Damien pushed himself off the cold floor, determined to find her but the moment his weight shifted, pain lanced through his leg like a blade of fire. He hissed through clenched teeth, forcing his body upward even as the wound restricted him heavily. His vision blurred for a second and his hand flew to the wall to steady himself.
"Damn it," he growled under his breath, tightening his a jaw as the pain continued to spread through his leg.
Each step was agony, yet he dragged himself across the room to the cupboard tucked against the wall. His hand trembled as he yanked open the drawer, pulling free a small glass vial. The blood inside swirled dark and thick in his trembling hands. Without hesitation, he uncorked it and downed the contents in a go.
At first, the liquid burned cooled down his throat but after a few seconds, it shifted.
A violent heat surged inside him, spreading from his gut to his chest and ripping through his veins like molten glass. Damien's eyes widened in shock at the sudden intrusion. The vial slipped from his hand and shattered against the floor, spreading shards of it all over. His body arched as the pain roared to life, searing from his wounded leg straight into his heart.
His breath hitched, ragged and uneven. "No—" His words broke off into a hoarse cry as the heat clawed deeper, stripping away his control. His vision swam red as his fingers dug into his shoulder as though he could tear the agony out of himself.
Blinded by the burning torment, he resorted to his last option. A chant flowed out from his lips in quick succession despite the maddening pain that surged within him. The air in the room vibrated with it, dropping the temperature sharply even as fiery pain consumed his veins.
And then out of nowhere, Severin appeared.
The silver and dark-haired prince materialized without a sound, locking his sharp eyes immediately onto Damien. He took one step forward with a calm expression even after seeing how much pain he was in. As he neared him, his brow creased slightly.
Damien collapsed onto the floor with a heavy thud, unable to keep himself standing. Sweat streamed down his temples and his lips, dripping with the vial's content, curled in a feral snarl.
"Damien," Severin said evenly after looking at the hole on his leg. "What is wrong with you?"
Damien's head snapped up, his eyes wild and blazing with pain. He gave a hollow, strained and bitter laugh. "Can't you see how much pain I'm in? Shut the fuck up and do something you witch." His words came out in a growl dripped with venom. His teeth clenched so tight to tame the pain that his jaw started to tremble, staining his lips with his own blood.
Severin crouched beside him to take a closer look at it. His gaze flicked to the leg, where the fabric of Damien's jeans clung damply to the wound. With careful fingers, he pulled the cloth back just enough to see. Damien eyes blazed ten shade redder at his touch. He shot Severin a death glare that could send anyone cowering before him in minutes but Severin ignored the stares and leaned closer, inspecting it. The wound pulsed faintly with veins of black creeping outward like roots from a poisoned tree.
"How did you get this?" Severin asked with the same dull expression, though his eyes were sharp with unease.
Damien let out a ragged breath as he threw his head down. Gripping the side of his ribs, he sat up and faced him. His hair stuck in damp strands across his forehead. "I said shut up," he hissed. "Don't...ask me any fucking question and just do something!." he growled angrily at him like a beast that had just been shot.
Severin exhaled softly at his words. He straightened himself from his crouched position and stretched his hand. With one swift motion, he ripped the denim surrounding the wound, exposing the torn flesh.
Damien grunted at the sharp movement, digging his nails into the tiled floor, but still said nothing.
Severin placed his palm over the wound and slid his eyes closed. He began to chant in a smooth and steady voice. Dark words slipped from his tongue, each syllable weaving through the air like smoke.
Almost immediately, black mist seeped from his hand, curling and spreading across the wound. The room filled with the sharp scent of burnt iron and burning candles.
Damien clenched his teeth, tightening his muscles as the smoke pressed into his skin. He could feel it burrowing, fighting, wrestling with whatever poison it was that burned inside him. His back arched as the pain peaked, more sweat dripping down his temples and staining his shirt.
After what felt like an eternity, Severin's chant slowed before finally ending. His eyes opened and he looked down.
His expression hardened at what greeted him.
The wound hadn't closed. It hadn't healed not even a bit. If anything, it had worsened; the hole seemed to be digging deeper, the skin around it was darkening and the black veins crawled outward like cracks in stone.
Damien saw the look on his face and turned to look at the wound. With deadly sarcasm in his voice he chuckled darkly
"You made it worse?" he scoffed at him, throwing his head back. "...some magician you are." he continued in a mocking tone. Severin remained silent at his words but remained his gaze on him. Damien looked up and immediately guessed what he was thinking.
"Don't you dare..." he growled through clenched teeth.
Severin shook his head and answered him in a grim, serious tone. "This is beyond me. We'll need more help than I can give."
Damien slammed a fist into the floor, frustration bursting out of him. The tiled floor cracked instantly at the force with some pieces even turning to powder
"Fuck!." he cursed for the umpteenth time that day. "Then stop staring and freaking move!." he half yelled at him.
Without another word, Severin grabbed Damien's arm. Shadows coiled around them and the air temperature dropped, thickening with each passing second. In the blink of an eye, the room dissolved and was rid of their presence.
They reappeared at the mouth of a cave buried deep in an unknown forest outside the palace walls. Damien slumped heavily against Severin, his strength fading with every breath. His skin was pale now, his lips were drawn tight and his eyes were now a stinging red.
"Hold on," Severin said quietly, adjusting his grip. He hooked Damien's arm tighter around his shoulders, bearing his weight with ease. Step by step, he carried him forward.
The cave loomed ahead of them, dark and silent as the night. Severin stretched out his free hand and soon, ancient markings etched into the rock shimmered faintly, responding to his touch. The stone surface groaned before splitting open, revealing an entrance that hadn't been there before.
Without wasting another minute, Severin stepped inside with Damien slumped on his side. The cave mouth sealed behind them, shutting out the night and intruders....
..........
Meanwhile...
Cassian stood before a crystal ball glowing with a faint light. His lips curled into a sharp, deceitful smile as he watched the vision play across it. From it, he had seen Damien collapsing, Severin appearing and the two of them vanishing together.
He turned toward the Queen, who sat in composed stillness with her gaze fixed intently on the crystal. The glow lit her face warmly but her expression still remained unreadable.
"Tell me," Cassian said smoothly, turning towards Isolde, "was this all part of your plan?"
The Queen did not answer immediately. Her eyes remained locked on the glowing orb, watching the purple glow of it that was now devoid of any image. Only after a long pause did she speak in her low, curt voice
"The time is nearing...prince."
Cassian's smile widened the more, revealing his perfect set of white teeth. He folded his hands behind his back, lowering himself slightly closer to the queen
"That's more like it...Isolde."