Page 132 of Journey to the Elderoak
“The man,” she whispered, barely able to keep her eyes open. “…Deidamia…poisoned dagger…”
Casimir caught her when she passed out and lifted her in his arms. Her head lolled back, her body limp in his grasp. Breaths came in short bursts, slowing down with each second.
No no no.
He shouted at the closest guard, “Secure the ballroom. No one leaves until we find the person responsible.”
Carrying her through the crowd, he searched for Kai. Gasps and shouts of fear sounded as guests noticed the motionless princess in his arms covered in blood. Raine spotted Casimir first and grabbed Kai, who happened to be next to him, rushing over.
“What happened?” he asked, eyes wide as he took in Ava.
“Someone stabbed her.”
“Get her to her room,” said Kai. “We can secure it better than the medical wing. I’ll meet you there in five minutes.”
“Hurry,” he demanded as the healer took off running.
Turning to Raine, he said, “Make sure the guards have sealed off every exit. Find who did this and get them to the dungeons.”
Raine nodded.
Casimir sprinted, cutting through the ballroom and down the corridors to his suite. Thorne caught up to him, shouting, “What happened?”
“I don’t know. She said something about a poison dagger and passed out,” he answered as he willed his legs faster.
He reached the suite and rushed into her bedroom. Kai entered seconds later, carrying a large apothecary box.
Casimir remained standing and pulled her closer, afraid to let her go.
“Lay her on the bed,” Kai said.
He did as instructed, staring at her lifeless body. “Is she dead? Please tell me she isn’t dead.”
There was so much blood. Too much. She should have started to heal, at least a little, since she was now fae. But if there truly was poison on this dagger, there was no telling what was now coursing through her body.
His heart was gripped in a vice of panic, fighting the urge to destroy everything around him in fury. She can’t be dead. He wouldn’t allow it. Pacing the room, it took all his energy to keep control of his magic writhing to get out.
A hand gripped his shoulder. “Come, sit,” said Thorne, trying to remain calm, though terror shone in his eyes at his sister’s condition. “Give Kai space to work.”
Reluctantly, he sat in the chair in the corner and watched as Kai examined her, feeling for her pulse. Thorne paced in Casimir’s place, rubbing the back of his neck and muttering to himself.
“Well?” Thorne demanded, looking at Kai.
“She’s not dead,” he said. “But her pulse is weak.”
“You need to save her,” Thorne thundered, his voice rising.
“I need more details. I need to know what happened. Do you two know anything at all?” Kai asked.
“She said she thought she saw someone familiar,” Thorne explained. “It seemed to spook her, but she brushed it off. Then she claimed she wanted fresh air and went into the gardens. That’s all I know.” He slammed his hand against the wall. “Fuck! I should have taken her seriously.”
“You couldn’t have known,” Kai said. “Cas, anything?”
“I went to look for her. I had a feeling something was wrong. I found her leaning against a tree. She said something about Deidamia and a poison dagger and then passed out,” he answered, hands trembling as he continued to try and keep his magic under control. Effort fruitless, he gripped the arms of the chair, the wood cracking under his hold.
Thorne turned to him at the sound. “You need to stay calm, Casimir.”
“I’m fucking trying,” he snarled.
