The flame

Chapter 15:

Chapter 15:

-Lorelai!

Milo shook the girl, delicate eyelids opened and green eyes gave him a threatening look.

-Milo, I don't care if the castle is on fire, I've slept about four hours in two days. Leave me alone.

She pushed him gently and tried to sleep again.

-Lorelai, it's the princess!

The girl sighed, raising her torso to look at the boy.

-I had to help get ready for her to spend the night with Cutler - she grimaced in disgust -It's natural for her to be in a bad mood.

-Well, I don't know what happened after you left her, but a few minutes ago I found her in front of her bedroom, half naked and vomiting blood, I had to leave her with the kings.

Milo felt how little by little the initial shock of the situation lifted, he went from being emotionally anesthetized to feeling nauseous, he didn't know if the princess was still alive, he didn't know if Cutler had done something to her, or worse, if it was the kings themselves.

-I-I don't know if she's still...

He couldn't finish the sentence, Lorelai pushed him and forced him to get up.

-There's an area in the castle that I've cleaned several times, it always makes my hair stand on end, it looks like an old hospital wing, it has old stretchers and medical equipment. It's the only place they could have it.

Milo still seemed to be frozen, the very idea of finding the lifeless body of the young woman made him want to vomit, his breathing was getting faster and faster.

-MILO! Standing there looking stupid isn't going to help anyone. Move your muscular ass!

Lorelai shook him, bringing back some awareness in those blue eyes.

-Yes...

-Bring Octavia, before she worked here as a kitchen assistant she was a nurse at the central hospital.

The boy's movements were robotic. Lorelai watched as he grabbed the other girl and put her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, the hit with the boy's body knocked the air out of her, stopping the scream that would most likely come out of her throat.

-You should have woken her up first, but I guess this works.

-So, maybe the princess was attacked by her fiancé and the kings want to cover it up?

Octavia asked as the foolish duo dragged her off to who knows where. At least they had been kind enough to put her in context with the events.

-The last person to see her in a good state would be Cutler, but since he's a lying rat we can't believe a single word that comes out of his snout.

Lorelei growled

-A few days ago you almost ripped my arm off for calling him a bastard.

-You don't understand, I was with her, I left her bath ready, I put on her bed the clothes she would have to wear. Maybe it was a sentence for her and I was the one who sharpened the weapon!

-Hey! I need you to calm down. If we're going in there - Octavia pointed to the heavy metal door that stood at the end of a long corridor in an almost forgotten area of the huge castle - I need you both ready.

They both nodded, took a last breath and went in.

The room was cold, the trio had to suppress a shiver, the floor was nothing but smooth tiles, the walls were stone, perhaps that room was in times past a dungeon. The medical room was plunged into a gloomy gloom, its worn furniture spoke of times gone by of decadence and oblivion. They followed the sound of a steady beeping until they reached what appeared to be a patient area, behind a blue cloth curtain reflected the shadow of a gurney and on it what appeared to be a bundle. Octavia pulled the cloth aside.

Milo released the air he was holding. The princess lay on the bed, her pale cheeks and dark circles darkening her face. The constant beeping came from the machine she was hooked up to, the beating of her heart reflected on the screen.

-They didn't even leave her cloak.

Octavia grabbed the still bloodstained cloth and covered the young woman's body.

-The heartbeat is steady and strong, she's probably recovering from the blood loss, hence the transfusion.

Lorelai approached the blood bag hanging on the left side of the gurney.

-It 's half full.

The girl's skin had more color, her lips and fingers had lost the blue tint they had when Milo handed her over to the kings, the corners of her mouth were stained with dried blood and she was still in those tattered underwear, the kings basically seemed to have thrown her away making sure to do the bare minimum to keep her alive. Milo grabbed some cotton from a weird table that had a bunch of medical supplies on it and walked over. He moistened the cloth with some alcohol and gently wiped the princess' face.

-What are we supposed to do now?

-What do you mean, Octavia? She's alive, there's nothing more to be done.

-Lorelai, do you really plan to just leave her here? Whatever happened to her doesn't interest you?

-Don't even think of looking at me that way, Milo, I don't plan on getting involved in royal matters and neither should you, you're already in enough danger leading that group of hooligans. Some of us are just trying to survive without bothering anyone!

-And some of us are trying to live! Are you going to keep spending your life killing yourself to serve others? Trying to make ends meet and always waiting for the next paycheck? There are those of us who want more!

The girl opened her mouth but before she could generate any sound the princess moved, a gentle twist to the right, she wrinkled her nose and muttered something unintelligible, the trio immediately fell silent, after a few minutes they watched as the girl shed the cloak, stretching her body slowly, a sigh of satisfaction left her lips as the joints of her shoulders and elbows rattled. Slowly she returned to her original position, little by little her eyelids fluttered open, blinking rapidly to adjust her eyes to the light

-Ugh, my head

The young woman forced herself to sit up and ran a hand over her temple, her voice sounding broken, as if the mere act of speaking hurt her throat.

-This is not my bed

She kept talking to herself, ignoring the audience nearby.

-And what is this?

She followed the needle sticking out of her left arm with her eyes to the bag with the transfusion, her lips, which were beginning to return to their usual pink, parted in a small o.

-Ah, yes. Well, I didn't die.

The girl dropped onto the stretcher again, her eyes focused on the ceiling, still unaware of the presence of the other three young men, Milo, Lorelai and Octavia holding their breath, fearful that any movement would alert the girl.

-My parents want to use me as an incubator with legs - she sighed sadly -What will I do if I'm really pregnant? I can't bring another demon spawn into the world...