Alive
869 Words
Ashur's POV
"Naamah!" I pulled her close, my hands shaking. "Naamah, look at me!"
Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused with pain. "I... I saw it coming... you didn't..."
"You foolish girl!" My voice cracked. "Why did you do that?"
"You would have died," she whispered.
Before she closed her eyes.
The rage inside me came out, something I had been holding back.
I laid her down gently, my hands covered in her blood. Then I stood and turned to face the remaining bandits.
The lead bandit took a step back. "Wait.."
I ignored his words, I felt nothing but rage. The need to destroy the men who'd hurt her.
The first man didn't even have time to raise his weapon. My blade took him across the throat. He gurgled and fell.
The second tried to run. I grabbed him by his hair and drove my sword through his back, twisting as I pulled it free.
The lead bandit finally turned to flee, but I he wasn't fast enough. I tackled him to the ground, my fist crashing into his face again and again.
"She's innocent!" I roared. "She had nothing to do with this!"
Blood and teeth spattered across my knuckles. He tried to speak, to beg, but I couldn't hear anything over the roaring in my ears.
Suddenly, hands grabbed me from behind, pulling me back.
"Brother! Ashur, stop!"
Marduk's voice cut through the haze. I struggled against his grip, still trying to reach the bandit.
"He's dead, Ashur! He's already dead!"
I stopped fighting and looked down. The bandit's face was a ruined mess of blood and broken bone. His eyes stared at nothing.
Around us, soldiers I hadn't noticed surrounded the clearing. They must have come with Marduk. Several wounded bandits were being restrained. Bodies lay scattered across the forest floor.
"The princess," I gasped. "Where is she"
"Shira's with her," Marduk said, releasing me. "She's alive, brother. But we need to get her back to the palace. Now."
I stumbled over to where Naamah lay. Shira had torn a strip from her own dress and was pressing it against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. The arrow was still lodged in Naamah's shoulder.
Naamah's eyes were closed with her face pale
"Is she.."
"She's breathing," Shira said, tears streaming down her face. "But barely. We have to move her carefully. "
"I'll carry her." I bent down and slid my arms under her body, lifting her as gently as I could.
She made a small sound of pain but didn't wake.
"My lord," one of the soldiers said, approaching cautiously. "One of them escaped. He ran east toward the river."
I looked down at Naamah in my arms. Her blood was soaking into my tunic, warm and wet.
"Marduk," I said quietly. "Take her. Get her back to the palace. Have the physicians ready."
"Brother..."
"Do it!" I carefully transferred Naamah into his arms. She looked so small, so fragile. "Ride fast. Don't stop for anything."
Marduk's face was grim, but he nodded. "What about you?"
"I'm going after the one who escaped." My voice was cold, empty. "I'm not letting any of them live."
"Ashur,"
"That's an order."
Marduk looked like he wanted to argue, but Shira spoke up. "Please, Prince Marduk. She's dying. We have to go now."
He turned and ran for the horses, Naamah cradled against his chest. Shira followed close behind.
I watched them disappear through the trees, then turned to my soldiers. "Give me a horse. And a bow."
They obeyed without question.
I mounted quickly and kicked the horse into a gallop, heading east. The soldiers called after me, but I ignored them.
The forest blurred past. Branches whipped at my face. I didn't care.
All I could see was Naamah stepping in front of that arrow. Her face tight with fear but determined. Willing to die for me.
No one had ever done that before. No one.
I spotted movement ahead. The bandit, running hard, glancing back over his shoulder.
He saw me and ran faster, but he was on foot and I was mounted. There was no escape.
I closed the distance quickly and leaped from my horse while it was still moving. I crashed into him and we both went down, rolling across the ground.
He scrambled to his feet, pulling a knife from his belt. "Stay back! I'm warning you!"
I stood slowly, drawing my sword. Blood covered my arms, my chest, my face. I must have looked like a demon.
"Please," he gasped, backing away. "Please, I have a family. Children. I was just trying to feed them. We didn't know it was really you. We thought..."
"Yet you shot her," I said quietly.
"It was an accident! The arrow was meant for you! We didn't mean..."
"You. Shot. Her."
He dropped to his knees, hands clasped together. "Please! I'll do anything! I'll leave Babel! You'll never see me again! Just let me live!"
I looked at him. Really looked at him. He was young, maybe twenty. Thin and desperate. Probably telling the truth about having a family.
I didn't care.
I raised my sword.
"No! NO! PLEASE...."
The blade came down.
- Writer
