The Sultan's Daughter (Princesses Uncovered #5)

Chapter 39: If You Only Knew

Yaz slashed the knife out, catching the saber of one of the guards, but quickly disengaging from his weapon, leaving him floundering and open to her attacks. Next, she sliced the knife viciously into his thigh, causing blood to gush out as the man gave an agonized scream.

Hashim sat in the back, watching in silence, not bothering to urge on his mercenaries. He knew what Yaz and Cemal both knew. They wouldn’t escape. Even if they decapitated or killed all the mercenary soldiers and revolutionaries Hashim threw at them, they would still be left to face Hashim himself, a battle they could not win.

A feral scream ripped from Yaz’s throat as she realized the hopelessness of her situation. But she kept fighting, hoping that she could beat the odds – though she knew they weren’t beatable – and save Cemal.

He pressed his hard, muscled back against hers, his sweaty arm brushing hers for just a moment.

He was tiring fast. She could hear his labored breathing and the wheezing sound that rattled about in his chest. He still wasn’t completely recovered, and he needed to rest. But there was no time for rest.

Another soldier came at Cemal, and he moved forward, hurling another of his hidden knives into the guard’s chest before quickly retrieving it from the dead soldier to turn and stab the fifth man.

There were ten in all.

Five of them were decapitated now and could not longer fight back, but instead lay on the floor, moaning in pain.

The other five advanced with more caution than they first had.

But – inevitably – they struck again.

And then Cemal dropped, a saber taking a lucky blow that glanced into his throwing arm. Not enough to rip tendon or muscle, but enough to start the flow of blood that led to his collapse. He already had many tiny cuts and scrapes or nicks from being hit with the tips of the sabers, and the new wound’s gushing flow caused a blood loss to heavy for him to remain upright.

He crashed into the ground, a cry ripping from his mouth.

Yaz whirled, facing his attacker, who was – in the fury of the moment – about to kill Cemal.

She threw the knife in desperation, her aim as accurate and deadly as it was when she had trained with Cemal all those months ago. Though she hadn’t used these skills since he disappeared, the endless hours of practice were still drilled into her mind, and while the execution of her throw was less than perfect, it was enough to kill the man.

The last soldier was down now.

But Hashim stood by the door, a low, rumbling laugh building deep within his throat. “You actually thought you could win…” He whispered.

Yaz turned to face him, face covered in a sheen of sweat and blood from a shallow wound on her forehead. Her arms were dripping with sweat as well and blood mingled with it from other cuts she’d received while fighting for her life and Cemal’s. “Let him go… Please just let him go. You have me. I’ll do anything you want. Anything. Just let him go.” Yaz whispered back, eyes dark with pain and haunted with sorrow.

Hashim pretended to consider. He cocked his head, staring thoughtfully at her. “You would do anything I said? Even marry Gafar? Because… That part of the deal is very difficult to keep with you unwilling and him refusing to take you as wife unless you are willing… Would you wed him and keep him convinced you are a glad participant in exchange for his life?”

Yaz nodded, a lone tear dribbling its way down her blood stained cheek, creating a bloody red line down her face. “Anything…” She repeated.

Cemal groaned on the floor. “Yaz, no…” He coughed, blood continuing to pour from his arm wound. “I swear to you, if he lays one finger on her… I’ll kill him… I’ll strangle him to death with my own hands.” Cemal directed the last threats at Hashim.