Chapter 336 - Three Hundred And Thirty Five

Chapter 336: Chapter Three Hundred And Thirty Five

The carriage came to a rushed, violent stop. The horses were sweating, their eyes wide with fear, rearing up slightly before coming to a halt. Murry walked forward, his brow furrowed in confusion. He expected to see the driver, Hugh, up front. Instead, he saw Lieutenant Kade sitting in the driver’s box, holding the reins with white knuckles. Kade’s hair was messy, his breath came in short gasps, and his eyes were wide with total panic.

"Lieutenant?" Murry started, taking a step closer. He adjusted his coat, trying to stay polite. "What is going on? Why are you driving? Where is—"

Before Murry could finish his question, the carriage door was kicked open from the inside. It slammed against the outer wall with a loud bang.

Camilla leaned out of the open doorway. Her hair was tangled, her face was covered in dirt and dried blood, and her eyes were wild with desperation.

"CALL THE DOCTOR!" Camilla screamed at the top of her lungs. Her voice echoed off the high stone walls of the courtyard. "GET A DOCTOR NOW! HE IS BLEEDING!"

The sheer terror in her voice shattered the quiet night.

For a second, the guards standing at the entrance stood frozen in shock. They had never seen Lady Camilla look like this. But within moments, chaos broke out in the courtyard.

"You two, go get the doctor right now! Run!" Murry shouted, his calm voice turning into a sharp command as he pointed at two young guards. The guards turned and sprinted toward the side gates as fast as their legs could carry them.

Three other guards rushed to the open carriage door.

"Careful! Be gentle with him!" Camilla cried out as she stepped back to give them space.

The guards reached inside and carefully lifted Damon’s limp body out of the carriage. Damon was wrapped in cotton makeshift bandage, but the fabric was no longer white. A bright red stain of fresh blood was spreading quickly across the cloth, soaking through the material. His head fell back, his face completely pale and devoid of color.

"Get him to the master bedroom! Move!" one of the guards shouted.

They carried Damon up the wide stone stairs toward the front doors. Camilla scrambled out of the carriage right behind them. She stumbled on her hoop, almost falling to the ground, but she pushed herself up and ran after the guards, her eyes fixed on Damon’s face.

"Keep his head elevated!" she shouted, her voice breaking. "Don’t shake him!"

Meanwhile, two more guards approached the other side of the carriage. They pulled open the door and saw the unconscious driver lying on the floor.

"We have another injured man here!" a guard called out. They reached in, grabbed the driver under his arms, and carefully dragged him out.

Right behind the driver was the captured assassin. He writhing on the wooden floor and groaning in pain from his injuries.

"Grab him!" another guard ordered, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "Tie his arms and legs! Lock him in the underground cell immediately! Don’t let him out of your sight!"

Four guards grabbed the assassin by his arms and legs, hauling him out of the carriage. The assassin spit blood onto the ground and glared at them, but he was too weak to fight back. They dragged him away into the dark side doors that led down to the dungeon.

Kade climbed down from the driver’s box. His legs were shaking so badly he almost fell when his boots hit the stone ground. He let out a long breath, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He turned to follow the guards who were dragging the assassin away.

"Wait! Lieutenant Kade!"

Murry’s voice stopped him. The old housekeeper hurried over, his shoes clicking rapidly on the stones.

Murry reached out and grabbed Kade’s arm to stop him. As soon as Murry touched him, he froze. His hands began to tremble.

Now that the initial commotion had moved inside, Murry finally saw the full picture.

He looked at Kade. The lieutenant’s neat military uniform was torn at the shoulder, covered in dirt, and stained with dark, wet blood.

Murry looked over at the front steps where Camilla was disappearing through the grand doors. Her elegant dress was ruined. The fabric was ripped at the sleeves and knees, soaked through with blood, and covered in gray road dust. Her hands were stained red, there was smudged blood on her cheek, and her eyes held a look of pure, unhinged distress.

Finally, Murry thought back to the brief second he had seen Lord Damon being carried past him. Damon had been bandaged in cotton, but the bright red blood was spreading so fast it was dripping onto the stone steps.

The peaceful courtyard now felt heavy, cold, and terrifying.

Murry looked back at Kade. His face turned pale, and his voice was filled with deep, overwhelming fear.

"What happened out there?" Murry asked, his chest tight. "Please, Lieutenant... tell me what happened!"

Kade looked at Murry. His eyes were wide, and he took a shaky breath. His jaw tightened as he tried to find the words, but his voice was raspy.

"We were ambushed," Kade said softly, his voice trembling. "They were waiting for us on the forest road. There were too many of them, Murry. Too many."

Murry’s eyes went wide. He gripped Kade’s arm tighter. " Lord Damon... is he...?"

"He took a hit," Kade interrupted, closing his eyes for a second as if trying to erase the memory. "He protected Lady Camilla. He stepped in front of the weapon before I could reach them. He lost so much blood, Mr Murry. So much blood. I thought... I thought we were all going to die out there."

Murry placed a hand over his own mouth, gasping for air. "Dear heavens...Weapon... Lord Damon... is he... ?"

"I don’t know," Kade whispered, looking down at his own bloody hands. "If the doctor doesn’t fix him right now, he won’t make it to the morning."

Inside the house, the loud sound of running footsteps and screaming echoed down the long hallways.

"Bring more clean towels!" Camilla’s voice echoed from the upper floor. "Bring hot water! Get me a scissors and alcohol! Hurry!"

Murry looked back toward the main doors. His heart was beating wildly in his chest.

"I must go upstairs," Murry said, his voice shaking as he pulled his hand away from Kade’s arm. "I must help Lady Camilla."

Kade nodded weakly. "I will make sure the assassin is secured in the dungeon and put guards at every entrance."

Murry did not wait another second. He turned and ran up the grand stone stairs as fast as his old legs could take him, praying silently with every step that they were not too late.