✓ | REBIRTH OF THE REBEL [Book Two]

CHAPTER 15

"What happened?" Roshan asked. He must have looked at my back and was baffled at what he was seeing. "Both of you said no casualties, why is my wife has a sore bruise?!"

"Itanong mo sa magaling mong asawa hindi sa akin," Blessime spat as her eyes widen. Napapikit siya ng mariin at bumuntong hininga "your grace..."

"Your grace," Erwan said outside the carriage. "We are 47 miles away from the next town. We can't return either, since the blizzard just hit the town after we left."

Narinig ko ang malutong na mura ni Roshan at ramdam na ramdam ko ang paghigpit ng yakap niya. I'm sweating from the pain but I tried to conceal how it affects me more than what I was showing.

"Ready the horses!" he ordered.

"Are you sure about that, your grace?" biglang sambit ni Blessime. "The risk of exposure is high if you ride a horse! My cousin is in pain and it's fucking cold outside. Would you really give her more pain——"

"Bless..." I cut her off. "Nuggets..."

I saw how her eyes widened. Sa bilis niyang makaintindi sa sinabi ko ay bigla na lang siyang umalis sa loob. I heard her scream echoed outside and that made Roshan baffled.

"Did she know something I don't know?"

I wanted to answer his question but I end up giving in to darkness as the pain became more painful than I can take. Hindi ko na alam ang kasunod na nangyari, subalit nagigising ako ng ilang segundo bago ako muli nawawalan ng malay.

I know Roshan carried me to a horse, and he ordered for it to gallop fast. I know the rest followed and the snow wasn't thick. Nang bumukas muli ang aking mga mata ay nakikita ko ang mukha ng aking asawa. He was worried as his focus was on the way. Everything felt slow, his breathing, the horse neighing, and even the drop of snowflakes felt so slow.

The sky started to drop some snowflakes again and the air became colder than usual. Mabilis ang takbo ng kabayo kaya nahihilo ako at agad akong nawalan na naman ng malay. When I open my eyes again, wala na ako sa bisig ng aking asawa. I heard a scream and men grunting as if there's a fight. May humila sa akin at napadaing ako sa sakit ng pagkakahila, subalit agad iyon natigil. Hindi ko na maintindihan ang nangyayari, pero tiyak akong may kalaban.

"Roshan..."

I tried to fight my consciousness from being eaten up again by the darkness. Ramdam ko ang hininga niya sa aking leeg ng yakapin niya ako.

"What happened?" I continued.

His breathing sharpen. Mukha siyang galit at bago paman ako makatingin sa kanya ng diretso, agad siyang umikot at tinaas ang kanyang espada para paslangin ang dumating na kalaban.

My eyes widened and it was the cue to snap my brain from thinking about sleeping. Napako ang tingin ko sa paligid at doon ko napagtanto ang buong pangyayari. Kanya-kanyang hugot ng espada ang mga kasama namin at sinalungat ang pag-atake. At this point, I don't even know if I should focus on my body pain or worry about the next second we stay in this place.

"Are you okay?" his soft sullen voice echoed in my ears, and then his strong arms circled on my small body. Napako na ang tingin ko sa kanya at bumukas ang takot sa sistema ko ng matamaan ang kanyang sugat sa pisngi. "Is your back okay? Do you feel any pain other than that?"

Tinatanong niya ako kung okay lang ba ako pero hindi ba siya nakakaramdam ng sakit sa sugat niya? I use the edge of my sleeve to wipe the blood falling from it.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Answer my question first," he replied.

I heaved a sigh. "A little but it's bearable."