Cohen of the Rebellion-Volume 1 Chapter 18
I'm so Dead
I started to gain consciousness and saw people walking in and out. It seemed that my bleeding was stopped by probably the work of physicians, though the energy waves in my body were still rushing around.
I missed it, the best moment. There were nothing I can do.
Now I was gazing the ceiling numbly and waiting for death to come.
Flynn wiped another trace of residual blood around my mouth. Oddly enough, I couldn’t catch any signs of sadness in her eyes. There was only calm. Striking calm. Windsor was holding my hands with tears, crying. Winslet was praying silently for me with red eyes.
I couldn't feel my arm and legs, thus I started to recall everything that happened during this 14 years of life. Then I felt extremely annoyed. I groaned again and puked a big swallow of blood…
“Cohen!” Windsor held my hands, “Please don’t die!”
“Stop your chaotic brain.” Flynn wiped my mouth again, “Just erase it and calm down.”
I turn my eyes without saying a word. I couldn’t speak and my eyes were the only thing I can move.
“How do you know?” After a while, I gained an ounce of strength and asked, “My thought?”
“Just by looking in your eyes,” Flynn said, “There are too many emotions.”
“You and Carey,” I asked, “how did you end up at the altar?”
“That…” Flynn flushed, “We’ve been following you since you went out.”
I looked at her surprised, and she continued, “It was Carey’s idea, she said she wanted to see your fiancee. So we waited outside the minister’s mansion. Then we found that you were going to the altar, and there were guards who kept us out.”
“And?”
“And we watched you from afar. We thought those three guys were your friends.”
“Yeah, fucking friends!” I yelled.
“Cohen!” Windsor looked a bit surprised, “You’ve never said words like that!”
“Windsor,” I gave a bitter smile, “I’m sorry, I shouldn't have said that. But I’m not feeling well, can you forgive me?”
“No, Windsor doesn’t want Cohen to die! No!”
“I don’t either, I’d rather play with pretty Windsor!”
“Windsor, don’t cry, Cohen will cry if you do.” Flynn stroke Windsor’s hair, “We heard screaming then we knew things was derailed. But the guards won’t let us in.”
“We had no choice, and we saw you walked down with blood. At that time I knew we can’t stay any longer.” Flynn turned and her shoulder stirred, “We were still too late…”
“Flynn…” My heart was boiling, “Thank you…”
Flynn faced me again with eyes redden.
I noticed there were people approaching my chamber. Flynn took a look and stood up, “Mr. Kheda and Auntie Bellerina are here.”
Father had a grave look and stood beside me. Bellerina was examining my body.
Then I had this enormous feeling to appreciate this man who worked so hard for me during the past fourteen years.
My eyes overflowed with tears knowing I was about to say goodbye to those who cared about me.
“Don’t worry! Cohen.” Father grabbed my hands, “I will do everything possible to fix you up! You have to be brave!”
“Dad,” I didn’t reject this name, “I’m not afraid of dying. I'm sorry, and I hate to say goodbye to you guys.”
“Cohen, what’s this strong energy in your body?” Bellerina asked.
“I have no idea.” I’m dead man now why bother explaining.
“Boy,” Bellerina said, “You did well!”
“Ah?”
“A boy without any magic and martial skills against four.” Bellerina touched my forehead, “You didn’t beg for mercy. That was brave!”
“How are those guys?” I asked.
“They? Bellerina said, “One broke a leg, the other two bled out to death.”
“Smart enough,” Father cut in, “you declared Flynn and Carey your wives or this it will become trouble.”
“I am sorry… Flynn, I don’t have a better reason…” I looked at Flynn.
“N...nothing.” Flynn blushed again and said quickly.
“If I survive,” I stared at her face, I blurted, “By all means, I will marry you!”
“Let’s get out…” Bellerina shoved father, “The kids are good on their own.”
I have been unable to eat except for drinking a bit of water. Four days later, all physicians, including three emperor’s personal mages, declared my dying fate. Father asked where I wanna go.
“Home, I wanna see mother.” I said.
Then we set off immediately! Seven days after I rode into the Divine City, I went out lying.
The driver carefully controlled my carriage and made it as steady as possible. My friends gathered around me struggled to look happy and held back their sadness…
Maybe I would be fooled by their performance if I were still that 14 years old boy, now my psychological age was at least over 40.
“I want to see outside…” I can’t hold it anymore. Seeing them pretend to be happy. I feeling was mixed, then my voice betrayed me.
“I’ll help you up!” Steven said to Dimmock, “Open the window.”
“You can’t!” Carey shouted, “He can’t move!”
“Then how?”
Wilder was a straight head, he drew his sword and stabbed it into the wall then dragged sidewards… then everyone knew how it worked. Almost instantly, my carriage became a convertible.
I breathed greedily of the scent of the flowers in the air and enjoyed plants and birds on this grassland. How nice to have these all around me. There’s not much time left, let me see more… more…
“Wilder.”
“Yes, boss?” Wilder took my hands as if I was gonna slip away.
“Let me go, it hurts!” I cried, “I have something for you.”
“Sorry boss!” Wilder loosened my hands and ouched because Windsor twisted his belly.
“Wilder, you have a leader's potential.” I thought hard and make an effort to help my brothers a bit more before I die, “But don’t get excited that easily. You need to learn from Marfa and Flynn, calm down. If I’m not around, you have to be their leader.”
“Boss!”
“Stop crying! Get out.” I didn’t have time to cry.
“Moya! Come in here.”
“Boss!”
“You care about people and is willing to think for others. You are very brave.” Moya’s hands were shaking, “You can’t do that to your enemies. Pay attention to details, you’ll do fine. Meanwhile, try not to go easy on Jack. Ok, you get out. Marfa!”
“Boss, here!”
“You are cunning, you have to cope with Wilder. Remind him of what he’s doing. Don’t let him act on impulse.”
“Roger!”
“Ja...ck.”
“I’m here…”
“Stop crying! Don’t rely on your brother. Practice your spells, you make your own future.”
“OK, I’m not crying anymore.”
“Flynn, Carey, please help them. Carey, you need to work on your temper… listen to your sister.”
“Dimmock, Steven, Manta, remember, broaden your mind. To thrive your race, it has to be… united. United is the only advantage of you alien races!”
“Winslet.”
“I’m right beside you…”
“I don’t understand… your name. Does it have a meaning? Tell me…”
“Winslet is a word from ancient elf tongue, means firefly.”
“Wind...sor.”
“Cohen!”
“Windsor, be a good girl. Watch out for bad people, I can’t feed you my blood anymore.”
“Windsor doesn’t want Cohen to die…”
What a bunch of kids…
“Windsor, can you take some time staying with Winslet? She’s alone all the time.”
“OK…”
Then I finished all things I wanted to say to my friends…
“Winslet, can you sing?”
“I… can’t…”
“Can I teach you? Let me teach you.”
“En! Windsor wants to learn too!”
“OK, Windsor together.” I hummed a song that was going on in my brain for a while. Then there were all gals left around me. The guys, god knew where they went…
After a while, we heard someone exclaimed and saw a huge white thing flying over our head. It swayed and crashed afar…
“What is… that?”
“Dragon…” Flynn lost her calm.
Several horses raced along causing dust floating in the air…
After that, I heard Wilder's angry cursing...
