Aide Me

Chapter Thirty - Me

Aide collapsed on the floor, as soon as the hallway outside the throne room was cleared of guards. His wounds were still leaking purple blood, and caused him to look almost a deadly pale color. Even though, he still bravely tried to stand up and continue.

"Aide stop, you can't go on," Emaia said, after having tied her armor on. "How did this even happen to you, did you get caught?"

Aide gritted his teeth, clearly in severe pain. "No, they caught Shea. Tortured her like me, until she caved. She was the one who gave them my name."

"Where is she now?" Emaia timidly asked.

Aide looked down at the floor, and that was all the answer she needed.

"Oh my God." She said, feeling her throat close.

"She died from her injuries, before she could tell them it was me," Aide said. "They kept us in separate rooms, but I could hear everything they did to her..."

"You're not fighting," Emaia said, coming up to his side, and placed a hand on his face. "You're in no condition, both mentally and physically. You've lost too much blood, you can't go on."

Aide grimaced, as he leaned up against the stone wall. "No, I'm fine. It stings, that's all. I think one of the diamonds from the lashes is caught somewhere in one of the wounds."

"What?!" Emaia screeched. "Turn over, I'm getting it out!"

"Emaia, no," Aide objected, when she tried to turn him herself. "We don't have time, there's still a war outside. They need me, Tessmia, Kai—"

"- Can handle themselves, and even if not, you wouldn't be much good to them if you're dead," Emaia argued. "Now turn around, I'm getting that diamond out."

Aide watched her eyes for a moment, maybe evaluating his options. She wasn't letting it go. "Okay. But just... don't go on if it gets too bloody for you."

Emaia pressed her lips together, but nodded. She had already seen him lie in a pool of his own blood and watched the blood splash out of him, as he got whipped. Just thinking about it made her want to throw up, but she could handle this. The man she loved was in serious pain – she could do this for him.

"Lean over so I can see," She gently said. Aide did so, and groaned as some of his wounds stretched. His hair even looked purple from being stained. There was just so much blood, it was a wonder how he could still walk and talk. It had to be the dragon within him, its strong soul was keeping him alive.

Emaia studied the marks on his back, trying to catch a glimmer of something glinting in the light of the torches on the wall. All she could see were deeply cut wounds and blood dripping down his back. She swallowed heavily.

"Mahlah," He whispered. "You don't have to."

Yes she did. Just then, she caught eye of something that didn't look like a droplet of blood. It was something hard, lodged right inside a wound on his shoulder, which made the wound bleed so much more.

"I've found it," Emaia shakily said. "I have to remove it. This is probably going to hurt."

"Go for it, firefly," Aide faintly smiled and braced himself.

Emaia felt a strong pull inside her stomach, a pull of love. She still couldn't believe it. Her brain was still calling him Aide, even though she knew his real name. A name that nobody else but her knew. The name of his soul.

"On the count of three," She said, and took a deep breath. "One... Two... Three!"

She dug her fingers into the wound, to get her nail around diamond. Aide screamed in pain, so loudly, she knew it would attract attention. She had to quickly get it out, before more guards arrived.