the corner. Surely Daniel would be able to take care of himself, wouldn’t he? Julian shook his head. He took a small step forward with his right leg, but he brought it back, hesitating. The man had five Stühocs trying to kill him, and he probably did not possess the skill to fend them off on his own. It was Julian’s duty to help Daniel. Still, he could not get his legs to move forward. If someone else were doing the killing, Julian’s hands would be clean. He gripped the sword handle harder, wanting to save the man from a gruesome fate, but he knew that the proof contained in the memory orb would ultimately save more lives. It had to.
The thoughts left him when Daniel spotted Julian standing there waiting. The fight that Daniel had within him faded instantly, as did any kind of hope for survival. In that moment, Daniel let his guard down. His disappointment in seeing Julian unwilling to help him, made him lower his arms. One of the Stühocs’ weapons caught the hilt of Daniel’s sword and sent it flying. Another Stühoc reared back and swung his weapon deep into the man’s chest while another went through his side. Daniel’s eyes never left Julian’s. Julian recognized the look of confusion on Daniel’s face, begging a reason why the king had freed him only to let him die hours later. Julian let out an involuntary scream as he ran to Daniel’s aid, a full minute too late.
The Stühocs were caught off guard and the first three were dead on the ground before they even knew what happened. Julian sliced through the neck of another. The last one began to run away, but Julian closed his eyes and sent a blast of fire from his palm through the back of the vile creature’s head. When they were all down, Julian lowered himself to Daniel’s side. The injured man clung to what little life he had left and grabbed Julian’s arm firmly.
“You’re not the king I thought you were,” he said barely above a whisper.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” Julian answered back. “You must know that your death will save us.”
Daniel’s eyes darted back and forth. “Martha!” He tried to yell, but she would never hear him.
“I will tell her of your bravery,” Julian said.
Daniel looked up at Julian in his final moment. “You are not good,” he said. “You are just like the men that sent me to prison without a reason.”
Julian tried to protest. He tried to shake his head and tell Daniel that he was wrong, that he was very different, but he could say no such thing. Daniel had breathed his last breath and died.
The battle still carried on in Homestead, but the sounds of screams and fighting felt a million miles away. Julian was only inches from the truth. He looked in every direction to see if anyone was watching. As he expected, there was no one. He walked around to the other side of Daniel and pulled him by the arms to an even more secluded spot behind an old barn about a hundred feet away.
I let him die. Julian couldn’t shake the thoughts from his head. I stood there and watched as the Stühocs slaughtered him. I let him die!
A heavy weight formed in his chest as he stared down at the lifeless body. Who had he become? He had done the same thing to his brother. He let him die, all for the sake of saving lives. How many more lives would have to be destroyed until Julian was satisfied with the rest of Marenon’s safety? What bothered him the most was that Daniel knew Julian had been watching. He knew what kind of person Julian was, and he had declared it in his last breath. It was the first time that Julian had ever heard words of accusation directed at him. Julian had never thought that his own actions were of an evil nature; he had always been able to justify them.
He slipped his dagger out of its sheath and bent next to Daniel’s body. Taking a deep breath he slid his knife into the man’s chest under the sternum and ribcage and tugged. This is where the memory orb was kept. The knife had penetrated through the scar that had been left, proof that someone had been there before. This was something Julian had never done. He didn’t know how hard to pull. He didn’t know