23
"You are being impossible. Why would they help you and even if they do you cannot be certain they shall protect you with success," Tarquin's eyes flashed with simmering annoyance but Jza noticed his stance was faltering.
"You must have fattened them up for the fight. It would not have been entertaining to have them die with the first blow. Am I not right?" The Princess' voice was barely a hushed whisper but it felt like her voice reverberated in the study. She still held so much fury at his deplorable behaviour. Using her men for sport was a sin she could not forgive.
Tarquin looked away with a faintly unimpressed expression. His hand was back at the chair and Jza was now certain he was in more pain than he wanted to show. The injuries on his body were stark against his pale skin. While she was no expert she had noticed most of his injuries were shallow enough but the blood loss could not be discounted. She could not fathom how he even stood on his own two feet with the amount of blood adorning his bare torso.
"Tend to him carefully. He is still losing blood," Jza nodded towards Sofiya and turned her back to the tableau. The girls who had brought clean water and sheets of bandages were now bickering over who would have the chance to caress his chest. She instead faced the wall meant to open up the servant tunnels. There were a series of stones that needed to be pressed she could recall. She taped her fingers lightly trying to get it right.
"He is no concern of yours," Sofiya replied, tartly.
"Neither is he yours from what I've heard just now. He's set you free. Why bother him with your attentions now," The brown haired girl replied with her eyes firmly on her goal. With another light press on the stone the tunnel appeared gradually.
"He was never a tormenter to us but instead a brother. We will always be loyal to him."
"Brother?" Jza blurted with a incredulous smile. "I may not have any brothers but I should hope ones conduct is different from what you've-"
Tarquin abruptly slammed down on his knees making his audience cry out. He blinked multiple times as if losing his vision. The vacant expression on his face was one Jza had never seen on him making her reach his side before anyone else.
"There, I warned you. Do not waste his time soothing your ego. It will not do to be so preoccupied with yourself once you're free. The world ourside your harem requires hard work," The Princess scolded the girls scattered around her.
"What do you suggest we do then? You pretty, pampered, princess are hardly one to talk. After this war ends you will be back to reclining on cushions," The blonde was unhappy with the way Jza held the man from behind; allowing him to rest his uninjured back on her.
Jza eyes widened imperceptibly but the mocking tone was just bitter enough to assure it was just a jest with no real meaning. The word Princess was used as an insult.
"I'll go back to my uncle's farm. I shall milk the cows and wring chicken necks. That shall suit me very well," The girl kept her tone light and unconcerned.
"Charming," Tarquin drawled and Jza felt every tremble running through his body. Her hands slipped over the fresher blood covering him as she readjusted his position. He suddenly rested his head on her shoulder and his brown hair tickled her cheek.
"And what will you do next? You don't fool me with this talk of abandoning the castle. You just want to hide your true plans," She asked, ignoring how close he was that she could sense the freezing clamminess of his body through her clothes.
"Never doubt the firmness of my intentions. I never make such statements lightly," The injured man exclaimed with an odd sort of gravity to his voice, "And I assumed you would be half way out of the tunnels by now. Why do you delay your flight? I will live I promise. I shan't let you die."
His words jolted Jza for she had momentarily forgotten her life was bound by his. Her reason for aiding had truly been an instinct she had not thought twice about.
"Unlike you I am not a beast. Humanity matters more then even my life."
"Beast? He calls you such pretty names and you malign his generosity. He should have kicked you out to the wilderness when he realised you were worthless to his cause," Sofiya was quick to temper at the insult.
"Pretty names?" Jza asked pointedly. She sensed his throat working itself. She shook her head to keep the distracting thoughts out of her head. "His wounds need to be closed. Exsanguination is a major danger here. Does anyone here know how to sew?"
One girl pulled out a medical pouch from the bandages clearly pilfered from the infirmary but none volunteered.
"I am in acceptable condition. I just need time to recuperate. It has been a long day," The injured man rumbled. He let his body rest heavily against his former captive's.
"Hide him!" Sofiya abruply stood from her crouched position. Her eyes were darting to all the exits of the room, "He needs to be taken out of harm's way."
"Do not be preposterous," Tarquin snarled. His eyes too were firmly stuck on the door. Jza clearly was the only one possessing substandard hearing.
"Leave! When you rid yourself the responsibility of this castle you rid yourself of the consequences. We will take care of the traitors. None shall leave this castle alive. I vow it, I swear, I vow it I will complete our vengeance. We need to work under the cover of darkness which is not your style. Leave before the men arrive. We shall take the other tunnel," she hissed and nodded towards the desk.
"Is this goodbye?" The Lord asked, stonily. Jza helped ease him upwards, using a considerable amount of her strength until he stood. Two girls grasped his elbows for support.
"For now. Until we meet again," Sofiya's lower lip wobbled dangerously. She pulled out a delicate, gold, chain from underneath her fine clothing and placed it on his neck swiftly,"There, she is with you at last."
Jza's heart suffered interesting acrobatics just looking at the familar chain. It was not identical to the chain that contained her sisters but it was close. Tarquin seemed to have reached the same conclusion because his gaze lost all signs of weakness and hunted down her own. He now knew she hid a secret far bigger than he had imagined.
"Hide!" Sofiya whispered urgently as she frantically watched her own small army of girls dive behind the broken desk and into the secret tunnel. Jza and the other two girls brought Tarquin into the other tunnel and swiftly closed it behind them.
"Bring me the honey and then the thread," The Princess said once the Lord was settled on clean sheets. Her lips were a grim line as she observed the wounds now cleaned of the blood. She took one of the lantern from her helpers.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you leaving?" Tarquin asked. He had refused to lie down and instead chose to sit straight.
"What I am doing is losing my godforsaken mind. Damn it all to hell," Jza cursed the situation, alarming her companions as she sat down in a huff. She could not walk away, "The blood has stopped in all the shallow wounds except the one on the shoulder. They still need to be tended to if you are to live."
"Burn it. Use a dagger. I will tolerate the pain," His face twisted in a grimace as the brown haired girl dabbed his wounds in honey. She now sat cross legged in front of him on the floor. She had wrestled with the idea of leaving without a trace but her feet would not cooperate. Behind them the girls gasped in fear. Solid constitutions they did not possess.
"You are not an animal," Jza said, "Cauterisation is not for every wound. The flow has ebbed successfully for most wounds so it's quite unnecessary. Sewing it up shall help you better."
"Am I to presume you have sewn up many wounds back in your day?" The injured man taunted.
"Once upon a time I was a talented seamstress. The only clothes I wore on my body were made by my own hands," Jza replied, patiently although her body shivered at the prospect of such delicate needle work. She undid the ineffective leather band from her hair since most of her hair was really dangling loose. She also pulled out a large needle from the infirmary pouch. The girl behind them wailed hysterically at the sight of it. The other one had already taken to wimpering. It would have been funny if the situation wasn't so dire. Tarquin too shared her thoughts from the look of the smile of his face.
"Hush! Go help your mistress. This tunnel leads to all over the castle and I'm sure you know where to go. We will manage on our own," Jza asked them kindly. Their fear of needles was so palpable Jza could not help but be swayed by their terrified sounds. She needed her hands steady for this task.
"Bite into this," The girl offered the injured man the leather binding.
"I promise I won't scream. You can do whatever you want with me," His voice slurred slightly although his eyes were alert as he watched her every move.
She hastily looked away trying to focus on her task. He was teasing her even faced with the prospect of a painful end. Did nothing scare him?
"Do you have any spirits on your person? If there was ever a time to ingest them it is now," Jza announced hoping he had something to dull the pain but he gave her pointed look as if asking where on his half clothed body could he hide it.
Jza suddenly tasted blood and her tongue darted out to inspect her observation. Tarquin's hand reached out and his fingers slowly mapped her face, following his blood, that had transferred onto her face, until he reached her lip. He languidly thumbed the traces of blood on her lips with slow, searing movements. The look in his eyes burnt her more than his touch did.
"No intoxication could be as potent as your presence," His voice was gravelly and low.
"Stop distracting me," The girl's hand trembled in what she hoped was fear as she pushed his hand away.
"Am I a distraction? At least I can claim you don't think I'm a beast. You called me a human today," Tarquin smiled indulgenly. He placed the leather in his mouth and Jza pricked him with the needle in response.
