Ileus: The Dark Prince

Chapter 541 - Change In Plans

Two were lost in the attack, which was very less but the sorrow of their death weighed heavily in Kaizan's mind. The two were young wolves who had just joined the army. He shoved his gloomy thoughts when Finn, the man who had joined the group later approached him. The sun had begun to spread its golden petals in the sky and bathed the dead in its light. Crimson was sprayed on the accumulated snow on the sides like it was a part of it. The ground was wet with blood and water.

Finn's mouth pursed in a thin line when she stared at him with narrow eyes. He bowed to Kaizan and said, "I came late. I am sorry about it, General."

"Did we catch hold of any prisoners?" asked Kaizan.

"No. They are all dead or have run away."

Kaizan scowled. He left Finn and then walked to the carriage where his wife was. When he opened the door, he froze as shock flitted through his body. Olivia was sprawled over the bench, unconscious. He leapt inside and then held her in his lap. There was blood on her neck. A dangerous rumble came out his throat. His men who were around the carriage at that time gathered near. "Get the medical supplies," he ordered them. "And one of you hold the lantern upright!"

In the next few minutes there was chaos. Men bumped into each other as they rushed to find the saddle which carried medical supplies. However, by the time they came back with it, Kaizan had removed his cloak and then stripped a sleeve off his shirt to press it in her wound. When he saw the medicine box, he grabbed it. The men offered their help to him, but he didn't allow anyone to touch the woman who was resting on his chest. Very carefully, he soaked a clean linen in the tincture and then applied it to the back of her head.

His men were gawking at their General. They had known him to leave the injured in the battlefield to be attended by the healers and had hardly seen him attending the sick. But right now, he seemed to be so immersed in what he was doing that he didn't pay attention to any of them. In fact, they wondered if the world existed for him. Very slowly, Kaizan took another fresh linen from the box and tied it across her head. "Water," he ordered. Once again chaos ensued amongst the men to get water. When Kaizan was handed the pitcher, he dunked another fresh linen and wiped her neck gently to remove caked blood. It took him at least half an hour to nurse Olivia and all that while his men kept watching him, becoming impatient as hell because they wanted to move on. It wasn't safe to stay on this path and the faster they moved, the better. However, what happened next, made them bite back curses. Kaizan stayed in the carriage along with his new bride. He carried her in his arms. He covered her under his cloak and then covered him too under the same cloak in order to make her as warm as possible.

If that wasn't all, he ordered the coachman to ride slowly. Obviously, the entire cavalcade rode slowly with the General and his bride.

Olivia woke up with a jerk as the carriage bumped into a sharp boulder and then jumped up slightly. But she was held in very tight arms and against a rock hard surface which seemed to be warm and rippling and vibrating. She was surrounded by the familiar fire and masculine smell. Caked blood streaked his jawline and parts of his neck. They were both covered in his cloak and even in this weather she felt very warm. She heard him cursing the coachman to ride carefully and when their gaze locked, Olivia thought that she might be burning whereas in fact she was blushing like a thousand suns. When their gazes locked, she noticed how exhausted he was. The skin around his eyes was painted a dusky shade. She was mesmerized by his inhumanly good looks.

Embarrassed, she tried to get out of his arms, but her head throbbed so badly that she fell back.

"You are hurt," he said, catching her and holding her closer to his chest. "Stay calm."

She blinked slowly at him. "Who attacked us?" she asked in a low voice as she tried to control the heat that was generated in her cheeks and which she hoped he hadn't noticed.

"Rogues," came a short and precise reply.

"I do feel that this was a planned attack," she said with a sigh. "But who could have done it?"

Kaizan was surprised that she had judged it quite right. "I think so too," he replied. She was looking very tired. In the light of the lantern that hung inside the carriage, her face appeared paler than what he had seen. Her lips were dry. "Is your vision okay?" he asked, his eyes darting between hers.

She nodded, but even that seemed like a huge effort.

Kaizan took a deep breath. With his hand he banged the wall of the carriage and it came to a halt. All the horses that were moving with him also stopped. The coachman jumped and ran to open the door. He peered his face inside and asked, "Yes, m'lord?"

"We will be stopping here and camping," he ordered them.

The coachman's eyes widened with surprise. They were not supposed to stop anywhere till they reached the Silver Vales territory for those were his initial orders. However, his General had made changes. His eyes went to the girl in his arms, who was looking equally flustered. Kaizan growled and repeated his order. The surprised coachman, bowed and said, "Yes, m'lord." He closed the door immediately.

As Olivia sat in his arms awkwardly, he didn't move an inch. She heard the carriage being driven to the side and men hammering anchors in the ground to erect tents. She didn't move an inch at all, and when one of the men informed Kaizan that his tent was erected, she got up again, but Kaizan caught her.. "Wait."