Royals of Illéa

Chapter 22-Breaking News

-Kaden-

"I need to use the bathroom." Josie says the minute we step into the room that the innkeeper showed us to.

I watch her hurry into the bathroom and shut the door after her. I've been worried about her the entire five minute drive here. She's been getting paler with every second.

I wheel in the suitcases and lock the room door after me. I pull out my map and sit down on the bed to study alternative routes to Paris in more detail. I don't realize how much time passes but I look up when I hear the toilet flush and a minute later the bathroom door opens and Josie steps out.

My heart sinks when I see her swollen eyes, red cheeks and whimpering lips as she walks over to me and collapses in my arms. I hug her to my chest as she cries into my sweater. We sit in silence, except for Josie's occasional sniffs as I rub her back and kiss her head in hopes of reassuring her that we're safe now.

"Do you think anyone died?" She whispers.

"Josie, it was a bomb. The guards are soldiers, they are trained to deal with life threatening situations." I remind her.

"People died." She whispers again, more to herself than me.

I kiss her head against as I feel her arms tighten around my waist. She reaches up and wipes the tears away from her cheeks before sitting up so that she's leaning against me with her head on my chest.

"What were you doing?" She asks.

I explain to her my search for an alternative route but then with a heavy heart reveal that we'll have to wait until the blockades are lifted before we can get to Lady Daphne. As I finish speaking, both our stomachs rumble at the same time making us laugh.

"Does the inn have room service?" Josie asks, hoping off the bed and looking around.

"It should. Our poor motel did and this is already a step up." I smile at her, happy to see that she her relatively okay now.

I fold up the map as Josie announces, "Found the menu!"

Five minutes later we've placed order for soup, a bread basket and some butter. Josie decides to take a hot shower before the food arrives so while she's in the shower I turn the television set to a local news channel to catch up on what's happening in the country.

"Oh my gosh." I hear myself say as I sit forward, staring at the words on the screen.

Paris under attack. Casualty count not yet confirmed.

I watch the horrifying images of buildings on fire, smashed glass littering the streets, bodies visible in the background. All this has happened in the forty minutes or so that we've been at the inn. The insurgents have overpowered the administration of the country.

I hear the shower turn off and I'm about to switch the television off when I see "Breaking News" flash across the screen and a stricken news anchor appears on screen as he begins to speak in French, his voice shaky.

I don't believe what I hear, Lady Daphne has been killed in the attack on the Parisian Royal Palace.

I'm jolted back to life when an ear splitting scream cuts through the room. I look away from the screen to find Josie on the floor, a hand pressed to her lips as she bends over crying.

At this point I'm not sure anything I do or say will comfort her or me.