Chapter 373: Bloodbath (3)
Julie stood up when there was silence, and she didn’t see any more men coming toward Rue. She was still scared, and the thought that she had shot two of the men to help Rue filled her mind.
Julie had not shot anyone before. She missed most of the time when she shot today, but there was no mistake that she hit two men.
"Rue!" Julie called out to Rue, who ran.
Rue dropped her sword and dropped to the ground when she reached Gideon.
Rue lowered herself to check if he was breathing, then checked his pulse. It was faint, but Gideon was still alive.
Julie ran out to Rue and stayed beside her. She kept looking around for any signs of danger.
"Will he be well?" Julie asked, hoping Gideon would pull through.
"No. He’s been shot one too many times, and we are too far away for a doctor to see him. I’ve not seen anyone survive after being shot in the chest so many times. Those weapons are evil. They make it too easy for someone with no talent to kill," Rue said, growing to hate guns even more.
Julie placed the gun behind her to avoid upsetting Rue.
"The carriage is there. We can place him there along with the others and go to the palace. I hear the palace doctors work wonders. We must try to save them. We must do something to repay their efforts," Julie said, reaching for Rue’s hand to calm her.
Rue looked at the carriage in the distance. "We must move quickly. I will-"
"No," Julie said, shaking her head. "He has enough strength to cling to your hand. I will get the carriage and gather horses that are not injured."
"Your coachman," Rue said, worried the sight would make Julie lose her sanity.
Julie bitterly smiled. It was a sight she didn’t want to see, but she needed to continue being brave.
"I will be fine. I will be quick," Julie said, running off.
They didn’t have any time to spare.
Rue watched Julie, ensuring that she got to the carriage safely and there wasn’t anyone to give a surprise attack.
Once Julie was safely in the carriage, Rue looked down at Gideon.
Gideon squeezed her hand, but it wasn’t strong. He was weak, but at the very least, he was aware that she was beside him.
"I am going to kill everyone who had a hand in this. I won’t rest until they are dead. You must know that I am well. Thanks to what you did, I am well, and I will take you back to my father in the palace. All of you," Rue promised.
Rue looked up at the others who had been shot and lay still on the grass. She hoped that someone would see another day.
"The border will not rest until everyone here is avenged," Rue promised.
It didn’t matter if it would go against what the king wanted.
Rue had people to avenge. Some of the men here had families. This matter would not end without others dying.
"Go."
Rue looked down after hearing Gideon’s voice. It was soft and almost seemed to be a hallucination of her mind, but Rue was certain it was his voice.
"I am not going anywhere. We are going to take all of you to the palace, and you’ll receive the finest care there. You must hold on for me a lot longer. You have been at my side too long for you to just leave like this. I cannot be without you, so hold on," Rue pleaded.
They both needed to make it back to the border.
"I got it!" Rue heard in the distance.
"I need to move you now. It’s going to hurt a lot, but you must endure it for a moment. Just a little longer," Rue spoke softly.
Rue couldn’t shake the feeling that Gideon wasn’t going to make it all the way to the palace, but like Julie said, they had to try.
Rue sniffled, holding back her tears. Since Gideon could hear her voice, she didn’t want to worry him.
"Time to get you up," Rue said, carefully standing up.
Rue positioned herself behind Gideon, placing her hands under Gideon’s arms so she could lift him into the carriage, which was coming closer.
"I’m sorry," Rue apologised as faint groans were heard. "I don’t have any other way of getting you inside. Just hold on for a little longer."
Julie stopped the carriage and jumped to the side to help Rue.
"I’ll lift his legs," said Julie.
Rue glanced at Julie and noticed the tears streaming down Julie’s cheek. Julie was scared out of her mind and brokenhearted by all the deaths, but she was fighting it to help.
Together, Rue and Julie got Gideon into the carriage. Then, one after the other, they got the other guards into the carriage. Julie’s coachman was the last one to be placed inside.
They wasted no time getting to the front of the carriage and headed toward the palace.
Rue sat with her sword in her hands, while Julie kept the gun near.
Julie was the one to take control of the carriage since Rue appeared to need a moment to compose herself.
"I have a handkerchief if you want to wipe away the blood. Is any of it your blood?" Julie asked, worried Rue was injured.
"It is not my blood, and I am not ready to remove it. I said that I would bathe in their blood, and I meant it. Their blood will stain my armour for as long as it can, and I will decorate it with the blood of Cassius," Rue said, making a vow to herself.
"Cassius?" Julie repeated, puzzled by the mention of a man she knew of. "Isn’t he the man who showed interest in Penelope? Is he involved in this?"
"One of those men said he was the one who hired them. I don’t care who he has an interest in or who he is close to. I will kill him and everyone around him," Rue said, gripping her sword.
Rue wouldn’t be able to rest until she had Cassius’s head in her hands and saw his body burning.
"I don’t understand. Why would Cassius want to attack you? Were you or your father at odds with him? Surely he knew how foolish it would be to attack your family," said Julie.
"His reason doesn’t matter to me. All that matters is that he will die. You must go faster," Rue said, needing to get to the palace sooner.
Once the guards were dropped off at the palace, Rue was going to head out in search of Cassius.