The Archshade

Fourteen

Prince Daynar mutters weakly. "Syris... I..."

"Hold on," the ambassador grunts.

I take a step forward to help but hesitate. Staggering beneath the prince's weight, the ambassador lumbers into the room and lowers the Archshade onto the bed. Prince Daynar lets out a sigh of relief as he sinks against the pillows, but as the ambassador grabs his legs and swings them onto the bed, the prince squeezes his eyes shut and cries out in pain—a sound halfway between a shriek and a sob.

"You have to hold on, Daynar," the ambassador commands. "Do not dare fall asleep while I'm gone." The ambassador turns to leave, but Prince Daynar grabs his wrist in a vice-like grip.

"No... not again..." the prince whispers.

The ambassador looks around desperately until he finally locks his gaze on me. "Girl, come here," he orders. I rush to his side.

"Stay with him," the ambassador tells me. "And whatever you do, do not let him fall asleep." He pulls his wrist from the prince's grip and replaces it with my hand. Before I can protest or even ask when he'll return, the ambassador is gone from the room, slamming the door in his wake.

I stare at the prince's gloved fingers firmly wrapped around mine. His hand dwarfs my own, warm against my skin even through the fabric. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I pull in a shuddering breath to calm the surge of nervous energy in my veins, but as I try to gently release the prince's hold, his grip tightens with sudden desperation.

"Agh!!"

Writhing in pain, Prince Daynar grips my fingers with one hand and clutches his chest with the other. His cries turn guttural, rising to a terrifying pitch, and with every throb of pain, he crushes my fingers even more. I grit my teeth, more pained by his screams than by my bruised hand.

"The ambassador will be back soon." The reassurance in my voice is undermined by its tremble. "What do you need, my lord?"

"Not... again..." he repeats in barely a whisper.

"Not what again, Your Highness?"

Prince Daynar squeezes his eyes shut again and groans, "...the... peponi..."

I furrow my brow in confusion but try again to soothe him, nonetheless. "Don't worry," I say. "Everything will be fine."

In an effort to make the prince more comfortable, I ease off his heavy gold-trimmed robe. He groans at the effort but sighs with relief once I peel it away from him. Exposed by the absence of his hood, the cloth wrappings covering his forehead and left cheek are soaking wet, stained with something dark. I lean closer to look.

Blood.

I free my headwrap from my hair, crumpling the cloth in my hand and leaning over the prince. The end of his face wrapping is tucked securely behind his head. I grab hold of it, preparing to unwind the fabric and stop the bleeding.

The prince's glassy eyes snap wide open. Both his hands shoot up and grab my wrists as his voice rings with sudden clarity.

"Stop."

I pull back my hands. "But you're bleeding."

"Let it be... Do not..." His eyelids flutter as he sinks back against the pillows.

"Your Highness?"

No response.

I grasp the prince's hand and give it a squeeze. "Your Highness, are you alright?"

Nothing.

"No..."

My heart hammers. The choke of panic rises in me. Desperately, I place my ear to his chest, waiting for a pulse, but I can't hear anything past my own pounding heart. I hold my breath, straining to hear any sign of life.

"Prince... Daynar?"

A gentle thud against my cheek. Then, a soft touch startles me—a hand running down my hair. I snap my head up to look at the prince. He takes long blinks as though his eyelids are too heavy to lift. Though he wanders in and out of here and somewhere else, his green glass stare clings to me.

"I thought you were... gone," I say in barely more than a whisper. "You must stay awake, Your Majesty. The ambassador said—"

"I have never... seen eyes... like yours..."

I stare at the prince, unsure how to answer. "Is there a shortage of brown eyes in this kingdom?" I muster a small smile. "I find it hard to believe you haven't seen eyes like mine."

"Never..." His eyelids begin to close again.

"What about your head?" Trying to make him open his eyes, I place my crumpled headwrap against his temple. It works. His eyes snap open when he feels my touch.

"Were you attacked?" I ask.

"No," he breathes, "No... you cannot see... see me..."

I shake my head and gently press the cloth against the blood seeping through the black wrappings. "I won't. Please, just try to stay awake."

"If you see..." he whispers, "...you would not—"

At that moment, the ambassador bursts into the room, running to the prince's bedside. He opens a small box he brought with him and rummages through its contents until he finds a strange tool with a sharp, thin point. Through a small glass panel on the side of the tool, I catch a glimpse of a thin, trembling liquid.

"Move aside," he orders. "Hold down his legs."

Letting go of the prince's hand, I wordlessly obey.

"Please... Syris... no..."

Without hesitating, the ambassador stabs the tip of the strange device into the prince's arm. The fluid in the tool empties into Prince Daynar's body, and he begins to struggle.

"Hold his legs down!"

I lean my full weight on the prince's shins while the ambassador pins down his arms. Thrashing and howling, Prince Daynar fights against our hold, his skin turning feverish beneath my hands. His screams scrape along my spine. I tighten my hold, refusing to let go as he writhes and twists, snarling like a dying animal. Frightened tears spring into my eyes.

"It's hurting him!" I shout.

"It will pass! Hold tight!"

I squeeze my eyes shut, wishing I could cover my ears and block out his shattered cries. Instead, I use all the strength I have to hold down his legs, feeling the muscles beneath his skin coil in agony. My heart thunders in my chest, demanding more from me, demanding action on my part. But there's nothing more I can do. My old friend helplessness scratches its way through my insides and curls up next to the fear in my chest.

All the while, Daynarhowls in pain.

***

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Any support or feedback is greatly appreciated.

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