Shin bolted from the burning room, his breath visible in the winter air as he coughed out the smoke clawing at his lungs. The cold wind whipped past him, snow crunching beneath every frantic step. He only stopped once they were finally far enough from the raging fire.
He glanced back toward the building. Even from this distance, flames still spilled from the shattered window he had broken. Servants, little more than ants at this distance, finally came running with buckets in hand.
His jaw tightened. They had arrived far too late.
He forced himself to look away and returned his attention to the girls in his arms. Dropping to one knee, he eased Jamila down first. Carefully. Gently. One hand supported the back of her head as he lowered her to the snow. Burns bloomed across her delicate skin. Her white hair had been singed. Blood stained what remained of her ruined gown.
Rage rose inside him once more.
Then… Something felt wrong. As his heart slowed, he realized he could only hear two heartbeats. Horror crept in swiftly. Quickly, he turned to Shani. She was covered in sweat and panting. She looked to be in pain, but very much alive. The relief lasted only a second.
His stomach dropped as he slowly returned his attention to Jamila. He adjusted Shani in his arms and crawled closer to Jamila. She looked like she was sleeping with a smile on her lips. With trembling fingers, he cupped her face.
“Hey Princess?” His voice shook. There was no answer, no movement. His eyes widened further as he reached for her shoulder.
“Jamila!” He shook her gently.
Nothing. She lay there like a statue, her chest unmoving.
“Please!” He begged as he shook her slightly harder this time. But no matter what he did, the woman did not stir.
“Oh Gods… no…”
His body began to tremble as tears pricked his eyes. His breathing became rapid as he looked around the empty garden for help.
Then he heard it.
Two sets of footsteps approaching quickly. Hope swelled in his chest as he recognized the steps.
“ᛩᚢᛁᚾᚾ! ᚺᚢᚱᚱᚤ!” (Quinn Hurry!) He screamed. His voice cracked under the pressure. A few moments later Quinn appeared with Lucius on her heels. Her eyes darted between Jamila and Shani. Her eyes widened.
“ᛋᚺᛁᚾ—ᚱᛖᛗᛟᚡᛖ ᛏᚺᛖ ᛒᚱᚨᚲᛖᛚᛖᛏ!” (Shin—remove the bracelet!) Quinn shouted.
Confusion crossed Shin's features for a moment. Then he noticed his daughter's wrist.
She was still wearing the bracelet.
With his free hand he ripped it off and flung it into the snow. A quiet sizzle followed from where it landed. Shani’s pained expression eased slightly. He carefully examined her wrist. She flinched at the touch. It was marked by a broken ring of angry red. The skin was swollen. Blisters had already begun to form.
Shin scooped up snow and pressed it gently to the burn. Shani flinched, a small whimper escaping her throat. He sighed in relief. At least she could still feel it.
Quinn reached them, sweat dripping down her neck as her eyes quickly scanned Shani before shifting to Jamila. Her eyes widened as she took the woman in.
Lucius stood frozen as he took in the scene before him.
“ᚹᚺᚨᛏ ᛁᚾ ᛏᚺᛖ ᚷᛟᛞᛋ ᚺᚨᛈᛈᛖᚾᛖᛞ ᚺᛖᚱᛖ?” (What in the Gods happened here?) Anxiety laced his voice. Shin looked at the man, weariness behind his ruby eyes.
“ᛏᚺᛖᚤ ᚹᛖᚱᛖ ᛁᚾ ᛏᚺᛖ ᚠᛁᚱᛖ…”(They were in the fire…) Shin replied. Shani began to shiver, her body growing pale. Lucius' jaw tightened. He removed his cloak and wrapped Shani in it.
“ᚹᛁᛚᛚ ᛁᛏ ᛋᚲᚨᚱ?” (Will it scar?) Shin asked Quinn. His voice was tight, strained.
Quinn had Lucius lift Jamila as she laid down her cloak. She looked over towards her younger brother. His crimson eyes full of tears he seemed to be fighting.
“ᚤᛖᛋ.” (Yes.) she said quietly as Lucius returned Jamila to the ground. “ᛒᚢᛏ ᛋᚺᛖ ᚹᛁᛚᛚ ᛚᛁᚡᛖ…” (But she will live…) It was the only comfort she could offer. She began to examine Jamila. The damage was severe. Burns spread across her body. Her shoulder had been crushed, burnt blood clinging to her skin. A sigh escaped her.
“ᚤᛟᚢ ᚱᛖᚨᛚᛚᚤ ᛟᚢᛏᛞᛁᛞ ᚤᛟᚢᚱᛋᛖᛚᚠ, ᛃᚨᛗ.” (You really outdid yourself, Jam.) She mumbled as she knelt down and pressed her dark pointed ear to Jamila’s chest.
Nothing.
Quinn bit her lip as she pulled a pin free from her hair and drove it into the most sensitive part of the thigh. Shin moved forward but Lucius put a hand to his shoulder.
There was not so much as a flinch. She let out a sigh and looked at Shin. His eyes were begging. Pleading. Her chest tightened. She simply shook her head.
“ᚾᛟ...” (No…) Shin handed Shani to Lucius. He made his way to Jamila and pulled her up in his arms. His face twisted into pure agony as he looked at her smiling face. He pulled her closer and placed his forehead to hers and wailed. His voice cracked and broke but he couldn’t stop. Tears fell heavily onto the top of Jamila’s head.
He was too late.
He couldn’t save her.
After what felt like a millennium they began walking back toward the main entrance. Quinn's eyes were red as she carried Jamila and Lucius couldn’t bring himself to look at her. No one spoke, the silence for once was heavy. Shin stared down at the young girl in his arms and bit the inside of his cheek.
“ᚲᚨᚾ’ᛏ… ᚲᚨᚾ’ᛏ ᚹᛖ ᛃᚢᛋᛏ ᛏᚨᚴᛖ ᚺᛖᚱ ᚹᛁᛏᚺ ᚢᛋ?” (Can’t… Can’t we just take her with us?) He asked, looking at Lucius. The shorter man's silver eyes softened.
“ᛏᚨᚴᛁᚾᚷ ᚺᛖᚱ ᚹᛁᛏᚺᛟᚢᛏ ᚨᛈᛈᚱᛟᚡᚨᛚ ᛁᛋ ᚴᛁᛞᚾᚨᛈᛈᛁᚾᚷ.” (Taking her without approval is kidnapping.) Lucius replied, his tone even and steady. “ᛋᚺᛖ’ᛋ ᛋᛏᛁᛚᛚ ᛏᚺᛖᛁᚱ ᛈᚱᛁᚾᚲᛖᛋᛋ.” (She’s still their princess.)
“ᛒᛖᛋᛁᛞᛖᛋ…” (Besides…) Quinn piped in. “ᚺᛟᚹ ᛋᚲᚨᚱᚤ ᚹᛟᚢᛚᛞ ᛁᛏ ᛒᛖ ᛏᛟ ᚹᚨᚴᛖ ᚢᛈ ᛁᚾ ᚨ ᛈᛚᚨᚲᛖ ᚤᛟᚢ ᚺᚨᛞ ᚾᛖᚡᛖᚱ ᚴᚾᛟᚹᚾ.” (How scary would it be to wake up in a place you had never known…”) Her green eyes drifted over to the young child in Shin's arms. Her eyes softened.
“ᛋᚺᛖ ᛚᛟᛋᛏ ᚺᛖᚱ ᛗᛟᛏᚺᛖᚱ… ᚹᛖ ᚲᚨᚾ’ᛏ ᚠᛟᚱᚲᛖ ᚺᛖᚱ ᛏᛟ ᛚᛟᛋᛖ ᚺᛖᚱ ᚺᛟᛗᛖ ᛏᛟᛟ.” (She lost her mother… We can’t force her to lose her home too.) She said, looking Shin straight in his eyes. Her words final.
Shin lowered his gaze. His shoulders trembled, but he nodded in understanding. Lucius gave his shoulder a squeeze and offered him a pained smile. Shin did not return it. They continued on in silence as more tears glided down Shin’s cheek.
They walked on for a minute more when Shin suddenly halted. The two looked at him as his face hardened and he wiped the tears from his eyes. Footsteps further ahead of them crunched in the snow. Quinn straightened her posture, and Lucius ran a finger through his auburn hair trying to calm it. A heartbeat later Jaziel rounded the corner with a few knights following close behind.
Jaziel came to a sudden stop as he noticed the three towering people. His white hair damp with sweat, as his lavender eyes hardened as he looked at them. Then he noticed the woman Quinn was holding.
His eyes widened for a moment as he took in the sight.
“Jamila?” His voice trembled as he took in his sister’s burns and blood. He froze there for a moment, his hand reaching out to his sun, his only ray of light. His light had gone out. He clasped his eyes shut and when they opened once more, they had gone cold.
He withdrew his hand and turned his gaze toward the three Thornbloods. Whatever warmth had remained in his eyes had vanished. He looked back over his shoulder at a guard and motioned towards Jamila. The guard complied and approached Quinn. He froze as he took in the woman who was easily two heads taller than him.
Quinn reluctantly handed Jamila over and the guard retreated into the palace. Jaziel's eyes followed her until the white of her dress disappeared from sight.
“What happened?” he asked, his eyes shifting to Quinn and Lucius. His tone was even, but there was an edge to it.
“We found them in a fire.” Quinn replied evenly as she looked down at Jaziel.
Them?
Jaziel’s eyes flicked to Lucius and then back to Shin, noticing Shani more clearly now in his arms. Discomfort settled in his stomach as he noticed Shani’s almond brown skin and her pointed ears, although his expression did not change.
“Unfortunately…” Quinn continued, her eyes never leaving his, though her gaze softened slightly. “I couldn’t save the empress…”
Something in Jaziel twisted. He clasped his hands behind his back.
“I see…”
“The Empress and the Princess were alone in a raging fire,” Shin said, his voice low, roughened by smoke and something far less controlled.
“Strange… for someone like you not to notice.” Shin’s eyes flashed with rage, but the rest of him remained composed, almost military.
Jaziel’s jaw tightened, just slightly. He couldn’t understand how this happened. He wasn’t gone long, but all hell broke loose in his absence. How? His eyes widened slightly as recognition finally dawned on him.
The knight.
The one who had been at the gate. He had forgotten about him. Forgotten to deal with him. Then a terrible thought struck him.
Was this because of him?
His stomach twisted at the possibility, but he quickly pushed it away.
No. That couldn’t be right.
His gaze shifted to the Sullivian standing before him, and something caught his attention. Now, with Shani so close, he could see it clearly. The ears were the same.
Understanding dawned.
If his sister had never associated with them, if she had simply remained in Gildan, none of this would have happened. She would still be alive. Everything would have been as it should.
“I see no need to explain myself, but I was at the gate during the fire,” Jaziel finally replied. His tone was level. For the first time that evening, there wasn't even a glimmer of warmth left in his eyes.
“Thank you for your assistance during this tragedy,” he replied. A polite bow was all he could offer.
“You haven’t even asked about your niece,” Lucius finally chimed in, bringing Jaziel's attention back to him.
He looked at Jaziel with a smile, but his eyes were cold. He wasn’t impressed. Lucius’s gaze shifted briefly toward Shani, whose breathing remained shallow, her skin flushed with heat.
Despite himself, Shin’s eyes softened again with worry.
Jaziel’s expression shifted… subtly.
“I am… still in a state of shock,” Jaziel said. The honesty of his reply unnerved him.
“The loss of my sister… and my niece in such a condition…” He let the words settle, drawing himself back to something safer… something he could control.
“I trust you understand...” His voice sounded meek but Lucius looked unconvinced.
“I see…” Lucius said with a smile, subtly mimicking the tone Jaziel had used earlier.
Jaziel turned his gaze to a knight and gave him a quiet order. “Check on the status of the fire.”
Then, lower:
“Search the surrounding area. The princess seems to have lost her bracelet.” His gaze flicked, briefly, to Shani’s wrist, then away.
He stepped forward, stopping in front of Shin. He stood tall, unmoving as he stared up at the much taller man, lavender eyes steady. He had to crane his neck slightly to meet his gaze, but he did not back down.
“I will take the Princess now.” The idea of touching her in this state made something in him recoil, but it did not show. She was Jamila’s daughter, and she belonged in the place her mother loved.
He reached out. Shin pulled her closer instinctively.
“Is there a problem…?” Jaziel asked, his voice smooth, threaded with concern, but beneath it was a hint of irritation.
“Shin…” Quinn’s hand settled on her brother’s shoulder.
“Return the Princess to her uncle.”
Shin’s jaw tightened. For a moment, it looked like he might refuse. Then, slowly… he handed Shani over. Jaziel let out a quiet breath as he took her, adjusting her carefully in his arms.
“Thank you… for saving my niece,” he said, dipping his head slightly, his eyes softening as he looked at her pale curls.
Lucius stepped forward, a warm smile touching his lips. But his eyes were sharp.
“I hope you take good care of Shani.” A warning. Clear as day.
Jaziel returned the smile. “Not to worry. We have the finest physicians.” He turned, beginning his walk back toward the palace. After a few steps, he paused… glancing back at the three over his shoulder.
“I hope you will forgive me if I don’t see you and yours out…” he added. “I must arrange a funeral.”
He did not wait for a reply. He did not look back. From the corner of his eye, he noted a knight moving to escort them away.
Good.
The sooner things were back to normal, the better.
For Shani.
And perhaps… for himself as well.