Chapter 58 Alistair’s Choice

Chapter 58 Alistair’s Choice
Chapter 58: Alistair’s Choice

Neria leaned against the cold stone wall, the obsidian egg felt like a lead weight against her chest. 

Every breath she took felt like inhaling needles.

"Close the North passage!" Sebastian’s voice roared from the lower level. "Secure the perimeter! If she reaches the outer wall, you will all answer to me!"

Neria bolted. She didn't head for the main gate, but knew the gate was a trap now. 

Instead, she twisted through a narrow servant’s passage, her silk skirts snagged on the rough masonry. 

The little villainess burst out onto a small balcony overlooking the training grounds.

"Neria! Stop!"

She turned and Alistair was there, standing at the base of the stone stairs. 

His shining-golden armor looked bright in the twilight, and he looked up at her with disbelief. 

Behind him, the gates were already shut.

“Fuck my life…” A sudden mutter escaped her mouth.

"Alistair, move!" Neria screamed, clutching the egg through the fabric of her cloak.

"I told you twenty minutes, Neria!" Alistair shouted back, his hand hovered over his sword.

"The Prince is screaming for your head! He says you’ve stolen the crown’s future! What is in that cloak?"

"The only thing in this palace that isn't rotting!" Neria scrambled down the stairs, nearly tripping over her own hem. 

She stopped three steps above him, her face turned as pale as ghost’s. 

"He’s coming, Alistair. And he won't just stop at me this time. He knows I know."

"Know what?" Alistair stepped forward, searching her eyes and most probably the answers. "He’s my... He’s the Prince. If he says you’re a thief-"

‘There it is…you already know, the hero of the book.’ Neria bit her lower lip and forced a small smile.

"Then I’m a thief!" Neria snapped dramatically. "But ask yourself, Alistair, why is he so afraid of a girl with a rock? Why is he sending a dozen armed men to stop one woman? It’s because the moment this egg leaves these walls, his power over the void vanishes. He can’t use it to anchor his lies anymore."

"You’re talking in riddles again!" Alistair reached out, grabbing her shoulder. "Give me the cloak. I’ll take it to him. I’ll tell him I caught you. I can save your life, Neria, but I can’t save you if you’re a traitor."

"Save my life?" Neria let out a jagged laugh. "Alistair, you’re the one who needs saving. He knows about your mother. He knows about the blood in your veins.”

‘Well, one lie won’t hurt,’ Neria thought to herself and continued her statement.

“Why do you think he keeps you at the gate like a dog? To protect the palace? No! To keep you where he can see you, until he’s ready to erase you!"

Alistair released his hand a little bit, clearly caught off guard. 

The color drained from his face, leaving him looking like a spirit. "My mother... how could you possibly…"

"The King told me!" Neria lied once again, her eyes burned with a desperate intensity. 

"Before he lost his mind, he told me that the person at the gate was the true heir of the stars. Sebastian knows. That’s why he wants the egg. He needs the dragon’s power to kill a god. And that god is you!"

"Lies!" a voice came from the top of the stairs.

Sebastian was there, obviously…

Not even surprising, but his scepter glowed with some angry-looking light. 

His facial muscles had that mask of pure, royal hatred. 

"She’s a witch, Alistair! She’s poisoning your mind just like she poisoned my father! Move away from her before I strike you both down!"

"Sebastian, wait!" Alistair turned, shaking a little bit. "Is it true? About the archives? About my mother?"

"It doesn't matter!" Sebastian raised his voice, raising his scepter. "She has the egg! Kill her, Alistair! That is an order from your Prince!"

Alistair looked at Sebastian, then back at Neria. He saw the fake tears in her eyes, but terror in her posture seemed real, and then that weight in her arms.

"Choose," Neria whispered, barely over the wind. "Be his executioner, or be the King you were meant to be. If you let him take this, we all die. I’ve seen the fire, Alistair. It’s cold."

The sound of a dozen guards entering the courtyard broke the silence. They leveled their spears.

"Alistair, move or die with her!" Sebastian commanded.

Alistair looked at the black-bone hilt of his sword. Then, he looked at Neria. He didn't see a bully, but a mirror of his own trapped soul.

"No," Alistair’s mouth let out a long hush.

He drew his sword with a metallic ring that silenced the courtyard. But he didn't point it at Neria. He pointed it at the stairs.

"Alistair, you fool!" Sebastian hissed.

"Run, Neria," Alistair spoke softly, keeping his back to her. "The servant’s tunnel behind the stables leads to the river. Go! Now!"

"Alistair…"

"Run!" he roared, stepping forward to meet the first wave of guards. "If you’re lying to me, I’ll find you in the next life! Go!"

Neria didn't wait. She turned and sprinted toward the stables, the egg thumped against her chest. 

“Oh no!!!” A yell left her lips. “I ruined Alistair’s life once again!” Neria’s lips trembled, clearly holding her fake tears that slowly turned real.

She heard the clash behind her, the screams of men, and the crackle of Sebastian’s magic.

The thief reached the tunnel entrance, gasping for air. Neria looked back one last time. Alistair was like a bug made of gold, holding the narrow pass against a dozen men to give her a single minute of freedom.

"I'm not lying this time," Neria whispered, disappearing into the dark. "Thank you, Alistair."

The egg gave a soft, warm pulse against her heart. It wasn't hatching, but it was breathing once again. 

And for the first time, so was Neria.

“I need to rescue him! As soon as this baby hatches!”

But, she was wrong…

A blade reached Alistair’s neck, taking his life once again.