How Journeys End Chapter Twenty: Rage

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“My Lady,” Camellia began carefully, “I met with Day Bellis, the leader of the rebels.”Siana spun around to look at Camellia. “When?”“Chrysan and I—earlier in the night,” she explained. “Day was… is… an old friend from Gladiolus. He told me he has a contact in the castle. Chrysan and I believe it to be Lady Via.”“You trust your old friend?”Camellia nodded.“And I trust you,” Siana said. “You think Lady Via initiated the attack here?”Camellia nodded again.“For what reason?”At that, she shrugged. “I don’t know.”Siana took a deep breath. “Then we should go ask her, shouldn’t we? Her lab is in the underground. Let’s go.”As they made their way towards the lower floors, Camellia saw how Siana had grown. Siana held herself in a fight well, her posture and her morals never faltering. Even still in her nightgown, she remained elegant. She threw her whole body with the thrust of her rapier, smashing through bone when it required, aiming to impair rather than kill. If the opponent fled, she let them. The princess knew these people were desperate, knew they were survivors more than anything. She would let them live—and if they continued to fight, Camellia would make the final blow for her.Camellia watched Siana’s back. Never let her get cornered or overwhelmed, though Camellia doubted it would happen with how much Siana had improved. She felt her chest swell every time someone scurried away from the princess and she just… let them. She let them live.After everything that had been done to her.They were turning a corner, about to head down the stairs when a long spear caught Siana in her non-dominant arm. The princess gasped out, stepping back at the burning, dizzying sensation of pain. She nearly collapsed, her knees wobbling, but she caught herself on the wall.Camellia caught the next attempt with her own sword, deflecting the spear into the ground.From behind Camellia, Siana raised her rapier, pointed at the rebel like a threat. Siana muttered a few pained words through clenched teeth and the spear quickly began to glow red.They dropped it when it started to steam.Camellia took the opportunity to stab quickly, straight into their chest.“Lady Camellia—” Siana began behind her.Camellia glanced over her shoulder at the princess, slumped against the wall. There was a thin sheen of sweat on her face, and flyaway hairs from her sleep-undone hair were sticking to her face.  The thin silk of her nightgown was torn, splattered with specks of blood beforehand but now… now the sleeve was stained with the pouring of the wound in her arm. Siana winced as she tried to reach out to Camellia, as Camellia felt the body fall away from her sword, as she heard footsteps start to retreat, but…But she felt anger boil up in her, threatening to overflow.She saw red. She turned away from Siana and stabbed the rebel in the back.Twice.And they fell to the ground, but Camellia followed and stabbed them a third time.Four—and there was a hand on her arm.“Camellia!” Siana screamed. “Enough!”Camellia pulled her arm away, and Siana’s fell to her side limply. Camellia felt a pang of guilt that she might have hurt the princess when she reacted like that, but the rage was still simmering beneath her skin and heavy in her chest. She took a deep breath.“I’m sorry,” she said, exhaling slowly. “Let me take care of your arm, My Lady. Excuse me…”She ripped a strip from the other sleeve of Siana’s dress and tied it tightly around the wound.“We just need to stunt the bleeding if we are to continue…” she explained. “Though I’d rather advise you to see a doctor. I could go on my own.”“After that display?” Siana scoffed. “I’d prefer to stay with you.”“I…” Camellia blanched.Siana held her blade with her left hand, reaching up with her right to swipe blood off of Camellia’s cheeks. The gem in the pommel of her rapier was fading from red back to the clear it was before. Camellia could nearly calm herself, but she needed to fight, to scratch the inexplicable itch that was making its home in her body. It was getting stronger and stronger the longer she stood here. She’d never wanted to fight, never wanted to kill. But now it felt like it was all she wanted to do.“I’m sorry,” Camellia said again.“Don’t apologize,” Siana said with a small smile. “Thank you for so ardently protecting me. The rebels are angry, but… I don’t think they want to kill us. Our goal isn’t to kill or to survive. It’s to find Lady Via.”Camellia closed her eyes, leaning into the touch of Siana’s hand on her cheek. She nodded, and they continued.It was near the dungeons when Camellia realized they were being followed. Perhaps it was the new environment—the stone walls, the enclosed space—but she heard footsteps behind them. She quickly spun around, slashing at whatever dared approach them.Her sword caught on a spear.Camellia felt the unfamiliar feeling boil up in her again, knew that it would only go away if she could eliminate the threat. When the spear drew back from her sword, Camellia didn’t hesitate in striking again. A circle perry to draw in close and—“Camellia!”Hands on her arms pulling her back.The feeling faded to a low thrum. She had to take a deep breath, blow it out hard. It felt like whatever was blinding her faded and she could finally see what—who—was in front of her.Cera.She’d been fighting Cera?“I…” she struggled out. “Cera, I’m—”He held his weapon closely, defensively. He was dirty, battle-weary. There was blood on his clothes, his face. His hair was pink normally, but there were smears of red staining it now. He had a few superficial wounds that a more experienced fighter would have been able to avoid. Viola had said that he’d never had real battlefield experience prior to this, and now…? Camellia saw the light in his eyes flicker as he looked at her, cloudy like he wasn’t sure what he was meant to do anymore, like he wasn’t sure who he was anymore.“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” Camellia shook her head, trying to erase the humming in her body. “I just…”“Lady Camellia, you’re worrying me,” Siana said.“We should leave,” Cera said. “I think we’ve gotten everyone else out of the castle.”“Why aren’t you guarding Denia? What about the other guests?” Siana asked, her hand still heavy on Camellia’s bicep.“Lord Denia is with General Narsi, as are the others. He’s trying to organize everyone and get a headcount.”The sound of his voice was grating. It was echoing off the walls, much too loud. “We have to find Lady Via,” Camellia said. “Was she out there?”“No, Lady Camellia,” he answered. His voice quivered, just a bit. She could hear the fear, the weariness. Any opponent would strike right then, take him by surprise and kill him.She suppressed the urge.Cera continued, “I was coming to find her and search for Her Highness.”“Lady Camellia believes Lady Via is behind the siege,” the princess said. “Please return to General Narsi and my father and tell them of this. Lady Camellia and I will go to find her while you rally the others and…”Cera’s eyes flicked to the side, to Camellia. Camellia saw his grip change, tighten. “Your Highness…” he began shakily. “We don’t know where His Majesty is, either.”Camellia turned away. If she didn’t do something, she would bite her own tongue off. She felt like she wanted to peel her skin off.She stabbed her sword into the space between bricks of the wall instead. A hard, precise strike.When she turned back, Cera and Siana were staring at her.“What?” she nearly growled out. “Are you afraid of me?”Cera took a step in front of the princess, and that was all it took.Camellia felt the snap in her chest like it was tangible. Like everything she was holding in was coming out like a flood. She ripped her sword from the wall and immediately swung with all her strength at Cera.He barely had time to block.“Camellia!” Siana shouted, but it fell on deaf ears. The princess fell back a few steps as Cera struggled to block everything Camellia was doing. He didn’t want to hurt her, and he was holding back.It gave Camellia the opportunity to go for his thigh. A deep enough cut and he would bleed out.But Siana stepped in, catching Camellia’s sword with her own.“Thank you—” Cera shouted. “She’s favoring her injured side—”Siana nodded. She held out her hand and started gathering the magic for a spell.Camellia raised her sword and hesitated, staring at Siana with a flash of something like recognition.The air was charged around them—a mix of the princess’ magic and… someone else’s. A familiar feel to it, Siana realized, and wondered why she didn’t notice it before.Cera caught the sword as Siana’s spell cast. Camellia’s eyes and body fell as it took effect, her movements slowing. She stayed awake as long as she could, mumbling something, an apology maybe, before falling asleep.“Are you alright, Your Highness?” Cera asked without taking his eyes off Camellia.“I am. Are you, Sir Cera?”He nodded. “What… what happened? Has she…?”“No,” Siana said. “She’s under a spell. A powerful one. She’s… dangerous for now.”“You can’t break it?”Siana shook her head. She bent down and delicately picked up Camellia’s sword. It was much heavier than her own. “I don’t know it. It’s… a complex spell. I need to find the caster before I could break it. I believe I know who it is, though.”Cera perked up at that.“For now,” Siana said, “do you have the strength to lift her? We should lock her up, perhaps. Keep her out of danger and away from causing harm to others as well.”Cera nodded. “Of course, Your Highness.” He easily hoisted Camellia onto his back and followed Siana as she led him to the dungeons.She stopped when they arrived at the cells.They were empty.“One of the rebels let them out,” a voice called from down the hall.Cera and Siana raised their weapons as footsteps approached, but it was an ally. It was Viola, with her own expression of weariness and her own heaviness on her shoulders.“She let them out and then killed them once they were outside,” Viola explained. “But she escaped.”Siana tilted her head, rolling the information over in her mind.“Are you two alright?” Viola asked.“Her Highness has a wound on her arm. Camellia is bewitched. I’m okay, just tired.” Cera heaved a sigh as he set Camellia down in a vacated cell. He felt sorry to do it, staring after her sleeping form as he locked it.“She’s bewitched?” Viola repeated, incredulous.“Have you seen Lady Via?” Siana asked, her eyes focused on Camellia.“No. You think she’s the one that…?”“I believe so,” Siana said. “What about my father? Cera said he’s missing.”Viola shook her head again. “I haven’t seen Chrysan, either. I thought he and Camellia would be together, but…”Siana felt her stomach turning. She thought she might throw up. Or cry. She swallowed the lump in her throat, looking up at the ceiling.“Be calm, Your Highness,” Viola said softly. She placed a hand on Siana’s arm. “We’ll find her and your father. Then we can begin to rebuild and…”“No,” the princess said. “I will end this.”