Chapter 372: Bloodbath (2)
"Why did we get off the horses? We could have gotten away," Julie said, worried they were going to be caught.
"We wouldn’t have been able to outrun them, and I have to go back to help the others. The horses are trained to come back to us, and when it does, you must get on one when I say and leave," Rue ordered Julie.
Julie shook her head.
Julie was afraid and wanted to get far away from here, but she knew she couldn’t leave Rue.
"I can’t go without you. I-I know how to use a gun," Julie said, hoping Rue had one.
Rue peeped above the bushes, which she planned to hide Julie behind until the danger was gone.
"Are you certain you know how to use a gun?" Rue asked, having a plan.
Julie nodded. "I do. My father taught me how to use it. I am not the best at using a gun, but I know how to aim and shoot. I can also reload."
Rue rummaged through the satchel she took off the horse and pulled out a small gun along with the bullets for it. "Then, as I fight them, you must aim. No matter what, pull the trigger when anyone comes near you. You mustn’t show any mercy because they will kill you."
"Julie," Rue said, touching Julie’s chin to force her to look up. "It is either they die or you die. You must make it back to your family."
Julie swallowed her fears. Now was the time to be brave so she wouldn’t be a burden on Rue and the other guards.
"We will both make it back home," said Julie.
Rue reached for her sword. She was lucky to be coming from the palace, so she wore armour.
"I must reach the others because they are outnumbered, but I will come back for you soon. My guards and I seem to be the target. If I do not return to you, look around, and when it is safe, get a horse and go to the palace. Send for my father," Rue instructed Julie.
With time limited and more gunshots heard in the distance, Rue slipped away from Julie, keeping herself low so she could have a surprise attack.
Rue wanted her guards to be well. Even for the guard and coachman who travelled with Julie to be well.
Rue’s first thought was that these men were attacking her people because they were from the border and wished to create a right between her people and this kingdom.
Rue ran to where she noticed Gideon was still putting up a fight along with the other guards. The carriage had stopped, and to the front of it, the coachman was hunched over, not moving.
There was a trail of men on the ground back where Rue had come from. Some horses lay still beside their riders while others either lay on the ground, releasing cries since they were shot, or the others ran away now that they were no longer under the command of their owners.
As soon as Rue was spotted, all attention went to her since she was the one they wanted.
No harm was to befall Rue since Cassius wanted to do it himself.
The men attacking Rue’s guards had strict instructions.
Either get the girl or be the ones who end up dead.
Gideon gritted his teeth. His right hand was shot and in too much pain for him to use, but still, he pushed forward to fight.
Many of Gideon’s men had fallen, but they had gotten rid of most of the attackers before they fell.
"Go, Rue! Get out of here!" Gideon yelled to Rue.
Rue needed to get away, not only for there to be someone to speak of this, but because she was a royal. If Rue were to be injured on this land, there would be a war.
Rue turned around to run, but she didn’t have any intentions of leaving her guards behind. She ran back to the trees and bushes, which she could use to her advantage.
Seeing how many of her guards had fallen filled Rue with rage. She was not going to leave until all the men responsible for the deaths were killed, and they gave names for who else was involved.
Rue ran away from where Julie was hidden, but still close enough for Julie to be able to take a shot to help her.
Since she was not shot, Rue realised that they wanted to take her captive. She would earn these men quite the reward if she were caught.
"Come here, pretty princess."
Rue stopped and swung her sword as she turned, aiming for the man closest to her. She aimed for his abdomen and knocked the man off the horse.
The others slowed down their horses and gathered around Rue.
Rue noticed that Gideon wasn’t around to help her and thought the worst. She glared at the men around her.
"A little lady clad in armour and holding a sword too big for her. This isn’t something you see every day," said Lennox, the maid leading the attack. "Why don’t you put down the sword and come with us? Your guards are all gone. We’re not going to hurt you."
"I’m certain you won’t," Rue replied.
It wouldn’t be Rue to be wounded. It would be these very men who snickered and thought she was playing dress up with the armour.
Rue had been judged from the first time she stepped into this kingdom. The women thought she was strange for how she dressed, and the men questioned her ability to use a sword.
Rue liked it when she was underestimated because she was going to teach these men a lesson which would result in their deaths.
"Who sent you?" Rue asked, needing a name.
Lennox smiled as he got down from his horse, followed by the four men left alive.
Lennox was thrilled to come across such a strange young lady with a fierce gaze.
"I heard the women from the border are quite special, but I’ve never had the chance to see one. Why don’t you put down the sword and come up here on my horse? I’ll take care of you," Lennox said, grinning ear to ear.
"Cassius never said-"
"You fool," Lennox glared at the man who slipped up. "Well, she’s not going anywhere. You’re all alone besides your lady friend. Come with us, and we won’t hurt your friend too much."
"Cassius? So that’s the one I must go after. When this is all over, I am going to bathe in your blood," Rue said, gripping her sword as she prepared for a fight to the death.
Lennox laughed at her stance, but his laughter soon ceased when a shot rang through the air, taking down one of his men, and just as he looked away, Rue charged at him.