Page 141 of The Prince's Mage

The sound of coughing and a grunt cut Father off, and Gavril looked to see two figures stumbling out of the healer’s tent.

Nikias, practically being carried by Marcella as she was stumbling, trying to support his weight. Her shoulder was shoved under his arm with one arm wrapped around him and her other arm reaching across her and braced against his chest as he leaned on her.

Nikias was coughing as Marcella struggled to haul his weight.

The sight of it immediately sobered Gavril, and he took off toward them. Marcella was having a good day when she had no issues carrying her own weight. Trying to carry a man twice her size?

Konstantin and Aimilia were faster though, catching Nikias when Marcella’s legs buckled completely under his massive weight. Gavril caught Marcella, pulling her into his side and away from Nikias as Konstantin and Aimilia held him up.

Father was right on their heels.

Nikias was wheezing and coughing, deathly pale, and while all of his body was hidden beneath the large blanket wrapped around him like a cloak, it was clearly soaked with sweat. The extent of his injuries, if any, couldn’t be seen, but his state was very clear.

“Son! You, Commander Aimilia, get my son away from that—”

“Father, that is enough!” Nikias wheezed, his grip on Aimilia tightening. He nearly collapsed into another coughing fit, but managed to straighten back up.

Gavril was about to turn to Marcella and ask why she’d gone to get Nikias, but she was already slipping out of his grip and stepping back toward Nikias. Gavril was right on her heels as she stopped beside Nikias and Aimilia and stared his father down. She spoke in the Inimicus tongue, “Your son will tell Gavril’s words true. Your son owed me his life. I gave mercy. Now we can have peace.”

Gavril recognized the signs of a hit coming. He grabbed Marcella and started to pull her out of range, but Nikias managed to lunge forward despite his weakness and put himself between Marcella and Father, one shaking arm up.

Nikias wheezed, “You will not hurtPax Marcella. And you will not banish her or Gavril.”

Pax Marcella.

Marcella the Peacemaker.

“As regent, my treaty will stand. I’ve sacrificed too much for this peace to let you ruin it. We all have sacrificed too much. We’ve committed too many horrors. I cannot let any more stand,” Nikias said. With each word his breathing grew more labored, and Aimilia, who was barely holding him up now, was starting to sag with him. “This peace stands or you will have no heir.”

Father looked over Nikias and said, “We will discuss this when you are well.”

But it was Father whose eyes started to roll back into his head.

Gavril let him hit the ground. Immediately the other commanders started rushing around, calling for a healer. Nikias sighed and said, “Get him back to our camp and have the healers examine him. I imagine he just overexerted himself. And… I suppose I need to be heading that way myself, just without the healing. That’s part of the treaty… I—I don’t think I’ll be conscious for more than a few minutes, but since I am right now, and you all are here to witness, Gavril has not been officially disinherited yet, so he’s in charge.”

Nikias’ eyes also promptly rolled back into his skull, and Aimilia let out a sharp yelp as she was pulled down to the ground completely under his weight.

Nikias’ declaration floored Gavril as every eye turned to him. Right.

He immediately said, “Well, you heard Prince Nikias, get him and the king back to our camp to be cared for. I will stay here to finish our dealings with the clans and be back to receive an update shortly.”

And thankfully the other commanders didn’t give him any grief and just set about getting Father and Nikias onto horses and back through the camp. Aimilia passed Nikias off to two older commanders who easily took him from her and she staggered to her feet with Konstantin’s help.

Konstantin sighed, took a look at the crowd still gathered around them, and said in his tongue, “Maybe we should step inside for a moment, just to recollect.”

Excellent idea.

Gavril took Marcella by the arm and ushered her inside as Konstantin and Aimilia followed. The second they were inside and out of the crowd’s sight, Aimilia collapsed into the first chair, covering her mouth as she made noises that were something between laughing and crying. Konstantin just stared at her with wide eyes while Marcella darted over to her and began rubbing her shoulders. Aimilia immediately clutched at Marcella, the red-haired girl’s relief pouring out of her.

The fact that Father had identified her by name and hadn’t immediately called for her arrest meant he had no idea he’d been poisoned by her. Maybe even no idea he’d been poisoned by anyone.

Konstantin ran a hand through his hair and turned to Gavril. “Your father… is he going to ruin the fragile peace we just achieved?”

Was he?

Gavril paused, considering everything carefully, and while there was much he wasn’t certain of…

“No. Not after Nikias appeared and threatened to abdicate if he did.”

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