The Princess' Harem
Chapter 100: Ambush in the Ruins

Chapter 100: Ambush in the Ruins

"Viana!" Rayne roared and throwing himself forward. He didn’t have a clean strike, instead, he crashed bodily into the assassin just as the dagger began to move down.

They fell into a pile of rubble, with Rayne on top. The assassin twisted like a snake, bringing his knee up sharply into Rayne’s side.

Rayne grunted in pain but pinned the assassin’s dagger arm with his own, his other hand grapping for the man’s throat.

Viana blinked hard, clearing grit from her eyes, her bow coming up instinctively. She saw Rayne wrestling the assassin, saw the man’s free hand reaching for another hidden blade.

Without hesitation, she drew an arrow and fired. The arrow found the assassin’s chest where it was exposed.

He screamed with a raw sound of pain, his body arching. Rayne used the moment to wrench the dagger from the assassin’s hand and slammed his own elbow down hard on the man’s temple. The assassin went limp.

The silence, only heavy panting could be heard, fell over the chamber for a split second, broken only by the muffled clashes outside.

Viana met Rayne’s gaze over the fallen assassin. There was no time for thanks, only a shared understanding of the dangerous situation they were in.

Blood trickled from a shallow cut on Rayne’s temple where he’d hit the rubble, and he clutched his side where the knee had struck.

"Are you hit?" Viana demanded, her voice rough with concern.

"Bruised," Rayne gasped and pushing himself up. "You?"

"Blinded by history," she replied grimly while wiping her eyes again. "Arden? Kaley?"

"Safe," Kaley confirmed, his shield fading, and his face pale with effort. Arden nodded silently, his knuckles were white as clutching the tablet tight.

The break was short. Shouts echoed from the courtyard, it was Joe’s voice, loud and commanding: "Reyes! Left flank!" Followed by a cry of pain that wasn’t Joel’s.

Viana’s expression hardened. "We’re easy targets in here. We push out, and regroup with the others near the horses."

She looked at Rayne. "Can you move?"

The crown prince nodded, pain tightening his face but determination burning in his eyes. "Lead on, Princess. My brother’s welcoming party needs a proper farewell."

He picked up the fallen assassin’s dagger, testing its weight. A backup weapon.

Viana took the lead, stepping over the bodies. Kaley helped Arden up, the scholar still carefully holding the stone key to their salvation. Rayne followed while scanning the shadows beyond the doorway.

The metallic scent was stronger now, mixed with the coppery smell of fresh blood. The Shadow Clan had struck hard, aiming to kill the heirs of two kingdoms in one brutal ambush.

They had failed to land the killing blow, but the ruins were still a deadly maze, and Prince Arin’s assassins were far from finished.

***

Rayned surged forward first, the assassin’s dagger feeling right in his hand. Pain burned in his side with every step from the knee strike, but anger and adrenaline pushed it away. He burst through the broken doorway.

Viana was right behind him with her bow ready, and her eyes sweeping the messy fight in the courtyard.

It was a terrible sight. Many of their guards lay still.

Joel, his face covered and rage, was caught in a desperate sword dance with two dark-clothed figures near the crumbling archway that led outside.

Reyes, just as Joel had shouted earlier, was covering the left side, his sword moving so fast it was a blur as he blocked a fierce attack from another assassin.

A third Shadow Clan killer circled, looking for a chance to strike. The cry of pain Viana had heard was from young Thomas, one of the guards. He was now clutching a bad wound in his leg, leaning against a fallen pillar.

"Kaley! Arden, stay behind!" Viana shouted, her voice cutting through the noise. She didn’t wait. An arrow shot from her bow, hitting the circling assassin just as he lunged towards Reyes’s open back. The man fell mid-step.

Rayne was already moving towards Joel. "Joel! Down!" he roared.

The Mercenary King didn’t hesitate, dropping into a low crouch. Rayne threw the assassin’s dagger.

It wasn’t a smooth throw, full of pain and hurry, but it flew straight, digging deep into the throat of one of Joel’s enemies. The man chocked, grabbing at the dagger hilt.

Joel used this chance to move up, his own sword finding the second assassin’s heart with a brutal thrust.

Reyes, now free from his immediate danger thanks to Viana’s arrow, spun and attacked the last assassin near him with new fierceness. Kaley, his face still pale, pushed Arden behind a large, broken statue base for cover.

"Stay here!" he told the scholar, then raised his hands. A shimmering, smaller shield flickered around Reyes, blocking a desperate slash from the assassin.

It was enough for him, and without wasting time, Reyes quickly took his enemy’s weapon and ran him through.

A heavy silence fell, broken only by hard, ragged breathing. Thomas’s low groan, and the faint crackle of a small fire started by a fallen torch near the ruins’ entrance.

Five Shadow Clan assassins lay dead in the courtyard, adding to the two inside the room. The attack was over, but the cost was clear in the blood and broken bodies on the ancient ground.

"Thomas!" Viana rushed to the wounded guard, kneeling beside him. The leg wound was bad, it was bleeding dark red.

Joel was already tearing a strip from his cloak, pressing it hard against the wound.

Reyes moved quickly, checking the other fallen guards. His grim shake of the head confirmed the worst, two more were dead.

"No time," Joel rasped, his voice rough with sorrow. "They might have more fighters coming. Or watchers still hiding."

Rayne leaned against a pillar while clutching his side. The short burst of fighting energy was gone, leaving him weak.

The pain was a deep, sickening throb now. Blood slowly leaked from the cut on his temple.

Viana looked up from Thomas, her green eyes meeting Rayne’s. They understood each other, a feeling now made stronger by sadness and urgent need.

"The tablet, Arden," Viana said with a tight voice, pushing pass the shock. "The location. Now."