Page 36 of The Healing Dragon
“Janelle!” Jesse calls, probably after having the same revelation.
I flinch at the urge behind my name, but I cannot leave Matias behind. He’s leaning against the wall and his eyes are as gone and spaced out as any other day. The chaos doesn’t faze him at all. I pull him to a sitting position and try to get him to look at me, but my efforts are in vain.
“Listen to me. I need you to get up and walk.”
No response.
“Matias!”
There is no time. I lift him by the armpits from behind and try to drag him down to the door, but from the sorry expression on Jesse’s face, I know it will not work. I will not be able to get him up the stairs. Jesse is already breathing hard from carrying the Red Book. Why did that damn thing have to be so heavy?
I kneel next to Matias, already half defeated. “Please,” I beg as tears gather in my eyes. He doesn’t respond and I’m not surprised. I look up at Jesse. He is already shaking his head before I can open my mouth to tell him to leave me behind and take the book.
“Absolutely not.”
The sound of footsteps draws near. He drops the book on the floor and rushes to my side as the door on the top of the stairs is thrown open. Twenty men march down. Some of them have wet hair sticking to their foreheads. They must have beenoutside in the rain. Someone might have noticed the open shed. It's not like we bothered closing it after we took the book.
Jesse stands before me, shielding me, but between his legs I can see how the men move aside to let my father through.
“I shouldn’t be surprised to have a traitorous child. After all, you are your mother’s daughter. She was always too weak for her own good.”
“You made her weak,” I say between clenched teeth.
He steps on the landing and only spares Jesse a disinterested look before focusing on me once again. “You will not leave tonight, Janelle, and neither will that book. Hand it over quickly or forfeit your life, girl.”
“Bowing down to you is as good as killing the remainder of my soul,” I say.
“You have always been one for dramatics.” He shakes his head. “There you are.” He walks to the other side of the basement, near the back door.
My father picks up the book where Jesse left it. He too struggles to lift it, but once in his arms, he gestures for his men to move forward. Without another word, his men surround us. Despite how good Jesse is and my training, there are too many for us to take on. I don’t even make eye contact with them. The humanity I would search for departed the day they followed my father into this mission. My father climbs up the stairs and departs back to the house, leaving his men to do his dirty work.
We take a few steps back deeper into the cell. The men take their time closing in on us instead of attacking. Like a predator, too damn sure that the prey has no chance of coming out on top. The absence of my magic has never felt as heavy as it is at this moment. If only Brandon Oscuro could see the future. Would he take away my magic, knowing I might as well be the only chance his brother had of survival? Did the fates not warn him of that? This feels like a set up.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I say to Jesse.
Jesse spares me a glance before turning back to the crowd.
“This should have never been your ending. Not here, not with me, and not because I couldn’t let a debt pass. You wanted to leave him, but my pride would not let me. He helped me and dying trying to free him is my choice, not yours.”
“I would never leave you. Do you not see it?” His eyes don’t meet mine, but his voice alone conveys all the truth behind his words.
“I see how you continue to suffer due to your association with me.”
He finally turns in my direction. His gaze moves from my eyes to my lips as if searching for something. I am about to ask him what he is doing when he steps closer and kisses me.
The touch of his lips is fleeing but scorching.
“Willingly,” he says as he steps back.
Someone throws the first blow. Jesse deflects it easily, casting a shield above the three of us. The hit radiates off us and bounces back. The men expect this counter attack and deflect sideways. We can only watch as the blow is sent to the back side of the room. Screams from the remaining captives ring in the room, but it dies as their voices do.
“Harder!” a man from the back barks at the front line.
Like good obedient dogs, they collectively push forward, tossing blow after blow our way. Jesse’s shield holds on, but from how sweat trickles down his temple, it won’t be for long. I’m useless outside of hand to hand combat. Even the shittiest soldier would have me dead in a minute if he used magic against me. I have no way of helping Jesse.
“Tell me you have daggers on you,” Jesse says between clenched teeth.
I pat my pants down. In the commotion I forgot I don’t have to be next to someone to be deadly. I nod and gesture atthe two men ahead. Having some background info on my father’s men is finally coming in handy. I narrow my eyes to my targets. Jesse promptly lowers and then raises the shields. There’s just enough time for me to throw and bury my two daggers in the front of two men’s skulls.
