The Princess's Revenge Chapter 50

Valencia’s POV

My blood turned cold. That explained how Dorian had been able to move around the castle without being seen. He could have used that passage for months to conduct his treachery.

"I need to go back there," I said.

Dr. Vance looked shocked. "Valencia, the room is on fire -"

"I can handle the heat," I said firmly. "Just go help the people in the courtyard. I'll bring things here."

Dr. Vance nodded reluctantly and turned toward the main entrance with his two helpers.

I couldn't waste another second. Every moment I delayed meant more people could die from the wolfsbane poisoning, and the fires were spreading rapidly through the castle.

As I headed straight for the burning room, the servants who had been fighting the fires looked at me in horror.

"HEY, NO!" one of them screamed, dropping his bucket and running toward me. "Don't go in there!"

"You'll be killed instantly!" another cried out, grabbing at my arm to try to stop me. "The heat alone will cook you alive!"

"Leave me." I shook off the servant's grip and ran straight into the burning storage room.

"OH MOON GODDESS!" I heard one of them scream behind me. "SHE'S GONE MAD!"

"SOMEONE HELP HER!" another voice bellowed, raw with terror. "SHE'S GOING TO DIE!"

I ignored their screams behind me. A dangerous wave of heat rushed toward me. I swallowed hard, "Come on, you can do this."

I gathered my courage and stepped into the burning food storage room again. Expectably, It felt more like stepping into a warm bath than the inferno it should have been. This was the same feeling as before.

The destruction inside was complete. Wheat and barley scattered across the stone floor, mixed with the sticky remnants of honey and oil that had spilled from shattered clay jars. The air was thick with the nauseating mixture of melted cheese, and the sharp tang of wine that had boiled away in the heat. Smoked meats hung like charred corpses from their hooks, and the smell of burning flesh made my stomach turn.

I pushed through the room, stepping over burning debris and pools of molten fat from the ruined food stores. The wooden shelves had collapsed into burning piles, and I had to climb over them to reach the secret door. I stumbled through the opening, gasping as the clean air hit my lungs.

Xander's broken body lay motionless on the rocky ground. Blood had pooled beneath his head, already starting to darken in the noon. The sight made my stomach clench with grief.

Sorry, Xander, I have to deal with something urgent.

The horse I had secured with the jagged stone was still there, stamping nervously and pulling against its makeshift tether. Its eyes rolled white with fear at the smell of blood and smoke.

"Easy," I whispered, approaching slowly with my hands raised. "I need you to help me save everyone."

The animal calmed slightly at my voice, though it remained skittish. I untied the reins and swung myself up into the saddle. The horse immediately began moving down the narrow path, eager to get away from the carnage.

The ride to the training grounds took only minutes, but it felt like hours. Every second that passed was another second Logan might be dying from wolfsbane poisoning, another second the fires could spread further through the castle.

As we rounded the final curve, the stone house came into view. My heart sank at what I saw.

Wounded pack members who had been waiting outside for treatment were now collapsed on the ground, too weak to sit upright. Some lay on their sides, gasping for breath. Others had passed out completely, their faces gray with exhaustion.

"Help," one of them called weakly as I dismounted. "Please help us."

My heart dropped. With Dr. Vance off rescuing people at the castle, things here just got a whole lot worse.

Their eyes followed me with desperate hope as I hurried toward the stone house entrance. The wooden door stood slightly ajar, and I could hear movement inside.

I pushed the door open and stepped into the main treatment area. The smell hit me immediately - a mixture of herbs, blood, and something else. Something sharp and medicinal that made my eyes water.

The scene inside was chaos. Only two servants moved through the room, their faces grim with exhaustion as they tried to tend to the dozens of patients. One was changing bandages on a warrior's arm wound, while the other was spooning water into the mouth of an unconscious woman.

The two servants in the stone house looked at me with numb eyes for a moment, then returned to their work. I pushed through the crowded room toward the herb storage area.

I grabbed a wicker basket from the floor. Using Dragon Claw, I cut strips of fabric from my chemise to create padding inside the basket. Then I began loading every bottle of Moon's Grace I could find into the makeshift cushioning.

This has to be enough to save everyone.

The servants tending to patients noticed what I was doing, but they didn't ask questions. They just continued their work. The wounded pack members watched me with confused eyes as I worked. I ignored their stares. There was no time to explain. Every second counted.

I secured my dagger in the saddlebag and used my weapon belt to tie the basket firmly to the cantle behind the saddle. The horse stamped nervously as I mounted, sensing my urgency.

I rode as slowly as I could manage. My heart pounded with anxiety, but I couldn't risk the antidote bottles breaking. I couldn't bear that consequence. Every gentle step the horse took felt like an eternity, but I forced myself to maintain the careful pace.

I dismounted near the passage entrance and used the same jagged stone from before to secure the horse to the ground. The animal pulled against the makeshift tether but couldn't break free. Only then did I untie the basket, clutching it protectively against my chest.

My heart pounded as I thought about what I had to do next. The fires would be worse now. The wooden beams might be ready to collapse.

Taking a deep breath, I stared at the burning food storage room.

You have to do this. Terror filled my chest, but I had come too far to turn back now. I had no choice but to push through.

I hunched over the basket as I entered the inferno, using my body to shield the precious antidotes from the flames. The heat was intense, but still felt like warmth.

A burning wooden shelf crashed down from above. I stumbled as it struck my back, pain shooting through my body. But I kept my footing and protected the basket, pushing forward through the smoke and debris.

Almost there, I gasped, my lungs burning from the smoke. I burst out of the burning room into the corridor, gasping for clean air. Behind me, the fire roared louder than ever.

"OH MY GOD!" a servant's voice screamed from down the hallway. "SHE'S ON FIRE!"

"HELP HER!" another voice shouted. "SOMEONE HELP HER!"

Footsteps pounded toward me as Dr. Vance and Delphine came running from the direction of the courtyard.

"Valencia!" Delphine screamed, her face white with terror. "Your back is burning!"

I looked over my shoulder and saw orange flames licking at my torn chemise. The fabric was definitely on fire, but I felt no pain from it.

Dr. Vance reached me first, yanking off his leather apron to beat at the flames. "Hold still!" he commanded, slapping the burning fabric.

Delphine grabbed a bucket of water from one of the fire-fighting servants and threw it over my back. The flames hissed and died with a cloud of steam.

A wave of coolness washed over me, refreshing and soothing against my skin. The contrast between the fire's warmth and the water's coolness was oddly pleasant.

"Valencia!" Delphine sobbed, throwing her arms around me from the front. "I can't lose you! I can't accept you dying!"

"I'm okay," I said, patting her back gently while still clutching the basket. "I'm not hurt, Delphine. I promise."

She pulled back to look at my face, tears streaming down her cheeks. "But you were on fire! How are you not burned?"

I handed the basket to Dr. Vance, who took it with shaking hands. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared at my unburned skin.

"I just discovered I don't get hurt by fire," I said quickly. "I don't understand it either, but we don't have time to figure it out right now."

Dr. Vance peered into the basket, his eyebrows rising as he saw the bottles of antidote nestled in the torn fabric. "Valencia, this is... this is enough to treat everyone."

"Please start treating them," I said, my voice urgent but gentle. "People are dying while we stand here talking."

The servants who had witnessed my passage through the flames were backing away from me, their faces filled with fear and awe. I could see the terror in their eyes as they processed what they had just seen.

"She walked through fire," one of them whispered. "No one can do that."

"What is she?" another muttered, making a religious gesture with his hand.

Dr. Vance seemed to shake himself out of his shock. "You heard her," he called out to the group. "We have work to do. Get these antidotes to the poisoned pack members immediately."

"Yes, Dr. Vance," they replied in unison, though they continued to glance at me with uneasy expressions.