To the Stars | Throne of Glass

24

Oh, gods, no. Ben sagged against the wall. 'No. Nononononono,' she whispered. She peeled away his the neck of his soaked tunic. A thin line stretched across his throat. She leaned closer. Not too deep. Celaena whimpered in relief as tears streaked down her face. 'You bastards,' she snarled at the gawking men in the training hall, 'stop staring and get someone!' Men scrambled to their feet.

Celaena turned back to Ben. Even though the cut was relatively shallow, he would bleed out soon if she didn't staunch the bleeding. She ripped a strip of cloth from the bottom of her tunic, folding the fabric hastily and pressed it against the wound. Ben wasn't yet unconscious. 'You mother hen,' he croaked. The stream of blood flowed faster.

'Shut it,' she snapped. Ben made a gurgling noise which may have been laughter. She glared at him. Pattering footsteps rushed into the room. Arobynn swept in, a servant woman by his side.

She immediately knelt down beside Ben and pressed a bunch of herb-swathed cloth to his neck. Celaena didn't dare look at Arobynn.

~

Ben was left against the wall for a few hours. And for those few hours, Celaena sat with him. Whispered multiple apologies, so many times that the words seemed almost foreign on her tongue. She had kissed his brow, and his forehead. 

The blood had finally stopped leaking, but Ben had lost quite a lot blood. And he was still lightheaded and dizzy, so Celaena refused to let him move till he was better rested. Celaena earned many odd stares their way, but each time, she'd just flipped them off.

~

It could have been dawn or dusk. They had both dozed off at some point, and from the dimness of the training hall, she couldn't see anything. A shuffling came from the doorway, and Celaena rose, daggers in hand, and stepped in front of Ben, who was still sleeping.

A hunched figure materialised out of the darkness.

'Who are you.'

The figure paused, holding up a small pouch. 'Healing herbs.'

Celaena said, 'Wait.' Then she turned her back to arouse Ben.

But a whisper betrayed the silence.

Celaena whirled, just in time to see a dagger plunge into the wall beside her head. Her return throw didn't miss. A gurgling sound filled the hall and cloth rustled as the figure slumped to the floor.

Whoever they were, they had wanted Celaena dead... Dead, or injured enough so she wasn't able to fight back. They weren't after Ben at all. And how on earth did they find her here? But Celaena still didn't dare leave Ben alone. She rummaged through the pockets of the so-called assassin. The irony of being killed in a house of assassins! 

A couple of knives were found at the waist, and the pouch held gold pieces. She pocketed them, and went back to sit on her haunches before Ben. Drawing her daggers, she ran the steel blades one over the other, and slowly, they sharpened. 

When the sun finally rose, Celaena inspected the serrated edge in the warm daylight. Ben stirred, and she pivoted to look at him. 'I'm sorry,' she blurted, dropping the daggers. 'I-I don't know what happened-'

Ben cut her off by grabbing her arm, and with a swift yank, drew her into his arms. His sweet breath filled her nostrils as he buried his lips into the top of her head. 'Don't fret about it.' Then he drew back slightly. 'What's that?'

Celaena looked to the figure lying on the floor. The floor was dry, but the cloth was drenched in crimson blood. And in the daylight, it was clear that it was a man who slumped there. Celaena wrenched the dagger from his throat. His eyes stared sightlessly up to the ceiling. 

Ben winced, and crawled to his feet. His cheeks and lips were pale, and Celaena rushed over to support his flagging body. He combed through each layer of fabric. 'Nothing. There's no crest on the uniform, either.' He frowned. 'Can I see the blades?'

'How did you know there were blades?'

'Why else would you have sent a dagger through his neck?' Ben commented dryly.

Celaena pulled the knife hovering in the wall. Then she handed him the two that she swiped. He gave her a skeptical look, and she replied with a sheepish smile. 'Still nothing.'

Ben handed all three blades to her. 'You can keep them.' They were very average looking daggers, with plain black fabric wrapped round the hilts. 'I'll ask Arobynn to take care of the body.' Then he pushed himself to his feet, swaying a little, but regained his balance. 'I'll see you later.'

Celaena frowned. 'Where are you going?'

He looked over his shoulder. 'To my room.' Then he raised an eyebrow, smirking. 'Unless you want to come, too?'

Celaena nodded, unusually solemn. 'Yes.'

Ben blinked. 'Come on, then.'