The War God’s Favorite novel Chapter 119

#119 The White Witch
She could barely breathe, his tight fingers around her throat, yet all her blood had left her face. Her limbs were tingling, as she was fighting to stay awake. Facing her, Lephys was enjoying her panicked state, his grip tightening as a vicious smirk was spreading on his lips. This time, he really resembled Vrehan, with that look in his eyes. Cassandra tried to think, to grab his wrist, but he suddenly let go. .
Cassandra fell on her knees, coughing and gasping for some air. She could already tell the bruises he had left on her skin, but for now, she was just focused on recovering as fast as she could. She had to stay alert.
“I don’t trust Opheus enough to stay here,” he said.
Then, he grabbed her wrists, still tightly blocked in his whip, and pulled, making her fall forward, painfully hurting her shoulder. Cassandra grimaced. She had flashbacks of that time she had been dragged across the Palace, the day of the Celebrations… This time, she fought to get up before he could drag her on the floor anymore. Lephys had started walking, without caring if she was following or not, his whip acting like a leash that would drag her along. Painfully, Cassandra managed to find her balance and get back on her feet right on time. With her hands so tightly tied like this, she had no choice but to follow him inside the corridors,
She couldn’t recognize where they were headed at, but she didn’t like that they were getting deeper inside the Palace and further away from the Emperor. Cassandra prayed that the fourth Brother would get Missandra to the Old Emperor, and somehow find a way to save the old man…
Lephys looked absolutely sure of himself as he was walking through the many, many corridors. Were his apartments always this far? Cassandra was completely lost, but then, she recognized an area they were in.
The Lake. They were close to the large garden, the one where the New Year Celebrations had been held a few weeks prior. She recognized the corridor they were walking through the same one that she and Kairen had isolated themselves in… Those memories had her blush slightly despite the situation. If only she could go back to those days, to those strong arms. However, she had more pressing matters to think about. The Emperor had tried to tell her something about the Lake, what was it? She could now see it through the windows, but no matter how many times she tried to glance at it, there was nothing special happening there. There weren’t even any concubines chatting or taking the tea, or servants walking by! Most of the Imperial Palace seemed strangely empty now…
Suddenly, two horn blows resonated throughout the Palace’s walls. Lephys, still walking ahead of her, suddenly stopped, and grimaced, turning his head.
“Damn it! That bastard is back sooner than I expected!”
“What? Who?” Asked Cassandra, a cold shiver running down her spine.
“Vrehan! Anyway, let’s do this quick before he gets here…
As he dragged her faster, Cassandra’s body shivered. The Second Prince was back already? What about Kairen, then? How far was he, with the Imperial Army? If Vrehan was back now, he would go to find the Emperor, perhaps even kill him! Moreover, Opheus and Missandra were now more in danger than ever!
While she panicked, Cassandra didn’t realize that they had finally arrived at the fifth Prince’s apartments. Before she could fight back, he opened wide the door to a bedroom, where two women were laying, both naked except for some very heavy jewelry around their neck, arms, and ankles. The fifth Prince glared at them.
“Out!” He yelled.
After a short disappointed look, both women left hurriedly. Then, Lephys suddenly agitated his whip, and Cassandra was thrown on the bed. She fell on her side, but still moved her wrists immediately, trying to free herself desperately. She heard a chuckle.
“That’s a bit too late, woman. Or do you think you can escape an Imperial Prince? A man with the Dragon’s blood?”
Cassandra glared at him, not even bothering to answer. Lephys was not worthy of that Dragon Blood he carried. He was just a horrible, disgusting character she was starting to hate even more than his second brother.
She kept wriggling her wrists, trying to lessen the clasp despite the fiber cutting her skin. It was painful, and she could feel her flesh ripped, but she had no choice. She had to hurry before it was too late.
Before her, Lephys was watching her struggle, visibly amused. A snicker on his face, he started undressing, taking off his outfit slowly. When he put one knee on the bed, Cassandra froze to glare at him.
*Don’t touch me,” she hissed.
“Oh, I will do much more than touch you. I even bet you’ll like it. Women just can’t deny their pleasure. Those whores just want sex, and just like you, they like to refuse me just for the play. You are all like that. You act all prude and innocent, but you just want to be fucked by a strong man. Don’t pretend you’re all about my brother. Once I’m done with you, you will beg me to keep you, as they all do…”
“I’d rather die,” she retorted.
Cassandra felt like throwing up already. She didn’t care much about what his concubines really felt of Lephys, but she was nothing but disgusted. That man was a monster, a sick pervert. She couldn’t even fathom this man having the same blood as Kairen. She would not let him touch her, no way.
As he climbed on the bed, she tried to retreat, wiggling back on the bed, trying to crawl away as far as she could. Her hands were tied, but not her legs, and she was ready to kick if he got too close. Lephys’ smile got even wider as she kept furiously glaring at him.
“I like them feisty… I can’t wait to tame you, and show my brother that his little cunt has become mine. Kairen thinks he is so much better than all of us. I can’t wait to see the face he’ll make once he learns I fucked his woman, his beloved witch…”
“You won’t touch me,” hissed Cassandra, furious.
She was ready to fight, bite, and scratch him with all she had. Never had she had such a fiery, murderous look in her green eyes before. She had learned from Kairen.
The fifth prince suddenly laughed, and, with a sudden movement of his hands, undid his whip around her wrists. Cassandra looked at her free hands, shocked, the red mark still buried deep on her skin, but then, the Prince got closer, half of his body above her before she could react. She tried to kick him, but his hand reacted immediately, catching her ankle mid-air with a grin.
“You can’t escape me. Do you think you can oppose me, fight me? I am a Prince, and you’re nothing but a weak woman. You’d better learn to lie down and obey because I intend to have my way with you until Vrehan gets in.”
Cassandra wasn’t even listening anymore. She didn’t care what horrible plans he had for her or how long it’d take for his second brother to get there. None of this was going to happen. She struggled to turn around on her stomach, despite her ankle still trapped in his head. She heard him laugh behind her, but she was busy retrieving what she had hidden in her sleeve earlier…
“What are you doing, witch? You think that’s it? Oh, or is that an invitation to your…”
“I said don’t touch me!” Suddenly shout Cassandra.
Before the young Prince could react, she suddenly turned around and sat up, and her arm flew in his direction. This time, he was a second too late. His other hand holding him on the mattress, and one still holding her leg, he didn’t have time to block Cassandra’s hand. He saw it coming, his eye catching the silver glimpse. Actually, he didn’t even understand the risk until a sharp pain pierced his neck. 3
The fifth Prince made a horrible screeched, and his blood heavily splattered them both. His eyes wide open in surprise, Lephys let go of her ankle, his fingers shivering, going up to touch the weapon that had just stabbed him. He could feel the warm blood running down his neck, and the sharp piece of metal stuck in his neck. He
spasmed, for several seconds, completely shaken by the waves of pain. His eyes were wide open on Cassandra has she jumped out of the bed. It was clear he could not understand what had just happened. She was shivering in fear, stepping away from him, but she had done it. Opheus’ long earring was deep inside his flesh, planted there and not moving. She saw Lephys’ eyes following her moves as he gagged several times, trying to talk.
“Y… You… witch…”
“I’m not a witch,” she retorted, out of breath. “I’m a physician.”
With those last words, Cassandra turned around and ran out of the bedroom as fast as she could. She knew she probably didn’t have any second to lose. She had aimed right for his carotid artery and stabbed as hard as she could, but she had no idea how fast he’d recover. She had seen Kairen heal some deep cuts in a matter of seconds, but she had never seen how his brother’s healing abilities were. Moreover, if it was a normal man she had stabbed, he would have been dead in minutes. She wasn’t as blind as to think the fifth Prince would die from this, though…
Hence, Cassandra kept running across the corridors, desperate to find her way back. The reality of what had just happened was hitting her slowly, but she didn’t have time to stop. She had just tried to murder an Imperial Prince but, strangely enough, she had more pressing concerns right now. She was worried about the Emperor, Opheus, Missandra, and more importantly, she was terrified to face Vrehan, or his sister.
Cassandra wasn’t familiar with this part of the Palace, and she was afraid to go the wrong way, or make a bad encounter. However, she needed to go back, and fast. If Lephys recovered, he’d soon come after her. If he didn’t, someone like his concubines from before would be quick to let the guards know the white witch had assassinated the fifth Prince!
Suddenly, she heard it. Steps, rushing behind her..
“Come back, you whore!”
A cold shiver ran down her spine. How could he be back on his feet and running already! Cassandra accelerated, but that was too much on her body for one day. The climbing had been easier than she thought, but sneaking by a window, riding a dragon, fighting off a rapist Prince and running probably wasn’t recommended for a woman who had given birth not ten days ago! 4
She was desperate. There was no sign of Kairen’s return, but Vrehan was back, and he would soon know she was here. All she had managed to do was to win a bit of time for the Emperor, but this may have all been for nothing.
Finally, Cassandra ran into a familiar corridor, the one with its windows open on the garden with the lake! At least she knew where she was, but the furious steps were scaringly loud behind her. Tears grew in Cassandra’s eyes. She wasn’t going to make it. She knew the way back to where the Emperor was, but even if Opheus was still there, she wouldn’t get there in time. The fifth Prince was catching up on her, and from the sound of his steps, compared to her speed, it would be over in a couple of minutes. (2)
Cassandra felt like breaking down in pieces. She was going to die. What had she accomplished? She was either going to die or be captured! She cried without stopping. Kassian, her baby, her little baby, she needed to see him, hold him one last time. And Kairen. Her man, her war god. She didn’t want to die before having seen him one last time, just one last time…
“You wench, stop!”
Cassandra heard the snap of the whip, and a sharp pain pierced her back. Lephys’ whip. She felt like screaming in pain. He had cut her so deep! She stumbled forward, almost falling, but something kept her going. She managed to keep her feet steady and keep running.
She couldn’t stop now, she couldn’t give in. No matter what…
Suddenly, a loud horn resonated in the air. Cassandra heard Lephys’ steps stop, and she couldn’t help but glance behind her shoulder. The Prince had stopped running, his eyes wide open towards one of the windows.
“The Eastern Army…?” He whispered.
Cassandra’s heart jumped in her chest. Kairen’s army! The Army from the North Camp! They were in the Capital! She felt an incredible wave of adrenaline and kept running before Lephys chased her again. She still had a chance! Just a slim chance, if the Eastern Army was there, then either Kairen or Shareen, too…
“Come back, you damn witch! I will kill you before his eyes!”
The voice behind her couldn’t hold her back. Cassandra took a sharp turn, entering another corridor. She stopped abruptly.
At the end of that corridor, Vrehan was standing in the middle of the way, glaring at her. Cassandra’s lips trembled. She stepped back without thinking, despite the running steps that weren’t stopping behind her. For a second, she wondered if she wasn’t hallucinating, if she wasn’t having some day time nightmare. It couldn’t be. Not now, of all times. However, the second Prince was standing still, in a military outfit, his eyes on her like a snake about to kill its prey. A shiver ran down her spine as she witnessed the long sword by his side.
“Finally,” he hissed. “We meet again, white witch….