Sequel: The Game ›
Status: complete, but revisions are being made
The Pauper Princess
Chapter Sixteen
“Mehta, I need to ask you something.” Shortly after talking to Ekohl, I found her not in her room, but in the library. She sat reading at a small wooden table, comfortably seated in one of two cushioned chairs. From the very beginning of our journey, she has devoured any and every book at her disposal, one after another, like a child eating sweets.
“What is it?” she asked as she shut her book and placed it carefully on the table.
“I want to know what’s going on here, what happened while I was unconscious.” Mehta’s brow creased and a small frown played across her face.
“That’s a long story.”
“Just start from the beginning,” I pleaded. With a nod, she lifted a pile of books from the second chair and motioned for me to sit.
“As you can imagine, I miss a lot of information being inside that carriage. I had no idea what was going on when the horns started blowing, but I heard the General tell everyone to dismount. Then he came and told me to stay down next to the floor. I still didn’t know what was happening, but I did as I was told.” She paused, readjusting her skirts nervously. I patiently waited for her to continue.
“I tried to ignore the sounds coming from outside, the shouts and the swords. I heard someone call your name, though, and then something hit the side of the carriage. The bloody tip of a sword had cut through the door. I knew someone was wounded, so I disregarded the General’s order and as soon as the blade slipped out I opened the door. At first all I saw was this huge man standing before the door. He was holding a bloodied sword and looking down. When he saw me, though, he reached his hand out to grab me.
“I thought he would kill me,” she said anxiously. I took her hand, and looking up at me with a quick reassuring smile, she continued. “Ekohl attacked the man before he moved another inch. I saw him kill the bandit. He stabbed him in the shoulder,” she said, her hand landing involuntarily over her own heart.
“But then,” she continued, “Even after the man was dead, Ekohl…he just kept stabbing him. It was horrible, but I couldn’t move. Finally he stopped, and he turned toward the carriage, but he wasn’t looking at me.”
“What was he looking at?” I asked.
“You,” Her eyes began to shine as tears began to form in her eyes, and I gave her hand a light squeeze. “I looked where he was, and I finally saw you. I thought you were dead,” she choked. I took her hands in both of mine. After a moment, she again took up the story.
“I looked to Ekohl, and he was right in front of me, just staring down at you. I reached out to him, but he just collapsed. In the midst of all that fighting, he just...stopped. He didn’t even move, he just kneeled there, staring at you. I didn’t want to believe it though. I couldn’t believe you were dead, so I knelt down and felt for your pulse. It was weak, but it was there. I took Ekohl’s hand and made him feel it too.”
“He was still for a minute, but then he just looked so angry. He told me to wrap up your shoulder, and then he just left. He picked up his sword and disappeared into the fog. I knew he could take care of himself, so I tried to stop the bleeding from your shoulder.”
“But how did his arm get cut? Surely not from the bandit that stabbed me?”
“No,” she said shaking her head, “His arm was fine before he left. It must have happened afterwards. I didn’t see him again until after the Lequinian soldiers had arrived. When he did come back, he looked just awful. I could see the white of his bone where his arm was cut, but he didn’t even seem to notice. He just kept asking if you were alright.”
“No one saw what happened?”
“One of the others, Calin, he saw Ekohl walk straight into the oncoming bandits. Calin called to him, but he never once turned back. Calin said he’s never seen anyone fight like Ekohl did. No one could even touch him.”
“What is it?” she asked as she shut her book and placed it carefully on the table.
“I want to know what’s going on here, what happened while I was unconscious.” Mehta’s brow creased and a small frown played across her face.
“That’s a long story.”
“Just start from the beginning,” I pleaded. With a nod, she lifted a pile of books from the second chair and motioned for me to sit.
“As you can imagine, I miss a lot of information being inside that carriage. I had no idea what was going on when the horns started blowing, but I heard the General tell everyone to dismount. Then he came and told me to stay down next to the floor. I still didn’t know what was happening, but I did as I was told.” She paused, readjusting her skirts nervously. I patiently waited for her to continue.
“I tried to ignore the sounds coming from outside, the shouts and the swords. I heard someone call your name, though, and then something hit the side of the carriage. The bloody tip of a sword had cut through the door. I knew someone was wounded, so I disregarded the General’s order and as soon as the blade slipped out I opened the door. At first all I saw was this huge man standing before the door. He was holding a bloodied sword and looking down. When he saw me, though, he reached his hand out to grab me.
“I thought he would kill me,” she said anxiously. I took her hand, and looking up at me with a quick reassuring smile, she continued. “Ekohl attacked the man before he moved another inch. I saw him kill the bandit. He stabbed him in the shoulder,” she said, her hand landing involuntarily over her own heart.
“But then,” she continued, “Even after the man was dead, Ekohl…he just kept stabbing him. It was horrible, but I couldn’t move. Finally he stopped, and he turned toward the carriage, but he wasn’t looking at me.”
“What was he looking at?” I asked.
“You,” Her eyes began to shine as tears began to form in her eyes, and I gave her hand a light squeeze. “I looked where he was, and I finally saw you. I thought you were dead,” she choked. I took her hands in both of mine. After a moment, she again took up the story.
“I looked to Ekohl, and he was right in front of me, just staring down at you. I reached out to him, but he just collapsed. In the midst of all that fighting, he just...stopped. He didn’t even move, he just kneeled there, staring at you. I didn’t want to believe it though. I couldn’t believe you were dead, so I knelt down and felt for your pulse. It was weak, but it was there. I took Ekohl’s hand and made him feel it too.”
“He was still for a minute, but then he just looked so angry. He told me to wrap up your shoulder, and then he just left. He picked up his sword and disappeared into the fog. I knew he could take care of himself, so I tried to stop the bleeding from your shoulder.”
“But how did his arm get cut? Surely not from the bandit that stabbed me?”
“No,” she said shaking her head, “His arm was fine before he left. It must have happened afterwards. I didn’t see him again until after the Lequinian soldiers had arrived. When he did come back, he looked just awful. I could see the white of his bone where his arm was cut, but he didn’t even seem to notice. He just kept asking if you were alright.”
“No one saw what happened?”
“One of the others, Calin, he saw Ekohl walk straight into the oncoming bandits. Calin called to him, but he never once turned back. Calin said he’s never seen anyone fight like Ekohl did. No one could even touch him.”