Chapter 38 - 36- The Grand Duke Is Sick?

Darian felt hot.

Maybe a fever was settling in, perhaps it was one of the consequences of using his Dragon power. He had already coughed up some blood earlier, and now his skin felt like it was burning from the inside. Even the cold night air did little to cool him down.

They had gotten to the waterfall shortly after disposing of the men, and now all Darian wanted was to find Neria and get home.

But where was Neria?

He pulled the reins of the horse as he followed Ryver toward the lake, his eyes moving across the dark surroundings.

"Where is she?" he asked impatiently.

The elf looked slightly nervous. "Probably in the water."

He moved closer to the edge of the lake and looked around.

"Nerry! Where are you?" he called, his thick accent carrying over the roar of the waterfall.

Nothing answered him.

Ryver nervously looked back at Darian, who had already narrowed his eyes at him.

Ryver gave an awkward laugh. "She’s maybe deep in the water."

His voice was barely audible against the deafening sound of the waterfall.

Darian sighed and looked around the scenery. The waterfall cascaded down from the high cliffs above, the rushing water crashing into the pool below. Moonlight reflected across the surface, broken apart every time the water hit the lake.

Then Darian lowered his gaze toward the pool.

Something caught his attention.

He frowned. "What is that floating on the surface?"

Ryver turned immediately, his eyes squinting as he tried to get a better look through the darkness and the mist hanging over the lake.

Darian stepped forward, his gaze still at the direction Ryver was looking.

Then he saw her.

"Fuck! That’s Neria!"

He didn’t think.

Darian stepped straight into the water, the cold hitting his legs before he pushed himself forward and started swimming toward her. She was almost at the center of the lake, her body moving with the gentle pull of the water, her eyes closed and her hair floating wildly around her face.

The farther he swam, the worse the heat inside his body became. It made no sense. The water was freezing, yet his skin felt like it was burning beneath it, the feverish heat only growing stronger with every stroke.

He ignored it.

He had to save Neria.

When he finally reached her, Darian grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against him, keeping her head above the surface as he turned back toward the shore. She didn’t react. Her body was completely limp against him.

"Neria," he called, but she didn’t answer.

Darian swam faster.

By the time he reached the shore, his breathing was heavy. He dragged her out of the water and immediately laid her flat on her back, pushing the wet hair away from her face.

Her lips were blue. Her skin was frighteningly pale, and her chest barely moved.

Darian’s stomach dropped.

"How could you push her into the water?" he said sharply to Ryver, dropping beside Neria as he interwined his fingers together and placed his hands against her chest.

He pressed down hard.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

"In my defense," Ryver started "have you ever seen a fish that can’t swim?"

Darian ignored him, his hands still on Neria’s chest as he kept going in a steady rhythm of one, two, three. He pressed harder each time, his arms already starting to ache, but he didn’t stop.

"Come on, Neria." He pressed down again. "Come on."

He couldn’t let her die on him. Not now. Not when she was with him.

He had told her he would protect her. He had promised that no one would hurt her while she was on this mission with him, and yet somehow they had still managed to take her right from under his nose.

"Come on, come on." His heart hammered against his chest as he kept pressing, refusing to slow down. He did it again and again, watching her face for any sign that she was still there.

One.

Two

Thre—

Then Neria suddenly jerked beneath his hands.

She started coughing.

Darian froze.

Another cough tore through her, followed by a small gasp as water spilled from her mouth. She turned slightly onto her side, coughing harder as she struggled to pull air into her lungs. Her fingers curled weakly against the wet earth while she dragged in another shaky breath.

"Oh, thank the gods."

Darian dropped onto his back beside her, staring up at the night sky as he dragged in a deep breath. His chest rose and fell heavily, his heartbeat still refusing to slow.

For a moment, he simply lay there.

He could hear Neria coughing beside him. Then he heard her take a few heavy breaths, each one shaky but unmistakably alive.

"Darian."

He sat up immediately hearing her call him by his name.

She was still on the ground, her eyes slightly opened as she stared somewhere in his direction.

"I can’t swim," she added weakly.

Darian stared at her.

For a second, he didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh, scream, or be grateful.

"You nearly drowned," he finally said, his voice quieter than before.

Neria blinked slowly.

"I know."

Darian rubbed a hand over his face and let out a tired breath. "Ryver," he muttered, "I’m going to kill you."

Ryver lowered himself onto the ground beside them with a tired groan. "Spare me..." He turned toward Neria, who was still sitting on the damp ground, her wet hair clinging to her face. "And don’t glare at me. I had no idea you couldn’t swim."

Darian sighed, dragging a hand over his face. His body was still burning, the heat beneath his skin getting worse instead of fading. Even sitting there in the cold air, with the mist from the waterfall settling over him, he could feel sweat gathering along the back of his neck.

"There are Calypsos in that man’s caravan," Neria said, pushing herself into a sitting position. Her voice was still weak from coughing, but there was concern in it.

"Don’t worry. He’s dead," Ryver assured her.

Neria’s head turned toward him. "Then what about the Calypsos? How will they make it home?"

Darian stared at her pale face for a moment. Her lips were still slightly blue, and her whole body was trembling from the cold, yet somehow she was already worrying about someone else.

"Ryver will take them to the coast."

"I will?" Ryver’s eyes widened.

"Yes, you—"

Darian stopped when a cough suddenly tore through his chest. He bent forward, covering his mouth with his hand. When he pulled it away, there was blood across his palm.

Ryver’s expression immediately changed.

Darian swallowed, ignoring the burning in his chest as he tried to straighten himself. Another cough came, harsher than the first, and more blood stained his lips.

"I need to get back to the estate..." he managed.

"Okay... okay." Ryver was already getting to his feet, worry written across his face as he looked down at Darian, who was struggling just to stand. "But can you go alone?"

"I am fine." Darian forced himself upright, though his knees nearly gave beneath him. He steadied himself against the horse before looking toward Neria. "I will be with Neria."

Ryver stared at him.

"Yeah, that’s not much help."

Darian glared at him.

Ryver only sighed.

Ryver took Neria’s hand and pulled her up, his fingers immediately tightening around hers when he felt how cold she was.

"Gosh, you’re cold."

As if to prove his point, Neria sneezed.

Ryver stared at her, already looking worried as he glanced between her and Darian. He seemed to be trying to figure out how they were supposed to make it all the way back to the estate like this.

When Darian went to bring the horse over, Ryver pulled Neria closer and lowered his voice.

"Look... when you get to a town, ask them for help before you continue, okay?" he whispered. "I have a feeling he’s going to pass out soon."

Neria frowned, but she nodded.

Ryver sighed before turning and heading in the opposite direction.

Neria watched him disappear into the darkness before turning back toward Darian. A moment later, he returned with the horse, and she climbed onto it with him.

---

Neria wasn’t sure how far they had made it, but the Grand Duke had been coughing almost every few seconds.

The sound was deep and rough, coming from somewhere in his chest, and every time it happened his body tensed behind her. Neria could feel the movement through his arms where they rested around her, and although she could barely see his face, she could tell he was in pain.

The night had grown quieter around them. The sounds of the forest seemed distant as the horse carried them between the trees, its hooves pressing into the soft earth.

Neria glanced up at Darian again.

His head had lowered slightly.

"Grand Duke?"

He didn’t answer.

She was about to call him again when the horse suddenly slowed.

Neria frowned.

Then Darian fell.

His body slipped from the saddle and hit the ground beside the horse with a heavy thud.

Neria froze.

The horse stopped completely, standing a few steps away from him.

"We have to go to the Grand Duke," she told the stallion, reaching out and brushing a hand over its mane. "Come on."

The horse seemed to stare at her before finally stepping backward.

Neria jumped down from its back, stretching her legs carefully before moving toward Darian. She still wasn’t used to them, and the last thing she needed was to fall on top of him.

She reached out.

Her foot hit something.

She stopped immediately.

Neria lowered herself and felt around until her fingers found Darian’s shoulder.

"Grand Duke?"

He didn’t respond.

Her fingers moved toward his face, but there was no reaction. His breathing was slow, and she could feel the heat radiating from his skin even in the cold night air.

Neria swallowed.

She grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the nearest tree, though it took far more effort than she expected. By the time she managed to get him sitting against the trunk, her arms were aching.

"Horsy," she called, looking around nervously. "Horsy?"

A moment later, the stallion answered with a soft neigh.

A small smile formed on her face.

At least it hadn’t left.

Neria looked back down at Darian.

This was the best time to run.

She could disappear into the forest while he was unconscious. No one would stop her. She wouldn’t have to listen to his orders or wonder what he was going to do with her once they returned to the estate.

Her hand moved instinctively to the collar around her neck.

But she couldn’t. Not with the collar still there.

And besides...

It felt wrong to leave him here like this.

Neria stared at him for a long moment, listening to the faint sound of his breathing.

Then she sighed.

"Why do you have to make everything so difficult?"

She lowered herself slightly and placed her hand on his forehead. He felt very hot beneath her palm, the heat almost surprising her after the cold water she had just been in. She was about to pull away when his hand suddenly caught hers.

He pulled her closer.

Neria stumbled, losing her balance, and fell against him.

"No," he breathed, his voice barely audible. His arm tightened around her as he pulled her closer. "Cool..." he trailed off, his breath warm against her skin.

Neria didn’t move.

She felt his arms wrap around her, his body still burning despite the cold air surrounding them. A moment later, he buried his face into the crook of her neck, his breathing uneven against her skin.

Neria stared into the darkness, completely unsure of what she was supposed to do.

Well...

This wasn’t all bad.

She was freezing herself.