The Fifth Academy - Fantasy Direction / #Wattys2018

Chapter fifteen. Lost advice

By Max

I was lying on the couch, fighting the darkness and listening to the unsteady peeping of the clever medical equipment. My eyelids were so heavy, that I couldn't lift them for a long period of time and had to understand the situation from the sounds around. It was very noisy in the ward, at least three people were shouting loudly. The first voice belonged to a young unfamiliar woman and the second one I recognized immediately. Jason Firesteel, my Captain. Oh! He must be really pissed off now!

Somehow, I managed to lift my heavy eyelids just a little and was immediately blinded by the bright white light. For a split second, I caught a glimpse of Jace's broad torso and muscular arms. He was almost naked except the soldier's underwear-breeches. Why?

The boy was clenching a bare Firesteel's sword in his hands. What was going on?

"Jace! Jason!" I shouted as loud as I could, but, of course, the words came out of my mouth in a quiet whisper. "Put away your sword! Listen to me! I am dying, but it is not Drago's fault. When we found you with Rocky in the royal garden tonight, I was shot in my left shoulder with the small blue-feathered dart. Do you remember? It wasn't one of Rosaline's tricks with love-arrow! This dart was poisoned with a dark demon's magic. Moreover, what's worse – it was meant for you, Jason! Someone keens a feud between magirs and orcs – a cruel bloody war! Beware! The traitor is inside Luxard, even inside the King's Palace! I beg you, don't avenge my death! Don't fight Drago! He is only a small pawn in this game; he will never harm the Princess Gabrielle! Go to the King Lysander immediately and tell him what has happened! Tell him the truth and nothing else! Hurry up! Or at dawn he will start a bloody massacre between orcs and magirs. Two races are going to destroy each other – our forces are completely equal! I beg you, don't fight Drago! Challenging him would be like battling the nature, he is wild and tough. Mortals have already made this grave mistake, they tried to conquer the nature, thus they are suffering immensely, dying slowly and painfully together with the Earth from their own pollution and rubbish. Jason! You can't possibly defeat Drago without the Paladin's armor. I am terribly sorry, that both the sword and the helmet are lost for the better times." I gave a long dramatic pause, hoping against hope to be heard. The shouting continued, I was able to catch a few insults. Never mind. Jason couldn't possibly find the Paladin's stuff. I asked Phil to hide it very well. It was my last death wish. "Don't start this war! Don't let the darks to take over the world! Don't make today the last day of Luxard...

Farewell, Jason Firesteel! You are the best friend and Captain I have ever wished for! And something more... please, look after Rosaline. Even after the death, I will love this girl, and she is really loving you now. Don't ever underestimate the girls, Jason!"

I wanted to tell everything! I wished to tell ten times more, but my soft fragile voice was fading slowly. After a few seconds the darkness had swallowed me completely, like a small boat drowned into the deep wide ocean. Unfortunately, no one had heard my last desperate whisper...