Slave to Sapphire
Chapter 26

Iris scrambled out of the canvas and the cart, hurling herself to the constructed gallows. Just before she dove under the scaffolding of the gallows, she saw the arrow from a crossbow whizz through the smokey air and slice through the rope connected to the noose wrapped around Maddox’s neck. Half a moment later the trap door on which Maddox stood dropped open; with the noose no longer connected he dropped to ground below the scaffolding. Maddox hit the ground hard and groaned. Iris rushed over to him.

Maddox lay on his side with his hands bound behind his back. Iris moved behind him and used her dagger to saw through the rope around his hands.

“Cerise! That was a last-minute rescue, and a very lucky shot with the crossbow.”

Iris chuckled, her hands shaking with adrenaline as she cut through the rope, she hadn’t fully believed that Julian would be able to execute the shot. “It’s not over yet, you still have to make it to the boat.”

The rope fell to the ground and Maddox turned around and roughly embraced Iris. “Dreck, you are gross!”

Iris pushed him away. “You are welcome, for saving your ass. You need to make your way to the boat while the crowd is still in chaos. Confirm that Sabine and Cora are on the boat before you hand the note to Julian.” Iris then relayed to Maddox the directions to the boat that would take him to Volos. The boat would have already dropped its sails ready to push off from the docks as soon as he boarded.

“Iris, come with us.” He gripped her wrist as he pleaded.

Iris held his gaze; her friends were going to be safe. She was free to focus her energy on ending Lucious. “I have to do this.”

Seeing the resolve in her eyes he released her.

They stepped out from under the platform together. The explosion had pushed the riotous crowd into a melee. The bright blue sky was obscured with smoke and dust from. The guards and the inspectors were consumed with trying to escape the mass of people, they had given up on any hope of controlling them. Iris glanced a final time at Maddox and pulled the hood of her cloak up before she was lost in the crush of people.

Iris struggled to stay standing as she wove through the crowd. The mass of people had turned into a giant brawl. They had come to the hanging with their anger and disappointment directed at Maddox. Without his hanging they were now unleashing it on each other. Iris grunted when an elbow jabbed her in the ribs, causing her to gasp for air. She kept moving forward, scanning the crowd. Her gaze fell on one of Lucious’ bodyguards. Iris grinned and shoved her way towards him. She took another elbow to the jaw and metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, she spit out the blood continuing forward. Once she was a couple of feet from the man, she followed him as best she could through the tangle of people. Lucious’ personal guards were fiercely loyal to him, this man would be fighting his way to find Lucious. He was a brute of a man and shoved and punched people as he moved through the crowd. Following him made it easier for Iris as she continued to scan the crowd.

Her eyes finally found their mirror. Lucious’ amarath eyes widened at the site of Iris. She rushed forward, closing the distance between her and Lucious’ guard. Before he even noticed her approach, she slid her dagger into his side and pulled it out. He dropped to the ground and the crowd moved over him. Iris looked from him to see Lucious turn and start shoving his way through the crowd. Iris took off after him, determined not to lose sight of him. Lucious’ escape was initially hampered by the angry mass of people. Iris’ small size made it easier for her to move through the bodies pressed around them. Lucious was nearing the edge of the crowd when Iris reached him. She lunged towards him; her dagger raised ready to slice through the artery in his neck. As her body crashed into Lucious, she was hit from the side by a person in the crowd. Her arm was knocked off course and the dagger sliced across Lucious’ face instead. They both fell to the ground and Iris rolled away to keep herself from being trampled. They rose to face each other. Lucious stood, the angry wound across his face already knitting together. The blood from the healing gash dripped onto his lips, Lucious licked the blood from his lips and gave Iris a wicked grin. He turned and took off in a sprint.

Iris’ heart hammered in her chest; her feet slapping against cobble stones, she recklessly followed Lucious through streets of the Lavender district towards Scarlet Town. She had lost the element of surprise but her need to kill Lucious blocked all rational thought. Iris’ lungs were burning when they reached the muddy streets of Scarlet Town, Lucious had not managed to increase the distance between him and Iris. He continued his mad sprint through the narrow alleyways and streets of Scarlet Town. Lucious sharply turned right down an alley and Iris followed. She skidded to a stop when she saw that he had led them to a dead end. Lucious stood facing her, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. There was a savage look in his black eyes, his face painted in blood from the gash that had sealed itself close. Iris hurled her dagger at Lucious. He raised his arm and the dagger embedded itself deep in his forearm. Lucious winced and pulled the blade from his arm, throwing to the ground.

Lucious sneered. “You stupid bitch, I knew you would follow me.”

The sound of his voice unleashed Iris’ rage and she launched herself at Lucious tackling him to the ground. They rolled in the mud. Iris viciously swung her fists, her knuckles making contact with Lucious’ face. Her arms began to feel leaden, vision tilting, her heart rate slowed.

Iris opened her senses and directed them to her source stone, there was only a weak pulse of life remaining. Lucious was siphoning away her life source. She grappled on to her remaining life and pulled it towards herself. It took entirety her focus to keep hold of what life she still had; Lucious worked to rip it from her, gaining the advantage in their physical fight. Iris’ back sank into the mud, Lucious now on top of her pinning her arms to the ground.

Lucious’ pitch black and silver eyes stared at her with intensity, she frantically held on to what remained of her life source.

“It seems you learned a new skill during your time away. I always suspected you were a conduit, but I doubted it when I never saw you heal yourself after being beaten, or take the life source from another when seeking revenge.”

Lucious pulled harder on her source and Iris clamped down, blood trickled from her nose.

“I cannot believe you thought you could kill me Iris, I am practically immortal. Your pathetic family are not the only ones I have taken life source from.”

Iris snarled, instead of using all of her energy to hold on to her life source she pushed her senses forward until she touched the deep well of life source that Lucious had. She clawed into it and yanked it towards her. Her heart beat more strongly and a moment of fear flitted across Lucious’ eyes. Iris managed to pull more of his source to her before she was assaulted by the full strength of him. Iris gasped and she hunkered down on her own life source again, more blood oozed from her nose and the corners of her vision darkened. Lucious hadn’t managed to take back more of her source, but she wouldn’t last much longer. He had only been toying with her initially. A crazed laugh raked through Lucious’ body and everything went black.

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