Chapter 119


    #119 The White Witch


    She could barely breathe, his tight fingers around her throat, yet all her blood had left her face. Her


    limbs were tingling, as she was fighting to stay awake. Facing her, Lephys was enjoying her panicked


    state, his grip tightening as a vicious smirk was spreading on his lips. This time, he really resembled


    Vrehan, with that look in his eyes. Cassandra tried to think, to grab his wrist, but he suddenly let go. .


    Cassandra fell on her knees, coughing and gasping for some air. She could already tell the bruises he


    had left on her skin, but for now, she was just focused on recovering as fast as she could. She had to


    stay alert.


    “I don’t trust Opheus enough to stay here,” he said.


    Then, he grabbed her wrists, still tightly blocked in his whip, and pulled, making her fall forward,


    painfully hurting her shoulder. Cassandra grimaced. She had shbacks of that time she had been


    dragged across the Pce, the day of the Celebrations… This time, she fought to get up before he


    could drag her on the floor anymore. Lephys had started walking, without caring if she was following or


    not, his whip acting like a leash that would drag her along. Painfully, Cassandra managed to find her


    bnce and get back on her feet right on time. With her hands so tightly tied like this, she had no


    choice but to follow him inside the corridors,


    She couldn’t recognize where they were headed at, but she didn’t like that they were getting deeper


    inside the Pce and further away from the Emperor. Cassandra prayed that the fourth Brother would


    get Missandra to the Old Emperor, and somehow find a way to save the old man…


    Lephys looked absolutely sure of himself as he was walking through the many, many corridors. Were


    his apartments always this far? Cassandra waspletely lost, but then, she recognized an area they


    were in.


    The Lake. They were close to therge garden, the one where the New Year Celebrations had been


    held a few weeks prior. She recognized the corridor they were walking through the same one that she


    and Kairen had isted themselves in… Those memories had her blush slightly despite the situation. If


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    only she could go back to those days, to those strong arms. However, she had more pressing matters


    to think about. The Emperor had tried to tell her something about the Lake, what was it? She could now


    see it through the windows, but no matter how many times she tried to nce at it, there was nothing


    special happening there. There weren’t even any concubines chatting or taking the tea, or servants


    walking by! Most of the Imperial Pce seemed strangely empty now…


    Suddenly, two horn blows resonated throughout the Pce’s walls. Lephys, still walking ahead of her,


    suddenly stopped, and grimaced, turning his head.


    “Damn it! That bastard is back sooner than I expected!”


    “What? Who?” Asked Cassandra, a cold shiver running down her spine.


    “Vrehan! Anyway, let’s do this quick before he gets here…


    As he dragged her faster, Cassandra’s body shivered. The Second Prince was back already? What


    about Kairen, then? How far was he, with the Imperial Army? If Vrehan was back now, he would go to


    find the Emperor, perhaps even kill him! Moreover, Opheus and Missandra were now more in danger


    than ever!


    While she panicked, Cassandra didn’t realize that they had finally arrived at the fifth Prince’s


    apartments. Before she could fight back, he opened wide the door to a bedroom, where two women


    wereying, both naked except for some very heavy jewelry around their neck, arms, and ankles. The


    fifth Prince red at them.


    “Out!” He yelled.


    After a short disappointed look, both women left hurriedly. Then, Lephys suddenly agitated his whip,


    and Cassandra was thrown on the bed. She fell on her side, but still moved her wrists immediately,


    trying to free herself desperately. She heard a chuckle.


    “That’s a bit toote, woman. Or do you think you can escape an Imperial Prince? A man with the


    Dragon’s blood?”


    Cassandra red at him, not even bothering to answer. Lephys was not worthy of that Dragon Blood


    he carried. He was just a horrible, disgusting character she was starting to hate even more than his


    second brother.


    She kept wriggling her wrists, trying to lessen the sp despite the fiber cutting her skin. It was painful,


    and she could feel her flesh ripped, but she had no choice. She had to hurry before it was toote.


    Before her, Lephys was watching her struggle, visibly amused. A snicker on his face, he started


    undressing, taking off his outfit slowly. When he put one knee on the bed, Cassandra froze to re at


    him.


    *Don’t touch me,” she hissed.


    “Oh, I will do much more than touch you. I even bet you’ll like it. Women just can’t deny their pleasure.


    Those whores just want sex, and just like you, they like to refuse me just for the y. You are all like


    that. You act all prude and innocent, but you just want to be fucked by a strong man. Don’t pretend


    you’re all about my brother. Once I’m done with you, you will beg me to keep you, as they all do…”


    “I’d rather die,” she retorted.


    Cassandra felt like throwing up already. She didn’t care much about what his concubines really felt of


    Lephys, but she was nothing but disgusted. That man was a monster, a sick pervert. She couldn’t even


    fathom this man having the same blood as Kairen. She would not let him touch her, no way.


    As he climbed on the bed, she tried to retreat, wiggling back on the bed, trying to crawl away as far as


    she could. Her hands were tied, but not her legs, and she was ready to kick if he got too close. Lephys’


    smile got even wider as she kept furiously ring at him.


    “I like them feisty… I can’t wait to tame you, and show my brother that his little cunt has be mine.


    Kairen thinks he is so much better than all of us. I can’t wait to see the face he’ll make once he learns I


    fucked his woman, his beloved witch…”


    “You won’t touch me,” hissed Cassandra, furious.


    She was ready to fight, bite, and scratch him with all she had. Never had she had such a fiery,


    murderous look in her green eyes before. She had learned from Kairen.


    The fifth prince suddenlyughed, and, with a sudden movement of his hands, undid his whip around


    her wrists. Cassandra looked at her free hands, shocked, the red mark still buried deep on her skin, but


    then, the Prince got closer, half of his body above her before she could react. She tried to kick him, but


    his hand reacted immediately, catching her ankle mid-air with a grin.


    “You can’t escape me. Do you think you can oppose me, fight me? I am a Prince, and you’re nothing


    but a weak woman. You’d better learn to lie down and obey because I intend to have my way with you


    until Vrehan gets in.”


    Cassandra wasn’t even listening anymore. She didn’t care what horrible ns he had for her or how


    long it’d take for his second brother to get there. None of this was going to happen. She struggled to


    turn around on her stomach, despite her ankle still trapped in his head. She heard himugh behind


    her, but she was busy retrieving what she had hidden in her sleeve earlier…


    “What are you doing, witch? You think that’s it? Oh, or is that an invitation to your…”


    “I said don’t touch me!” Suddenly shout Cassandra.


    Before the young Prince could react, she suddenly turned around and sat up, and her arm flew in his


    direction. This time, he was a second toote. His other hand holding him on the mattress, and one still


    holding her leg, he didn’t have time to block Cassandra’s hand. He saw iting, his eye catching the


    silver glimpse. Actually, he didn’t even understand the risk until a sharp pain pierced his neck. 3


    The fifth Prince made a horrible screeched, and his blood heavily sttered them both. His eyes wide


    open in surprise, Lephys let go of her ankle, his fingers shivering, going up to touch the weapon that


    had just stabbed him. He could feel the warm blood running down his neck, and the sharp piece of


    metal stuck in his neck. He


    spasmed, for several seconds,pletely shaken by the waves of pain. His eyes were wide open on


    Cassandra has she jumped out of the bed. It was clear he could not understand what had just


    happened. She was shivering in fear, stepping away from him, but she had done it. Opheus’ long


    earring was deep inside his flesh, nted there and not moving. She saw Lephys’ eyes following her


    moves as he gagged several times, trying to talk.


    “Y… You… witch…”


    “I’m not a witch,” she retorted, out of breath. “I’m a physician.”


    With thosest words, Cassandra turned around and ran out of the bedroom as fast as she could. She


    knew she probably didn’t have any second to lose. She had aimed right for his carotid artery and


    stabbed as hard as she could, but she had no idea how fast he’d recover. She had seen Kairen heal


    some deep cuts in a matter of seconds, but she had never seen how his brother’s healing abilities


    were. Moreover, if it was a normal man she had stabbed, he would have been dead in minutes. She


    wasn’t as blind as to think the fifth Prince would die from this, though…


    Hence, Cassandra kept running across the corridors, desperate to find her way back. The reality of


    what had just happened was hitting her slowly, but she didn’t have time to stop. She had just tried to


    murder an Imperial Prince but, strangely enough, she had more pressing concerns right now. She was


    worried about the Emperor, Opheus, Missandra, and more importantly, she was terrified to face


    Vrehan, or his sister.


    Cassandra wasn’t familiar with this part of the Pce, and she was afraid to go the wrong way, or


    make a bad encounter. However, she needed to go back, and fast. If Lephys recovered, he’d soon


    know the white witch had assassinated the fifth Prince!


    Suddenly, she heard it. Steps, rushing behind her..


    “Come back, you whore!”


    A cold shiver ran down her spine. How could he be back on his feet and running already! Cassandra


    elerated, but that was too much on her body for one day. The climbing had been easier than she


    thought, but sneaking by a window, riding a dragon, fighting off a rapist Prince and running probably


    wasn’t rmended for a woman who had given birth not ten days ago! 4


    She was desperate. There was no sign of Kairen’s return, but Vrehan was back, and he would soon


    know she was here. All she had managed to do was to win a bit of time for the Emperor, but this may


    have all been for nothing.


    Finally, Cassandra ran into a familiar corridor, the one with its windows open on the garden with the


    grew in Cassandra’s eyes. She wasn’t going to make it. She knew the way back to where the Emperor


    was, but even if Opheus was still there, she wouldn’t get there in time. The fifth Prince was catching up


    on her, and from the sound of his steps,pared to her speed, it would be over in a couple of


    minutes. (2)


    Cassandra felt like breaking down in pieces. She was going to die. What had she aplished? She


    was either going to die or be captured! She cried without stopping. Kassian, her baby, her little baby,


    she needed to see him, hold him onest time. And Kairen. Her man, her war god. She didn’t want to


    die before having seen him onest time, just onest time…


    “You wench, stop!”


    Cassandra heard the snap of the whip, and a sharp pain pierced her back. Lephys’ whip. She felt like


    screaming in pain. He had cut her so deep! She stumbled forward, almost falling, but something kept


    her going. She managed to keep her feet steady and keep running.


    She couldn’t stop now, she couldn’t give in. No matter what…


    Suddenly, a loud horn resonated in the air. Cassandra heard Lephys’ steps stop, and she couldn’t help


    but nce behind her shoulder. The Prince had stopped running, his eyes wide open towards one of


    the windows.


    “The Eastern Army…?” He whispered.


    Cassandra’s heart jumped in her chest. Kairen’s army! The Army from the North Camp! They were in


    the Capital! She felt an incredible wave of adrenaline and kept running before Lephys chased her


    again. She still had a chance! Just a slim chance, if the Eastern Army was there, then either Kairen or


    Shareen, too…


    “Come back, you damn witch! I will kill you before his eyes!”


    The voice behind her couldn’t hold her back. Cassandra took a sharp turn, entering another corridor.


    She stopped abruptly.


    At the end of that corridor, Vrehan was standing in the middle of the way, ring at her. Cassandra’s


    lips trembled. She stepped back without thinking, despite the running steps that weren’t stopping


    behind her. For a second, she wondered if she wasn’t hallucinating, if she wasn’t having some day time


    nightmare. It couldn’t be. Not now, of all times. However, the second Prince was standing still, in a


    military outfit, his eyes on her like a snake about to kill its prey. A shiver ran down her spine as she


    witnessed the long sword by his side.


    “Finally,” he hissed. “We meet again, white witch….