Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
While I was still attempting to figure out how I could convince him not to kill me, Thallan stepped up again and unleashed yet another attack. I parried five strikes this time before his blade slashed across my thigh. A cry of pain jumped from my throat as sharp, hot pain lanced through me. I tried to stumble away, but Thallan kicked out, catching me right behind the knee of my newly wounded leg. I crashed to the ground hard, nearly losing the sword. Bones jarred and complained as I hit the stones.
“Pathetic,” Thallan spat. “I expected more from Prince Victor. The man who dreams of being the scourge of Wolfrest.”
Yeah, I was giving Victor a bad name with my performance today. I was sure the real man had been studying swordplay since he could first walk. He would have been a fair match for Thallan, but I wasn’t him. I was just a poor imitation.
But the one place I could improve on Victor was to move him away from his reputation of being a hate-filled warmonger.
“Wolfrest and Edros have fought countless wars. Both sides have lost people and land. I thought—” I stopped to catch my breath against the swell of pain in my arm and leg. “I thought to regain the honor of my kingdom I would need to conquer Wolfrest, but…I was wrong. That was a child’s logic. The only way for a kingdom to gain honor is to care for her people and protect them. Not by seeking the pain of another who could one day be an ally.” I gasped and pushed myself to my feet while favoring my injured left leg. “Thankfully, my older brother is smarter than me and learned that lesson much sooner. He’s going to make a much wiser king than I ever could.”
When I lifted my eyes to the duke, his brow was furrowed and some of the deep lines around his eyes had eased. That wasn’t the response he’d been expecting from me.
After a couple of seconds, he shook his head as if he were dislodging some thoughts and marched toward me, sword raised. “I don’t trust you.”
“Of course not,” I replied through clenched teeth as I blocked blows aimed at my chest. “Trust is won by actions, not words.”
I did better this round, coming out with another minor cut on my other arm. It was harder to backpedal as the pain in my left leg made it nearly impossible for it to support my weight.
“As for what you said earlier, about being worthy of Prince Xeran,” I continued, narrowing my gaze on the man who seemed to grow more conflicted the longer I ran my mouth. “There is no one worthy of Prince Xeran Elrich. He’s too good, too kind, too honorable for anyone in this world. I know I don’t deserve to stand next to him. No one does. The best I can do is stand in his shadow and be ready to support and protect him when he needs me.”
That didn’t work.
Duke Thallan snarled and charged, sword swinging too fast for me to block every strike. I stumbled, just trying to stay alive as the clang and scrape of our blades filled the air. Cold sweat trickled down the side of my face while blood soaked my shirt and pants. The heel of my boot caught on an uneven stone. As I tumbled, the point of the duke’s sword slashed across my stomach. Pain exploded through the torn flesh, blotting out any pain I might have felt at hitting the cold, unyielding stones.
My sword clattered to the ground as it slipped from my fingertips and I pressed my left hand into my stomach to staunch the bleeding. When I looked up, I found the duke standing over me, his sword pointed at my face and his expression so very cold.
I was going to die.
There were no words to save me this time. No funny distractions.
The physical pain receded a little under the weight of the sadness that choked my heart. This was going to crush Nylian. He would never forgive his uncle for killing me, shattering their family even more. He didn’t deserve this.
Duke Thallan turned his head and spat at my feet. “Pathetic. How can you hope to protect my nephew when you can’t even protect yourself? I’ll give you this one chance—leave now and never seek him out. If you stay, I will kill you.”
It started as my shoulders shaking. I pressed my lips together and shook my head, but it was too late. High-pitched, and maybe even slightly crazed, laughter broke from my lips and hammered the duke. The laughter gripped my entire body, doubling the pain, but I couldn’t stop.
“Then…then you’re going to have to kill me,” I panted as I tried to get the last of my giggles under control. “Because forcing me to walk away from Xeran is sentencing me to death. I’d rather be dead than live a life without him.” I sucked in a ragged breath between clenched teeth and called on what strength I had left to shout, “Prince Xeran Elrich is mine, and I dare you to steal him from me!”