The Queen of Ash and Flame

Chapter Forty One

"We should be there by the afternoon," Arthur said to us. He had been glancing back at us every so often with a weird look on his face. Had he heard the conversation me and Lucian had had last night?

I had woken up next to Lucian, his arm draped over my back.

Lucian had been more cheery than his usual self, probably due to our conversation yesterday. The things I had said, the things he had let out.

We weren't acting like the merry fairytale couple I read in stories but just less fighting and arguing. Not so many dirty looks and sly comments.

Arthur had probably noticed that if I thought he was as smart as he acted.

"We're about to reach the fields of Aestridel, they are the borders of the city and castle." he said quietly to us. "There are creatures in these stocks that will kill first and ask later."

"Even you don't have something to calm them? You're the king's assassin," I questioned him.

"Nope because if the tip were to get out then anyone could pass by them unharmed," he said.

"So what do we have to do? Just run?" Lucian asked.

"Yep, and pray to the gods that you're fast enough."

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"We're going to run along the tree line then straight down, you see where the red fields meet the lilacs?" Arthur said quietly pointing at a section of the field.

I nodded. It was a huge field stretching all around the kingdom. You could see the walls of the village in the center of the field. Arthur had said it looked like a flower from above. The different fields were different "flower petals".

"There's separate paths between each different field, they run straight to the village. We'll have to go through a screening process once we get there but then we'll be let through." Arthur paused then glanced over at Lucian. "We might have some problems with getting you in."

"Shit I didn't even think of that," I said and glanced over at him.

He rubbed my arm, "We'll get through it."

I nodded and looked back at Arthur. "So we just run and hope not to die?"

"Precisely."

I let out a hard breath, "Okay, well let's hope that we don't get fucking eaten alive."

"Okay, well I'll let you go first and we'll follow you," Lucian said. I glared at him.

"Nat it's fine I know the path the best anyways."

I nodded and tiptoed towards the tree line. Following behind Arthur. "If you're bitten tell me. Their venom can cause a fae to get knocked out. Or even killed."

Okay well now I'm really hoping I won't get bit.

"Three."

"Two."

"One!"

Arthur sprang forwards and darted down the path. I saw the tall lilac flowers ruffle as something darted through it. Heading straight towards him.

I shot after him Lucian on my tail.

I heard my heart in my ears, blaring out everything else. I separated my eyes between the ground and in front of me.

We were so close to the wall before I heard a shout. I turned back, still running and saw Lucian dodging a skeleton looking beast. The bones were wrapped in dark thin skin, stretching over the skeleon. Making it look dead and alive at the same time.

Another one came for his other side, "Lucian!" I yelled to warn him, he ended up missing it by inches.

I sprinted back to him and grabbed his arm. "Nat it's fine keep on going!" he huffed out.

"You're mental if you think I'm going to leave you." I pulled his arm my way and started running, pulling him behind me.

We were just about to slip inside the wall before a figure darted out in front of me, the same boney creature that had tried to attack Lucian. I held up my hand to protect my face. But as it was just about to miss me and hit the ground once more, I felt a snip at my forearm.

Shit.

"Lucian we have to go," I said breathlessly, frantic looking down at my slightly bleeding arm.

He looked at the blood with wide eyes and nodded, he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder as he ran the last couple yards.

I saw the animals back off as we got to the security of the wall, Lucian changed our position and carried me so his arm was under my knees and one supporting my back.

Arthur looked at my bleeding arm with concern in his eyes. "What the hell happened? You were behind me one second then not the next!"

"I got into some trouble with the creatures and Natallia helped me, but in the process got bitten," Lucian huffed out.

"We need to get her to a doctor immediately, their poison acts fast. We have no time to lose," I was already starting to see the world like shapes and colours instead of objects. The sounds of the world and busselling around us dulled and muffed in my ears.

"Hold on darling, we're going to get you help."

I blinked up at Lucian's face and my vision went black.