The Princess's Revenge Chapter 49

Valencia’s POV

The sharp, urgent ringing of the warning bell shattered the air. Three rapid strikes, then three more, echoing off the cliff walls. My heart leaped with desperate hope.

Three sharp bell rings - that's the fire signal. Someone pulled the alarm upstairs. I should go see what's happening.

I looked down at Xander's lifeless body, blood still pooling beneath his broken neck. The sight made my chest tighten with grief and rage. Trust me, I will make them pay.

I found a jagged piece of stone embedded in the path and used it to secure Landon's horse. The animal was nervous, stamping its hooves and pulling against the reins, but the stone held firm. I might need this horse later.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to focus. I needed help, and the only people who could provide it were at the stone house. Dr. Vance and the others had taken the antidote - they should be recovering by now.

I ran back through the burning food storage as I held my breath. Flames roared around me, consuming everything in sight. As I pushed through the smoke, a burning piece of wood fell from above and landed on my chemise.

"No!" I gasped, panic flooding through me.

The fabric caught fire immediately. Orange flames spread across my sleeve and up toward my shoulder. I frantically patted at the fire with my hands, expecting to feel searing pain at any moment.

But there was no agony. No burning sensation.

I stared at my arm in shock. The flames licked at my skin, but I felt only warmth - not the excruciating pain I should have been experiencing.

What's happening to me?

I quickly smothered the last of the flames with my hands, extinguishing them completely. When I examined my arm, there were no burns. My skin was completely unharmed.

This is impossible.

But I didn't have time to think about it now. The storage room was an inferno, and I needed to get out before the ceiling collapsed.

I burst into the main corridor, gasping for clean air. Dr. Vance and several servants came toward me, their faces filled with fear and confusion.

"Valencia!" Dr. Vance called out, his voice urgent. "You look terrible, what happened?" he was stunned by my charred clothing.

"I’m okay," I said quickly. "Dorian did all of this, he's the traitor. He's already escaped. Xander is dead."

The words hit them like physical blows. Dr. Vance's face went white with shock. The servants behind him exchanged horrified glances, their mouths hanging open.

"Dorian?" Dr. Vance whispered. "But that's impossible. He's our Beta. He would never-"

"There's no time to explain!" I interrupted, my voice growing louder with urgency. "We have two priorities right now. We need to give the antidote to everyone who's been poisoned, and we need to put out these fires. Both things have to happen at the same time!"

I looked at their faces - confusion, disbelief, shock. They were still trying to process what I had told them. But people were dying while they stood there in a daze. I counted quickly. Eight people stood before me, including Dr. Vance. My heart sank as I realized someone was missing.

"Where's Delphine?" I asked quickly.

"She went to ring the bell," Dr. Vance replied. "She should be coming down any moment."

Relief flooded through me. "Eight people total," I said, my voice taking on a commanding tone. "Four of you will fight the fires. Four of you will distribute the antidote to the poisoned pack members in the courtyard."

I pointed at each person in turn, assigning them to groups. Their faces still showed shock and confusion, but I could see some of them starting to understand the urgency.

A burly servant pushed through the crowd toward me. His face was red with anger, and his hands were clenched into fists.

"Why should we listen to you?" he demanded, stopping directly in front of me. "You're just a slave. Who gave you the right to give orders?"

I felt my blood turn to ice. This man was still questioning the social order while people were dying. I looked around at the others, hoping Dr. Vance would support me, but he remained silent.

That silence made rage explode through my chest. Without hesitation, I drew Dragon Claw from its sheath. I slashed across the servant's forearm, opening a deep cut that immediately began bleeding.

"AH!" he cried out, stumbling backward and clutching his wounded arm.

Before he could recover, I stepped forward and pressed the tip of my dagger against his throat. His eyes went wide with terror as he felt the sharp metal against his skin.

"Anyone who doesn't follow my orders," I said in a cold voice, "I will kill immediately."

I held his gaze for several seconds, letting him see the deadly seriousness in my eyes. Then I stepped back and lowered my weapon.

The servant stumbled away from me, his face pale with fear. Blood dripped from his arm onto the stone floor.

I looked around at the group, meeting each person's eyes in turn. They all stared at me with a mixture of terror and awe.

Now they understood.

"Use leather buckets, clay pots, anything that can carry water from the well," I commanded, pointing at four of the servants. "If you can't find enough containers, use wet blankets and animal hides to smother the flames. Go. Now."

The four servants I had designated immediately ran toward the well. I turned to Dr. Vance and the remaining three servants. "You're coming with me to save the poisoned pack members."

"Valencia," Dr. Vance said carefully, "we didn't bring any antidote bottles with us."

I reached inside my chemise and pulled out the three bottles, plus the one Xander had given me. The glass clinked together as I handed them to Dr. Vance.

"Four bottles," I said. "I'm going to Stone House to get the remaining things."

"Okay," Dr. Vance took the bottles with shaking hands. "This should be enough for the most severe cases."

"Dr. Vance," I said, lowering my voice, "do you know about the secret passage behind the food storage room?"

His eyes widened with shock. For a moment, he said nothing, just stared at me with an expression of complete surprise.

"You... you know about that?" he asked finally.

"I just used it," I replied. "Dorian escaped through it. Where does the passage lead?"

Dr. Vance hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the question. "It... it leads to the training grounds," he said reluctantly.