Chapter 72 Out of the Palace
DAHILA's POV
The first pale light of dawn barely touched the edges of the room as I shifted on the floor, gathering my strength.
The battle had left a mark not just on the courtyard, not just on the walls, but on me.
My limbs ached in protest, my chest still tightened as if the air itself remembered the roars and clashes from the night before.
The pups stirred beside me, stretching their tiny limbs and blinking against the dim glow. Libby yawned, his small face scrunching adorably.
Lily rubbed at her eyes with a tiny hand, and Liam, as usual, sat upright, already alert, his curiosity sharper than my own foggy mind could manage.
“Good morning,” I whispered, brushing a strand of hair from Libby’s face. He giggled in response, curling closer.
Liam tilted his head. “Are we still in the scary place?”
I swallowed, holding back the panic that threatened to rise again. “No… we’re moving,” I said softly. “Somewhere safer.”
Before I could say more, Dagnoth’s presence pressed close. He had been standing by the window, scanning the courtyard, his posture rigid and tense. His eyes darkened as they met mine. “Kael wasn’t acting alone,” he murmured, almost to himself, but loud enough that I froze. “I don’t trust him. Something else someone else was behind this attack. Slim wasn’t capable of orchestrating this on his own.”
I frowned, my chest tightening. “Other people? Who would…? Who else?”
His jaw tightened. “I don’t know yet. But I can feel it. The planning, the precision… Kael alone couldn’t have pulled it off.”
Liam tilted his head toward him, as if he understood more than he let on. “Are you gonna protect us, Dad?”
The words hit me like a jolt. Dagnoth’s gaze softened when he looked at the pups, a rare tenderness breaking through the hardened lines of his face.
He crouched low to meet their height. “Of course,” he said gently. “No one touches you. I promise.”
Libby clung to my side, looking up at him. “Promise you won’t leave?” He asked, small voice trembling.
Dagnoth’s lips twitched into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. “I do not leave,” he said. “Not now. Not ever. I am here. You are safe with me.”
Lily’s hand found mine, gripping tightly. “Even if the scary men come back?”
He reached out a large hand, resting it lightly on my shoulder before extending it toward them. “Even then,” he said, voice firm.
“We move together. Always together. You three, Dahila, and I.. we are a team. No one breaks that.”
I felt a warmth spread through me at his words. Not the heat of a momentary comfort, but a steady, grounding fire that told me he meant it. My pups were safe. For now, that was enough.
I began to gather our belongings quietly, pulling the small pack of essentials together. Liam picked up a tiny wooden toy, examining it curiously. “Do we really have to leave?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied, tone soft but firm. “It’s not safe here. Not yet. We’ll find somewhere better.”
Dagnoth rose to his full height and moved toward the doorway, glancing back at us. “I’ll scout ahead,” he said. “Stay close. Do exactly as I say, and no one will harm you.”
The pups, of course, immediately climbed onto me, little bodies pressing against mine. Libby tugged at my sleeve. “But… I don’t want to leave our home,” she said softly, voice quivering.
I hugged her tighter, forcing a reassuring smile. “I know, baby. I don’t want to either. But sometimes, home isn’t a place, it’s the people you’re with. And we have each other. That’s what matters.”
Liam frowned, examining Dagnoth with wide eyes. “So you’re like… really our dad?”
Dagnoth crouched, resting both hands on his knees to get on Liam’s level. His eyes were steady, warm. “I am,” he said simply. “I will always protect you, and I will not let anything hurt you.”
Lily blinked, then whispered, “Even the scary men?”
“Especially the scary men,” he replied, a small smile tugging at his lips. “They will not touch you. Not while I am here.”
We moved quietly through the halls, the early morning silence heavy and expectant. I kept my arm around Libby and Lily, while Liam walked close, hand in mine. Dagnoth led the way, every step careful, deliberate, as if the walls themselves could betray us.
“Do you… think Kael will try again?” I asked softly, not sure I wanted the answer.
Dagnoth’s jaw tightened. “Yes. And not just him. Whoever else is involved won’t stop until they get what they want. We need to be ready. We need to be smart.”
The pups exchanged worried glances. Liam frowned. “Can we fight too?”
Dagnoth’s expression softened. “Not yet,” he said, crouching to meet his gaze. “But you’ll learn. One day, you’ll be strong. And until then, I’ll keep you safe. That is my job.”
Libby hugged my side, nuzzling close. “I don’t want scary things,” she whispered.
“You won’t have to,” Dagnoth said firmly. “I won’t let them near you. Not now, not ever.”
As we stepped outside into the morning light, I felt the tension in my body begin to ease slightly. The courtyard was empty, the first rays of sunlight glinting off the dew-soaked stone. It was quiet... too quiet but for now, we were alive.
Dagnoth motioned for us to follow him down a narrow side path, hidden from sight. The pups clung closer to me as we moved, trusting him entirely, and I couldn’t help but marvel at the bond forming before my eyes. They had already claimed him as their protector, their anchor, and somehow, I felt the same.
“You think it’s just Kael?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper, as we walked.
“No,” Dagnoth said, voice low but steady. “There are others people working in the shadows, pulling strings. We’ll find them. And we’ll be ready. But for now, your safety comes first. That’s all that matters.”
Liam looked up at him, a determined spark in his eyes. “Then we’ll stick together. Right?”
“Right,” Dagnoth said, smiling faintly. “Always together.”
Libby and Lily nodded in unison, clutching my hands. “Always,” they echoed.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I allowed myself to breathe a little easier. The danger was still out there, lurking in the shadows, but I wasn’t alone. My pups weren’t alone. And Dagnoth, steady, unyielding, protective was here.
It wasn’t safe yet. It wouldn’t be safe for a long time. But we were together, and for now, that was enough.
Even with Kael’s plots, even with the unknown threats waiting in the dark, I realized something important: safety wasn’t a place we could reach. It was a promise we carried, a shield forged from trust, protection, and unwavering presence.
And in that promise, in the quiet strength of Dagnoth beside me, I found something I hadn’t felt in a long time hope.
The path ahead would be dangerous. Terrible things were coming, I knew it. But as we moved forward together, clutching each other, a fragile kind of courage began to bloom because no matter what came next, we were not alone.
And for now, in a world built on chaos and blood, that was more than enough.