Tales Untold

Different Perspective

***Chapters 86-92 of Winter through Kai's perspective.

After leaving the lunar guard, Kinney, and Iko to get the earthens out of Luna safely, Kai sprinted down the halls of Artemisia palace with Torin trailing somewhat behind him. He couldn't think straight. He had to get to Cinder, to help her, to protect her. Stars, he had never been able to protect her. She had always rose so fast to the occasion to protect him and he had yet been able to return the favor. She had warned him at the ball, kidnapped him before his wedding, and was now trying to kill Levana all by herself.

The hallways of the Lunar Palace had been very confusing to Kai during his stay, but somehow he remembered the way to the throne room. Iko had told him that Cinder was going to face Levana by herself and that he thought that she might have gone to the throne room. He wasn't quite sure what he would do once he got there, considering that he could be used as a weapon, but he had to help Cinder in any way that he could.

As Kai neared the throne room he heard a murmur of voices and then a gasp and a bloodcurdling scream. Kai's blood turned to ice. He knew that scream. It was Cinder's. Oh stars, what if I'm too late? Kai thought to himself. The scream was so full of pain that Kai couldn't even imagine the kind of torture a person must go through to be able to create such a sound.

Kai could now see the blood splattered walls of the throne room when he heard the sound of a gunshot. Kai quickened his pace, his legs turning to lead. He thrust open the throne room doors and was met by the sight of destruction and blood. Chairs were crushed and strewn everywhere. Blood coated a good portion of the floor and at the edge... Oh stars, it was Cinder. She was lying on her back, eyes looking glazed and far away as they stared up at the ceiling, and in the center of her chest was the hilt of a knife. "Cinder!" Kai screamed as he ran to her.

Kai slid to his knees right beside her as his heart sunk. He looked into her eyes and then at the knife. The whole front of her shirt was already coated in blood and she was as white as a sheet. "Cinder?" he whispered as he brushed his hair out of his eyes with one hand and cradled her head with the other.

Kai had never been more scared in his life. Not when his father died, or when he was kidnapped, or even when he had married Levana. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to yell for help. "Torin! Get help! Get a doctor! Torin, please!" Kai started to sob. He couldn't lose Cinder. She was the only thing that kept him going. She was the only person who truly understood him. She was the only person he could talk to, and the only person he loved. If Cinder died, then Kai might go crazier than Princess Winter and more savage than the wolf soldiers. He would be empty.

He slid his arms underneath her legs and around her shoulders, carefully cradling her and didn't even notice the extra weight from her metal leg. He could feel the warm stickiness of her blood against his skin and coating his dress shirt. Kai ran as fast as he could. He wasn't even sure where he was going but he knew he had to save her. Torin was ahead, leading the way towards help. Kai looked down at Cinder who had gone unconscious. She was pale as death and Kai couldn't help but think he had been too late, that Cinder was already gone.

Ahead of Kai, Torin yelled, "Kai! The wounded are being treated up here!" Kai felt a slight amount of relief, but only a very small amount. A med personnel ran up to them, looked at Cinder, and turned very pale. "She has to be helped!" Kai sobbed. He was so worried and tired. He wanted a world with peace, a place where he could fall asleep at night, a place where he could be with Cinder and not have to worry about Levana. Was Levana dead? Had Cinder killed her? Kai didn't know. He hadn't stopped to see if the wretched lunar queen had been killed, he had been so worried about Cinder. It didn't matter at the moment. He only had to save Cinder.

"Put her over here," said the med personnel as she motioned to a hospital stretcher "she needs to go into surgery immediately." Kai did as she said and took Cinder's hand to reassure himself that she was still there, still alive. He didn't hear anything else that the lady said as he looked down at Cinder, her chest rising and falling in the shallowest of breaths as she lay there with the knife still deep inside her. He felt so useless. The lady came over with two other medical people in tow and started giving out orders so fast that Kai wasn't able to catch a word that she was saying.