Egor sat in his room, staring into nothing.
Almost five hours had passed since he'd stumbled out of the portal—bound, screaming, barely aware of himself. The noise had drawn the patrol instantly.
They had spoken to Goral.
Egor hadn't heard a word.
Even now—
he couldn't process it.
Couldn't accept it.
He had escaped.
Klaus hadn't.
—
The ropes were cut.
He rubbed his wrists.
Didn't feel them.
Didn't feel much of anything.
—
Goral was saying something to Lilith.
She stood pale, unmoving, staring at the place where the portal had closed. Her fingers twisted the empty cord around her neck.
The last trace of Klaus.
—
A soldier lay nearby.
A sword through his chest.
Dead.
—
"Goral."
Egor looked up.
August was already there.
Moving fast.
Too fast.
A healer behind him.
Others.
—
"Where is Klaus?" August demanded.
His eyes swept the scene—
stopped—
and he grabbed Goral by the front of his tunic.
"I'm asking you—where the hell is he?"
"He stayed behind."
August shoved him.
Hard.
"How could you leave him?" he shouted. "You were with him! That's your job!"
A step forward.
"What happened? Why do you look like this?"
"Captain. Not here."
"I don't care where!" August snapped. "Open the portal—I'm going back!"
"Captain!" Goral snapped back. "It was an order."
Silence.
For a second.
"He gave the order."
—
"That idiot…" August breathed. "What has he done now…"
"Inside," Goral said.
—
August stood still.
Breathing hard.
Then turned sharply.
Goral followed.
Egor moved without thinking.
Lilith followed.
Silent.
—
Inside—
Egor stayed near the door.
Lilith was taken away.
She didn't react.
—
"I don't know everything," Goral said. "It happened too fast. Abel attacked the moment Klaus entered the room."
A pause.
"We tried to hold them back—"
"You expect me to believe that?" August cut in. "A handful of men took down you—and him?"
"They came from behind—"
"I don't—"
"Through the wall," Goral said sharply.
That stopped him.
—
"…Through the wall," August repeated.
A hollow laugh.
"Of course. Why follow the law when you can just ignore it."
"They grabbed Egor," Goral continued. "Started threatening him."
"Your job is to protect the prince," August snapped, "not his pet."
Egor flinched.
Didn't look up.
—
"They weren't threatening me," Goral said. "Klaus lowered his weapon himself."
Silence.
"Let them bind him."
Another.
"With a suppression rope."
—
August stared at him.
"He did what?"
"He did it for us."
A pause.
"He ordered me to get them out."
Another.
"I couldn't disobey."
—
The punch came without warning.
Goral's head snapped to the side.
He didn't move.
Didn't defend himself.
—
"I trusted you," August said, voice shaking. "I trusted you with the most important thing in my life."
A step closer.
"And you left him there."
Another.
"You handed him over."
His voice dropped.
"Do you have any idea what they're doing to him right now?"
—
Silence.
—
August stepped back.
Then suddenly turned—
to Egor.
—
"This is on you!" he shouted.
Egor looked up.
Slowly.
—
"He's like this because of you!" August crossed the room in two strides, grabbed him, dragged him up. "I told him to get rid of you! I told him you don't belong here!"
His grip tightened.
"Well? Are you happy?"
Egor said nothing.
—
August slammed him into the wall.
Egor dropped.
Coughed.
—
"August," Goral said quietly. "Stop."
"He won't forgive you if you kill him."
August laughed.
Sharp.
Broken.
"Forgive me? A dead man doesn't forgive anything!"
His voice cracked.
"Because of you—because of all of you—the one person I care about more than my own life is about to die in the worst way my brother can imagine."
He turned.
"I'm going."
—
"Are you insane?" Goral stepped forward. "You'll die before you even reach him."
"I'll go alone."
"That's suicide."
"I don't care!" August snapped. "I don't care about any of them!"
—
The words broke.
He slid down the wall.
Sat.
Across from Egor.
—
Egor looked up—
and froze.
August was crying.
—
Goral hesitated.
Then sat between them.
—
"August," he said quietly, "do you really think he'll give up?"
A pause.
"You know him."
Another.
"He'll come back."
—
August wiped his face.
Roughly.
"I don't doubt Klaus," he said. "I know my brother."
A breath.
"I know what he's capable of."
Another.
"I just hope my father doesn't let him kill him."
—
"I don't think he even knows," Egor said quietly.
August's head snapped up.
"What?"
"Before the attack," Egor said, "the guards were talking. A slave uprising. They said your father was dealing with it."
A pause.
"Convenient, isn't it?"
—
Silence.
—
"Go to the infirmary," August said finally. "Both of you."
"I'm not leaving," Egor said, forcing himself up. "Not until you—"
—
The slap was fast.
Egor hit the floor again.
—
"Take him out," August said coldly. "And keep him away from me."
A pause.
"Or I won't stop next time."
—
Goral pulled him up.
Didn't argue.
—
"Don't push him," Goral muttered as they left. "He's barely holding it together."
—
"He's right," Egor said quietly. "This is my fault."
A pause.
"But I'm not sitting here."
Another.
"I'll help him. Whether August wants it or not."
—
Hours passed.
—
When Egor returned—
Lilith was there.
Curled in the corner.
They didn't speak.
They couldn't.
—
They had survived.
Klaus hadn't.
—
Time passed.
—
Noise.
Voices.
Movement.
—
"What's happening?" Lilith whispered.
"I don't know."
—
They stepped outside—
just as August ran past.
Others followed.
—
By the time Egor reached the clearing—
it was already dark.
A crowd had formed.
August was shouting—
forcing people back.
—
Then—
Egor saw him.
—
Klaus.
—
Barely standing.
Bent forward.
Held up by a soldier.
—
His shirt was torn apart.
Soaked in blood.
His nose was broken.
Dark bruises under his eyes.
A deep cut split his face.
From brow to lip.
An arrow pierced his shoulder—
clean through.
—
Egor couldn't breathe.
Behind him—
Lilith started crying.
—
He stepped forward—
—
August moved first.
Took Klaus from the soldier.
"Everyone out!" he shouted. "Get Brod—now!"
—
"Captain—what about him?"
Egor turned.
Abel.
On his knees.
Barely recognizable.
—
"Lock him up," August said.
Cold.
Flat.
"I'll deal with him later."
A glance.
"For this—" he nodded toward Klaus "—you'll answer."
—
"Klaus…" Egor whispered.
"You'd better stay quiet," August snapped.
—
But Klaus stopped.
—
"I'm glad you're safe," he said.
His gaze unfocused—
but it found Egor.
Paused.
On the bruises.
The split lip.
—
"I'm fine," Egor said. "But you—"
—
Klaus lifted his hand.
Ran it through Egor's hair.
Slow.
Careful.
—
"What could happen to me?" he murmured.
A faint smile.
"Just a few scratches."
—
Pain flickered.
Sharp.
—
"I'll rest," he said. "Then we'll talk."
A pause.
"All right?"
—
Egor nodded.
Couldn't speak.
—
He watched as August led him away.
—
At the entrance—
Brod was already waiting.