ice-blue ones. So fucking beautiful, even with the tears. If she was the last thing I saw before dying, I would go happily. One day, perhaps…but I wasn’t done living with her yet.

I croaked, “We have to look up, right?”

Mila bit back a sob, tears tracking down her cheeks. “Look up, Warrior Prince.”

“Is he okay?” Barrett’s voice was close and piqued with panic. Everyone had to be alright if he was checking on me.

“We need to get out of here.” That was Celissia.

“Malakai, we can’t carry you,” Barrett said. Spirits, they couldn’t even put their arms around me for support without my back screaming.

“I can walk,” I wheezed. “Help.”

Barrett and Mila helped me out of the rest of my torn leathers so the fabric wouldn’t brush the wounds. Then, they stood on either side of me as I ever-so-slowly rose, holding each of my arms, bracing steadying hands against my ribs, but not daring to move any closer.

I draped my arms across their shoulders, hissing at the pain of lifting them even that much. Every shift sent daggers through my back.

Dax was carrying Vale, who looked on the brink of unconsciousness. One hand gripped her shoulder, the other clenched to her chest. Whatever that tattoo severing had done to her was drastic.

“Aren’t you coming?” Celissia asked, her curious stare on Harlen.

He shook his head. Three of the Starsearcher guards stood behind him, three who had fought with us. That small reminder that there was good in this manor unwound a knot in my chest and made me grateful I stood for my friends so they could remain unharmed alongside that good.

“I’ll take care of this,” Harlen said, waving a hand at Titus’s prone body. “You all get somewhere safe.”

“Thank you,” I slurred as we slowly fled.

And Vale mumbled a faint, “You’re a good friend, Harlen.”