Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 254: Winged Angel I

Chapter 254: Winged Angel I

Just like that, Daphne suddenly understood why Luis suddenly showed her so much more care than when they were in front of the others.

"I am not like you, Luis," Daphne said somberly. "As a member of the royal family, you should be looking out for your people, not just try to save your own skin."

Luis tried to rebut but Daphne wasn’t finished. She didn’t want to hear from a brother who was too cowardly to stand up for her even though he always knew what their other siblings did to her was wrong.

"I’ll be there at the gathering point when I’ve ensured everyone’s safety." Without allowing Luis another chance to speak, Daphne broke the connection between their sodalite crystals for now, cutting him off. She stuffed the stone back into the tiny satchel she carried, securing the flap.

When the ground trembled and a loud boom resounded across town, Daphne caught a hint of a scream muffled by the sound of destruction. Her eyes scanned through the immediate area before her, swatting away fireballs and raining embers as she did so.

She was out in the open and there weren’t any buildings nearby― or at least, none that still had their roofs on to hide the occupants out of plain sight. When she looked up to the skies again, it was just in time to see a few trees thrown like a javelin right into the dragon, leaving a red cut down the side of its neck.

It roared furiously in pain. Following the direction the trees had been thrown, Daphne’s line of sight met with Atticus’s. Even from a distance, Daphne could see the look of surprise on his face. His lips seemed to be moving but with how they were apart, Daphne could barely hear a thing.

Atticus’s attention was ripped away from her when the dragon unleashed a torrent of scorching flames, forcing him to sharply steer in the opposite direction so that its fire wouldn’t head in Daphne’s direction.

The earthquake caused by its heavy paws had also caused the yelps of fright to grow, allowing Daphne to finally pinpoint its source.

A mother had been hiding under a few slabs of fallen debris; it had formed a perfect shelter to shield her and the infant in her arms from immediate danger. However, now that the dragon had been led to the area, it was no longer safe.

Chunks of rubble crashed against the ground, shattering on the pavement and causing shards to fly in all directions.

"No!" Daphne cried out.

Her hands shot out before she could think, blasting the falling wreckage out of the way and effectively preventing it from hitting the mother and child.

"Get out of there!" she screamed, having to raise her voice just so that she could be heard through the cacophony.

The baby’s wails echoed, joining in with the discordant symphony. Daphne shoved a piece of clear quartz into the mother’s hands and pointed her in the direction of the nearest tunnel, the same she had just sent the children through.

When the mother looked up, her face turning into one of horror, Daphne did the same. Without thinking, she reached out and pushed the mother away. She wasn’t sure what happened entirely but she felt her fingers freeze up instead of the usual warmth of her fire, and the mother was sent flying out of harm’s way, her child wrapped in her arms.

That left Daphne, unfortunately, still in harm’s way, with no time to react.

Time seemed to slow down and Daphne’s limbs felt heavy and weak without strength. She was unable to lift her hands to shatter the falling building in time. Her heart felt like it was clogged in her throat and she wondered if this was the end.

Then, a pair of warm arms crushed her into their embrace, tugging her down and shielding her completely before they were encased in the rubble.

Her ears throbbed with an intense, sharp ringing that seemingly could not cease. It was as if a thousand tiny bells were chiming all at once, their high-pitched tones cutting through the disorienting haze that enveloped her senses.

She didn’t dare to breathe, nor did she dare to move. Her knees were on the ground and she felt too weak to move. Not only that, Daphne’s entire body felt as though it had been chained to the ground, rendering her motionless.

"I got you," an unfamiliar voice said, his tone raspy. "You’re safe. I got you."

It was only then did Daphne remember that she was wrapped up in someone’s embrace. She could remember half of a building’s side falling entirely on her, and yet, she had been perfectly protected, not a single pebble had touched her.

In the darkness, she was unable to see who it was that had saved her. Yet, that was a mystery quickly solved.

Light instantly streamed into her view as her savior stood up. He knocked the debris off his body, bringing them back up to the surface. A cloud of smoke and dust engulfed Daphne’s face, and she swatted away in front of her to get rid of it in between coughs.

With the sun directly behind the man’s head, she couldn’t see his face clearly. Daphne had to blink and squint against the light before she eventually got used to the glare, slowly making sense of her savior’s features.

"Are you alright?" he asked. His hands were on her upper arms, twisting her back and forth to check for injuries. "I wasn’t too late, was I?"

"What...?" Daphne coughed, clearing her throat as she struggled to catch her breath. "I... I’m fine. Thank you for saving me."

"Oh, good. So I wasn’t too late..." the man muttered under his breath. "Good."

Daphne narrowed her eyes; she had run the man’s face through the archives of her memory and she could not find a name to match. Fiery orange hair that ended with red tips and golden-yellow eyes that reminded Daphne of birds of prey― if Daphne had ever met this man before, she was sure she would’ve never forgotten him due to his unique appearance.

So why was he behaving so familiarly with her?