The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 157: Larimar

Chapter 157: Larimar

"Reitan! No!" Soleia cried out in horror as she watched Reitan land in the water, his muffled scream quickly drowning in the sound of the splash. She lurched forward but was easily manhandled back by Florian, who tugged her away from the dock.

"Do something!" Rafael said, turning back to look at Princess Nessa, only to meet her eyes of horror. Only then did he notice that Orion was no longer on the water raft, but instead, was lying on the floor.

"I... I can’t!" she said. She stared at her wrist, where one of her larimar bangles sat neatly against her sunkissed skin. "It’s... It’s not working. My magic isn’t working!"

At the same time, screams of horror came from behind, and Rafael quickly swiveled around to see a group of men getting swallowed into a watery bubble before they too were tossed off the docks and into the water with a splash.

Florian and Soleia were nowhere to be seen, but with Reitan gone, there was no longer a need for Rafael to hold back. His carnelian pendant immediately pulsed with bright red energy, and with a slit of his knife against his own skin, his blood was pulled from his veins to form a scarlet whip. He charged forward, striking everyone he could, tossing as many of them into the water as he killed his way through to reach Soleia.

"Get the boy," he said before he quickly pushed off after Florian and Soleia, his whip striking anyone who dared stand in his way.

On the other hand, Nessa crouched next to the water, desperately concentrating on her magic in an attempt to find Reitan from beneath the waves before it was too late. With each passing second, she grew more and more panicked, crying out in frustration when she watched her bangle flicker with a bit of light before dimming again.

It was so close. She could feel her magic just right there, just slightly out of reach, but it was nowhere close enough for her to properly grasp.

Yet another splash quickly drew her attention, but this one sounded a little too close. Nessa looked in the direction of the sound only to see a flash of red hair appearing from the water.

"Marinus!" She gasped in surprise as she watched her husband emerge from the sea, with the water supporting his body out of the sea and onto the dock’s wooden platform. In his arms was the young Prince Reitan, who was coughing out water as he blinked slowly.

"I found him," Marinus said. "He’s fine, if just a little frightened." He then looked at his wife’s bangle, a frown appearing across his face. "Where’s your other bangle?"

"It’s with Princess Soleia," Nessa said, holding her husband’s hand. "Speaking of which, we need to get her!"

"No, Nessa," Marinus gravely said. "We need to leave. Now. King Godwin will soon block off all sea access with his navy. I overheard him just now as I was leaving the palace."

"We can’t leave without her―"

"We must!" Marinus said. "Otherwise, both Prince Reitan and Orion Elsher will be killed by the King when he catches up. Our ship can get a headstart and we can at least guarantee their lives. Sir Ralph seems more than capable of handling himself."

Marinus leaned forward and helped Reitan up, carefully handing him to Nessa.

"Hold him, I’ll get the General."

With that said, he headed straight for the ship, Orion hanging over his shoulder as though he were a sack of flour. Marinus looked back after a couple of steps and yelled, "Nessa, come on!"

Gritting her teeth, Nessa could only tighten her grip on Reitan before running after her husband to board their ship.

***

On the other side of the dock, Rafael’s blood whip crackled as it sliced through bodies. It hardened into a sword at some points while remaining as a flexible weapon at others, moving purely to his command as he swerved through the bevy of knights, cutting them down as though they were overgrown weeds.

With each slice, the knights who bled were quickly sapped dry, their blood used as a weapon against their comrades as one whip turned into two, then three, then four, eventually creating a whole arsenal of weapons that was unstoppable.

Right as he cut down the last few soldiers who stood in his way, Rafael watched with wide eyes as Florian was hurled through the air. A ring of water surrounded his waist as he struggled against it, trying to wrestle his way out, but was unfortunately unable to do so.

Florian kept slamming his palm against the water, repeatedly trying to freeze it, only to fail each and every time. His rings remained dull, not an inch of magic flowing through them. Before he could escape, he was thrown right into the sea as well, landing much further than any of the other knights, his body landing with a splash before quickly disappearing.

Rafael watched the waves for a few seconds, failing to see Florian emerge.

He then turned and ran straight in the direction where Florian came from, only to see Soleia surrounded by a ring of royal guards. Frowning, he sliced his hand across the air, and needles were formed out of the pool of blood before they shot straight for the knights, each landing precisely through their skulls.

As they fell, Soleia shivered and retreated, cowering from their dead bodies. Her eyes slowly raised to find Ralph approaching, and without a thought, she threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around his neck to embrace him.

"Ralph..." she sobbed. The tears that she painstakingly held back had finally fallen, quickly wetting his shoulder.

Ralph’s hands slowly moved to her back, holding her close. When they landed on her waist, his touch felt gentle, carefully holding her as though she was a fragile porcelain doll, rather than the brutish way Florian had held her previously.

"I’ve got you," he murmured into her hair, holding her tightly against him. With their bodies pressed so closely together, he could even feel the beating of her heart thudding against his own chest, mingling with his own heartbeat.

As Soleia finally looked up, she managed to peer over Ralph’s shoulder to see the dock. Nedour’s flag was flying in the sky, and to her horror, it was getting smaller and smaller, moving away from land.

Rafael, who had felt her stiffen in his arms, slowly let go.

"What’s wrong?" he asked before turning to look where she gazed. His eyes widened slightly with surprise to see Princess Nessa’s ship sailing off.

"They’ve... left," Soleia said. "Without us."

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