Tyr stood in the path that the enemy was headed in. The rest of his party were high up in the trees, hiding within the thick canopy leaves.An enemy scout silently walked through the jungle. As he drew nearer, he spotted Tyr"s solitary figure standing above piles of bodies. His eyes widened. If a lone man killed all these people, then he needed to tell his Captain to avoid the area.
Turning on his heels, he moved to report his findings.
A white arrow made of light soared through the trees and pierced the scout"s chest and went through his heart. The man instantly fell down, dead. Tyr turned to the noise of the body hitting the ground. He hated acting as bait, but it was the safest method to deal with scouts.
In the distance, another body crashed to the jungle floor.
While he waited for the enemy"s main forces to approach, he glanced down at his ring. When he activated it, the red light still blinked instead of being a steady faint stream of light. Upset by the irregular illumination, he balled his fists and wished he could see Macha"s face.
****
Freyr returned to Ma.r.s.eille and as soon as the airship touched the dock, he rushed to Macha"s bedside. When he entered the room, Alcinous bowed and reported, "Welcome back. While you were away Cardinal Mage Gwydion came in. It did not seem to be a friendly checkup, and I thought I was going to have to confront him. Luckily, before I made a move to stop him, he decided to leave."
"Gwydion?" Freyr asked. He understood that the Cardinal Mage did not appear to like Macha, but that was not unusual because Gwydion was a rigid person who did not like most people.
Alcinous nodded. He then remembered Scarlette and added, "I also took care of Lady Romanov. She will not be a problem any longer." After finishing his report, he awaited the King"s orders.
Not wanting to waste another minute, Freyr waved Alcinous away. "Good work. Thank you." Thinking back to Sierra"s personal issues, he suggested, "Why don"t you take some time off with your wives and go on a vacation? I should be safe for now."
When Alcinous left, Freyr uncorked the bottle that held the antidote. It was fashioned out of a purple crystal that had golden flowers decorating the bottle"s neck.
His hand shook as it hovered above the blue violet boutonniere that lay on Macha"s chest. He was scared that as soon as he removed it, she would die. "Macha, I"m sorry. I love you and never meant for this to happen. Please be all right."
He put the antidote in his mouth and warmed the cool liquid on his tongue. It tasted like vinegar and cherries, causing his nose to wrinkle. He would usually just pour it into her mouth, but he needed to infuse it with magic for the final part of the spell. Once the cure was complete, air would reduce the effectiveness of the potion.
He infused the liquid with energy and the vinegar flavor disappeared. He threw the boutonniere to the side. and in a swift movement, he gathered her in his arms and tilted her head back so he could open her mouth and help her swallow the poison.
Tears trailed down his eyes, this is not how he wanted the first time they ever had their lips meet to be. Her cold limp body hung in his arms and her lips were blue.
As his lips covered hers, he pushed the antidote into her mouth. Since her head was tilted back, the liquid flowed down her throat. He let her breath a bit and continued the same process until the bottle was empty.
Afterward, he hugged her longingly. "Please get better," he whispered as he laid her gently down onto the mattress.
He crossed the room and sat in the chair, waiting for her to stir. While he waited, he thought about Tyr and Luna. He hoped they were healthy and safe. If he lost them and Macha, he did not know if he could continue. His life was already lonely enough.
Every day he woke up and pretended to be happy so the others around him would be at ease. One of his small comforts was that he still had a family that loved him and he could see Macha once a month.
Tears streamed down from his blue eyes.
If he lost them, he would lose everything left that kept him in this world. He did not know if he wanted to continue on by himself. The burden was too great and no matter how hard he tried, Ma.r.s.eille constantly had problems that popped up.
Freyr shook his head and wiped his tears away. He realized that he needed to stop thinking these thoughts. It always ended with him wanting to kill himself. He ran his fingers through his dark brown hair and took deep breaths to steady his breathing.
"You will get better," his shaky voice rea.s.sured himself. He cleared his throat and tried again, this time with more conviction in his statement, "You will get better." He was unsure if he said this to Macha or for himself.
Alcinous"s amber eyes watched the King break down when he thought no one was around. This was a common situation that happened to Freyr ever since his parents died. He did not handle the loneliness well.
Without a sound, Alcinous closed the hole in the wall so Freyr could have some privacy. He walked down the secret pa.s.sageways that were made for his people to guard the royal family. Whenever the King had a small outburst like that, he would be fine for the next few days so Alcinous did not have to worry for now.
He saw his job as not only safeguarding the King from others but also protecting Freyr from himself. Throughout his job, he realized that the King was his own worst enemy.