Chapter 35

"And I was told about this torture, that it was the Hell of carnal sins when reason gives way to desire."

-Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

I had no idea how long I lay motionless on the red rug in the ballroom, using whatever energy I had stored to rescue George. He was dying, and I was too broken to even lift my eyelids. I would survive, but the young prince was in bad shape. The warmth of healing power drifted down, causing my body to tremble. The pain was settling in my bones though I tried to ignore it, hanging on to the one last positive memory in my drenched mind.

"Max... Max, is that you?" Arthur's muffled voice asked. I kept breathing in and out, wondering if the agonising pain would ever ease. The fact that he was lying there next to me was calming. He was safe at last.

"Yes, I'm here, so you don't need to worry. George is here too," I said, forcing my raw throat to work.