ROYAL THIEF

CHAPTER 7

Blurred images were spinning all over me, while I was turning my head in a vain attempt to regain consciousness. My ears were ringing and, because of the impact, I felt my whole body bruised.

"Lyra!" A familiar, but far away, voice, was thumping in my head.

"Kelpie!" It added few later that same voice.

That's right, Gideon.

He had jumped as soon as he had seen me falling and, trying to save me, he also had ignored the electric discharges. That was odd. I would have never expected such gesture from him. Yet he had saved me already twice.

I turned my head, facing the right, and I saw, even if blured, the figure of Rubyo, kneeled near me. Not so far from him, Gideon's body was lying lifeless, but still shaken by violent electric discharges. His head was turned in the opposite way, so I coulnd't see his face. I called his name, while trying to streach my arm towards him, but in vain. He wouldn't move.

He was motionless, as a... corpse.

As quick as a fire, started to burn in me a suffocationg vice, that was almost eating my whole body. All of a sudden, I wouldn't breath and my body, even if it had been drainend by every form of energy, would jerk. At this point the pain of the wound was nonexistent.

"Lyra! Calm down!" Rubyo shelded Gideon's body putting himself next to me, but still my attack coulnd't stop.

"Lyra! Look at me." He turned my head to face him, but my eyes had lost their focalization.

"Hear me out." 

He tried to stop my spasms, pushing down his hands on my shoulders and thighs.

"Hear me out." He said again, calmer.

"Everything is alright."

"Gideo-" Another spasm, even if less strong, would shut me up.

"Why so concerned? I didn't die, Sparkle."

Suddenly, in that damned stairwell, Gideon's voice resounded, more husky and suffering than usual. At that same moment, Rubyo turned his head, revealing Gideon's face, now facing me. A shaking breath left my lungs.

"What an honor. You, caring for me." The Kelpie went on.

A short and sarcastic laugh made his chest raise.

How was he able to joke even in that situation?

I was pissed off, but at the same time more relaxed, eventually with my thoughts turned elsewhere.

"Fuck you." It was the only thing I managed to say, making him smile.

"You're welcome, Sparkle. It was a pleasure." He answered me, with his eyes the same as a half moon, like to shape a smile.

Some awkward moments of silence would follow, in which nobody knew what to say until, with a suffering grumbling, Gideon sat up, lying his shoulders towards the wall behind him.

"I like it, you know." He said, gaining Rubyo's buffled gaze.

"We could live here. What about moving?"

"If this is a way to say we should get going, I'm sorry but we can't." Rubyo answered coldly, grabbing my wrist to feel my pulse.

"It's weak, and hot." He kept on.

This time on Gideon's face disappeared every glimpse of sarcasm, making space for a pale seriousness. With a snout he stood up from the ground, approacing me.

"Ease me from the bond." He said, almost forcing me.

"You can touch me." I barely said, while drops of sweat were tickling my neck.

As I said those words, Gideon bent on me, lifting up my shirt. Few seconds later he found himself two daggers aiming to his neck: one mine and another one of Rubyo.

"Hey, hey!" He said, putting both of his hands up.

"I'm not so hopeless to rape you."

"Should I consider it as an insult?" I asked annoyed, gaining as an answer only a raise of shoulders.

"It's infected." Gideon became serious again, letting down the shirt.

"I need you to make me cr-" 

The Kelpie coulnd't even finish his sentence that Rubyo kneed him in the cheekbone.

"Wow. Without hesitating. It's very unfortunate I didn't asked you to dislocate my jaw." Gideon gazed furious at him, with his hands, tingling because of the anger, clasped in two tight fists.

"My bad." Rubyo challenged him.

On the verge of a breaking down, Gideon tried to ignore him and, after having spent way too much time looking at an undefined spot, a small tear made its way in the corner of the eye, running down his cheekbone, still flushed.

"I'm sorry Sparkle, I'm not used to cry so much. But this should be enough."

He caught the tear on his phalange and let it fall on the wound, that started to hurt less. Then, slowly, he helped me to stand up.

"Grab on me." He showed me his back.

I did as he told me to and clasped my arms around his neck.

"Prince Charming, lead the way." 

Finally we started to climb again.