Chapter 39: Defeat

The cold night air stung Lyara's face as she crouched behind a stone column, her breath barely controlled after the fierce battle inside the palace. Elyndra knelt beside her, blood smeared across her armor, her face pale but determined. The echoes of the fight still rang in their ears, but their attention was focused on what had happened just moments ago.

Akin was gone. Struck down by the hand of Daemon Valis—the true name of the man they had been calling the mastermind. The sight of Akin's blood staining the stone floors still haunted Lyara's vision. She had fought to stay by his side, to protect him from the overwhelming forces of Daemon, but it had all been for nothing. The rebels were too many, and Daemon's power was beyond anything they had faced before.

Lyara clenched her bow tightly, her heart aching with the weight of loss. She had sworn to protect Akin, to fight beside him, yet here she was, forced to flee while he lay defeated. There were no words for the hollow rage that burned in her chest. She had never told Akin how she truly felt, never allowed herself to be vulnerable enough to admit what had grown between them over the past months of fighting together.

Elyndra wasn't much different. She had always been Akin's loyal protector, fighting with him in battle, sparring with him in the training grounds. But there had always been more to her loyalty—an unspoken connection, a love that remained buried beneath the weight of duty. And now, that love felt like it was slipping through her fingers, lost in the shadow of Daemon Valis's victory.

"We have to move," Elyndra whispered, her voice rough with emotion. "If Daemon finds us here, we're as good as dead."

Lyara nodded but didn't move right away. Her eyes were fixed on the far end of the corridor, where the throne room lay hidden in the shadows. In her heart, she wanted nothing more than to rush back inside, to fight her way through the rebels and save Akin, but she knew it was impossible. They had been outnumbered, outmatched.

Daemon Valis was unlike any foe they had faced before. His mastery of dark magic had made him nearly invincible, and when he struck Akin down, there had been a cruel satisfaction in his eyes. It wasn't just a victory for him—it was personal.

"We can't help him now," Lyara said, her voice thick with pain. "We have to get out of here. We'll regroup. We'll find another way."

Elyndra gritted her teeth, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. "I should've been faster. I should've—"

"No," Lyara interrupted, her voice firm. "We didn't fail. Akin wouldn't want us to throw our lives away. We need to be smart, Elyndra. We'll find a way to save him, but it won't happen if we die here."

The flickering torchlight cast long shadows along the walls as the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from deeper within the palace. Rebel soldiers were combing the halls, looking for any stragglers who might have survived the fall of Eldoria.

Lyara's heart raced as she pressed herself against the stone wall, listening to the footsteps grow closer. They didn't have much time.

"We head for the servant's passage," Lyara whispered, her voice barely audible. "It's the only way out."

Elyndra nodded grimly, her eyes flicking toward the corridor ahead. The servant's passage was their best chance of escaping the palace unnoticed. It was narrow, hidden, and led out to the northern gardens—far from the main gates where the rebels would be guarding every exit.

Together, they moved in silence, their footsteps light and cautious as they navigated the winding corridors of the palace. The distant sound of the river outside reached their ears, a reminder of the path Akin had taken—plunging into the dark waters to escape, his body carried away by the current.

They both knew he could be dead, that his fall into the river might have been the end. But neither of them could accept it, not yet. There was still a sliver of hope, and it was that hope that kept them moving, even when every instinct told them to run.

As they reached the passageway, Lyara paused, her hand resting on the door. She turned to Elyndra, her face hard but resolute. "We'll find him," she said softly, as if trying to convince herself as much as Elyndra. "He's not gone. I can feel it."

Elyndra's expression softened, her eyes meeting Lyara's. "I believe you."

Lyara pushed open the door, revealing the narrow passageway beyond. It was dark, the walls close and confining, but it was their only path to freedom. They moved quickly, their hearts racing as they made their way through the cramped space, the sound of rebel soldiers growing fainter behind them.

The passage led them to a secluded section of the palace grounds, where the towering hedges of the garden provided cover. The night sky stretched above them, the stars flickering in the darkness like distant beacons. The air was cold, but it felt liberating compared to the stifling atmosphere inside the palace.

Lyara scanned the area for any signs of rebel patrols. "Stay low," she whispered, her eyes sharp. "We'll move through the gardens to the forest."

Elyndra followed her lead, her heart still heavy with the thought of Akin. They moved quietly, staying close to the hedges as they made their way toward the edge of the palace grounds. The forest was their goal, a place where they could hide, regroup, and plan their next move.

But even as they slipped further from the palace, the weight of their loss hung over them. Akin was more than just their leader. He was the one they both had come to care for deeply, though neither had ever spoken the words. Now, as they fled for their lives, the realization of what he meant to them was sharper than ever.

Lyara glanced at Elyndra as they neared the edge of the garden. "We'll find a way to save him. No matter what it takes."

Elyndra nodded, her jaw set in determination. "For him, I'll fight until my last breath."

They reached the forest's edge, disappearing into the shadows of the trees as the sounds of the rebel forces grew distant behind them. They had escaped for now, but the fight was far from over.

And in the depths of their hearts, both women held on to the same hope—that Akin Valion was still alive.