A Most Dangerous Weapon

Chapter 14: I'm Not Dead Yet

My feet begin to stomp forward without my permission. He spots me instantly. Sensing something in my stride and demeanour, he grabs a sword from a fallen soldier and holds it at the ready.

I stop a few feet away from him. The words come tumbling out... "This isn't how it was supposed to end."

His voice is commanding, despite his shaking hands. "Revenge is a tricky thing, Candra. You should know that better than anyone."

"Tell me you didn't do it."

"I'm surprised you would even ask me that."

"That's not an answer."

"We're all just monsters hunting other monsters. I am no exception, and neither are you. It's hard to decide who is meant to win."

"I refuse to accept that."

"I tried to warn you, Candra. As much as we both wanted this, you knew that there would be a heavy price to pay."

"I was prepared for losses, but not like this..."

He frowns at me with tired eyes, "You really think I did it, don't you?"

"You were supposed to let me go. You promised me that you wouldn't hold on! I thought we moved past this?!" I'm enraged by how unaffected he seems to be.

"After a lifetime of revenge and justice, blurring the lines to kill when you think it's right, you don't get over it... you get used to it."

"That's what I was afraid of."

He clutches the crown tighter in his left hand as he raises the sword a little higher in his shaking right hand.

I raise my own sword in preparation for the upcoming slaughter. "Tell me you didn't do it..." I repeat venomously.

"Do what you have to, Candra. We both knew this day was coming."

"I'll kill you..."

He sighs, "Shall we begin?"

~*~*~*~

My eyes shot open to instantly be blinded by the blazing sun above. I rolled over onto my side and coughed up an absurd amount of water. I was heaving by the time I was finished, leaving nothing but hollow pain in my stomach. My head was pounding from the hangover and the stress of the evening. I squinted through the sunlight to take in my immediate surroundings. I had been pulled far down river by the current after Loxley's attack. I was surprised that I hadn't drowned, but rather drifted onto a rocky shore to safety. I tried to push myself up to get a better look around, but a sharp pain in my chest forced me to cry out and fall back down. I pulled my shirt down to expose the deep stab wound that landed just below my collar bone, miraculously missing my heart. It was still bleeding.

"This is pathetic." My father was crouched down beside me, taking in my sad state before matching my gaze. "If this doesn't prove that you should just leave Rowan to accomplish his own plan, than I don't know what will."

My voice is hoarse as I respond slowly, "On the contrary, Loxley just proved my point."

He laughs. "So because she was willing to kill you, you're willing to work with them to kill the feuding Emperors?"

"She's committed to the cause... I'll give her that." I try again to push myself up into a sitting position. I can feel my muscles stiffening fiercely, confirming my suspicions that I was battered and bruised from the impact against the water and probably from hitting various boulders while being carried downstream. It took longer than I'd care to admit, and it was beyond painful, but in the end I succeeded.