Poisoned-2

Hours later, Loreille arms felt like they were going to rip apart from exertion. Her dress was socked in hot sweats, feet swollen from walking through the rough muddled ground barefooted.

She glanced at the man she was hauling through the ground to find him still asleep but she noticed something off about his face.

His skin was looking deathly pale, his lips deep purple almost black and a subtle tension around his mouth and jaw as if he was fighting something even as he stayed unconscious.

Loreille didn't need anyone to tell her what was wrong with him.

He was poisoned!!

Shocked from the realization, the reins slipped through her fingers as she staggered backwards, almost tripping to the floor.

'W-What the hell? Poison? He was bantering with me hours ago, so how could he have gotten poisoned?' Loreille's heart began beating scaredly in her ribcage.

She scratched her head, thinking whether she must have done anything or missed anything that must have gotten him poisoned.

"Was it those guards back then?" She mused, crawling towards him and gently reaching out to touch his body. Her hands moved cautiously over his chest, arms and stomach, searching for any sign of injury.

Abruptly after a few seconds, her hands paused at the side of his stomach, as she felt something warm and wet almost as if dry graze through her fingers.

Blood! He had been wounded and she didn't even know!!!

Without thinking, she took the dagger at his belt, cutting his shirt open to find a deep wound that had turned purple at his side.

'I need to think fast, I need to think fast! What can I do now?'

She pressed her head to his chest to check whether his heart was still beating and luckily it was but at a slow pace.

She looked around her area to see she was still around the forest due to her non- geographical knowledge of direction.

'Wait hold on! Why am I even bothered about him? I should be running further away not getting myself stuck with this poisoned man!' She thought to herself.

'I have tried my best by moving his body up to this point, whatever happens to him next shouldn't be a bother to me anymore!' she stood to her feet in an attempt to walk away but her mind was jumbled.

"I swear to God I'm only doing this because you saved me twice and heeled my foot." She screamed at the unconscious man.

She left him on the ground for some minutes looking for a shelter, shade or any place in particular they could stay for the night because the sun had started dipping into the horizon. Luckily, she found a place.

A small cave!

She went back to him, dragging him back inside the cave before moving out to look for some plant or herbs she could use to heal the poison.

****

Back at the palace, the king was growing anxious and impatient. He had not yet received news from Thomas regarding Loreille.

Did the lions really devour her body yesterday? A subtle smile grazed the king's lips that his unfortunate daughter he had only kept alive because of his favourite concubine was finally used as a food for the wild animals but at the same time he was angry because the king of Vathosa had demanded one of his daughters.

'Stupid girl! Why didn't she wait until she was in the Vathosa kingdom to flee and die.' he thought inwardly.

"Your Majesty," The king was pulled out of his thought by the call of his Chamberlain.

A deep frown formed on his forehead, revealing how unhappy he was with the situation.

"What is it?!" He hissed.

"Thomas has been kneeling down waiting for your approval," The Chamberlain said in a slow and reverend manner.

"Ohhh," The king didn't even hear the herald announce Thomas' name.

"What report do you have for me? I hope it is a positive one." He glanced at Thomas whose lips were trembling as if something had instilled a feeling of fear in him.

The king narrowed his eyes, watching Thomas struggling to open his lips, "I don't have much time, get it out Thomas," he got angry.

"I'm sorry your majesty but all the guards were found dead. And they seemed to be killed by a skillful person. The wounds on their body were sharp and precise and also," he paused bringing out the torn piece of Loreille's dress,

"We found this near the bodies. It seems someone is helping her." He handed it to the king's Chamberlain who handed it over to the king.

It was hard for the king to recognize the clothing but with a more intense look at the piece, he recognized it.

It was the dress she was wearing when he had summoned her to tell her about her marriage to the king of Vathosa.

As always he had expected her to comply and accept the decision as she had never gone against his decision for her but who would have known that she would have defiled this one and also a one of great importance.

If the king of Vathosa doesn't get his bride after a month, then he would surely wage a war against his kingdom.

The king with anger gripped the torn piece of dress tightly, his teeth chattering in anger.

"Where was this found?"

"It was at the west side of the forest, close to the abandoned cave, your Majesty." Thomas answered.

"She must have gone to the cave to hide for some time. Take as much guard as you need and capture her alive and kill her accomplice."

"Thank you, your Majesty," Half of the weight on Thomas shoulders was lifted but the remaining part still lingered.

Fifty guards were taken before and they were all found dead. Deducing, Thomas believed that the only people who would be on par with the skills of the unknown assassin would be the elite guards of the royal palace but he didn't know how to talk to his majesty about it.

Moreover, it was just a lady, why would his majesty waste the elite guards on such a person.

The king who was already furious was madder when Thomas still stood there.

"What again!!! Why haven't you left for the cave."

"Ummm, your Majesty, fifty guards were taken at first but the unknown skilled assassin killed them all. I was thinking about taking some of your..." he swallowed, "Elite guards," As soon as those words left his lips he placed his head on the floor.

The king hesitated for a moment before he agreed on the decision. He had to reiterate his permission for Thomas to take the guards because he couldn't believe it.

But before Thomas left the king spewed a threat to him that could shatter his soul if he failed on his mission.

"Remember Thomas, if you fail me again, your sister's head will be hung on the ceiling of your room for a week. You would endure the rotting smell and everyday you walk inside your room, you will be reminded of why she had to die. Your inability to do joir job will be your sister's detriment. It's best you do not come back here without Loreille."

*****

Hours passed, Loreille finally found some herbs she could use as treatment for poison.

'Whew' she expressed feeling very exhausted.

She looked up to the sky, noticing it had turned fully dark with a faint trace of moonlight tonight and little stars that twinkled in the sky.

She hurriedly, carried the little herbs she could find and rushed back to the cave where she had left him.

Strange, she noticed his lips were no longer deep purple, the were now a bit lighter or was she mistaken due to the darkness that shrouded them. She could only see a little because of the little faint glow the moonlight emitted.

Simce there was no small pot she could use to grind the herbs she brought a stone and pounded it together on the floor. It wasn't perfect as it was supposed to be but it should suffice.

From the torn part of his clothes, she applied the herb gently, rubbing her hand across the wound while praying to God that he would heal.

She didn't know why she had prayed for him when he had repeatedly said he would kill her but a part of her was grateful that he had saved her from the lion and also from the guards who wanted to rape her.

She was indeed very grateful even though she didn't thank him after that.

*Cough *cough*

She heard him coughing, and the next thing she knew, he was coughing out blood.

The blood was black red- it was as if he was coughing out the poison, even she didn't know whether it was possible.

Hearing him cough again, she asked, "Do you need water?" It was a foolish question because there was no water surrounding them. Even she felt parched and if she was to get water it would be where she had seen that shimmering lake and that place was surrounded with dead bodies this stranger had killed.

It was kind of revolting and scary for her, what if there souls were waiting for her to come back? She shuddered upon the thought and shook her head. She won't go back there.

But when he nodded unconsciously, admitting that he needed water, she grunted and stood on her two feet and without wasting a second she dashed out of the cave and walked to where she said she wouldn't go.

An hour passed and she finally reached the lake, it didn't take up much of her time because she wasn't dragging a heavy body with her.

'Ah,' she didn't even have what she would use to save water for the man and she instantly remembered the gourd she had seen previously but it was tethered to the dead horse.

Was she going to find the horse admist these dead bodies? Yes. She had already come far and there was no way she would go back without drinking water.

She walked and slowly roamed her hands on the bodies trying to find the horse. She felt a lump on her throat and she made a retching sound when her fingers continued gliding across the dried blood of the guards.

Finally, she reached the horse and found the gourd attached to it.

Thank goodness! She heaved a sigh of relief and immediately went back to the lake.

She first, washed her hands and the gourd body because it was matted with some of the horse's blood.

After, she fetched some water with the gourd and when she finally lifted it to take a sip an arrow whipped past her, knocking the gourd to the floor.

'What the hell!' she screamed inwardly and before she could do anything further, she was surrounded with guards.

She turned, taking a step back towards the lake, these were no regular guards. She didn't know who these set of guards were and she felt scared, her body shivering, her breath caught in her throat, and her palms instantly turned sweaty.

"Finally, young miss. The king will be pleased to have finally found you." She saw a man step out from behind the guards and she instantly recognized him, she didn't know his name but he was the guard standing beside her father when she was told she would become the concubine of the king of Vathosa.

"So finally, my effort have been in vain. I would have to die here because I refuse to be taken to an old man to be used as his relief toy." Her words were whispered slowly to herself but the silent chill of the night made everyone hear what she had just said.

She quickly, rushed towards a guard and pulled out his sword to slit her throat but before she could do it, the sword was knocked out of her hands and Thomas hit a spot behind her neck that instantly made her unconscious.

"Check whether there are traces of another person. She has someone fighting for her and he must have been the person to unalive our brothers."

Thomas was furious, a girl had made him lose so many soldiers and also the elite guards he carried weren't going to fight anyone because no traces of another person was found.

That means he had demanded for the elite guards for no reason and he was going to be punished for it.

''carry her, we are going back to the palace!'' he ordered and one of the guards lifted her as if she was a sack of rice on his shoulder.