Chapter 223 - Before I Go

Ian fell forward onto his knees, his hands shaky around the blade but not actually touching its hilt.

"No!" Vincent shouted and scrambled away from his wife to their friend.  He moved as if to grab the dagger but stopped just before he did, realizing the error.

"V-Vince," Ian stammered, looking at him with fear.

"Get the doctors!" Vincent shouted before looking up directly at Daniel, "Get your damn doctors!"

"Guards get all the royal doctors!  Even if you have to drag them here!" Daniel commanded, "And you," he pointed to the Adair Guards, "Seize that bitch!"

The Adair guards did as commanded by the King.  Anna screamed and tried to fight them off but they grabbed her and pulled her arms behind her back, lashing them together as well as her ankles.  On the floor, the witch Luna now looked around in fear and tried to scramble away but one of the guards caught her by her hair and dragged her forward to be kept with Anna.

Delaney hadn't taken her eyes from Ian and now his gaze was on hers as well.  She was frozen in fear.  Her best friend was sitting before her with a blade in his gut and blood pouring out onto the floor.  She wanted to go to him but she found she couldn't make her limbs move.  She couldn't remember how.

"Delaney," he whispered to her, "I-I'm sorry."

Hearing those words suddenly spurred her into action.  Delaney scrambled forward as Ian began to fall to his side.  Vincent tried to catch him but couldn't do so without chancing hitting the blade.  Delaney was there though and managed to catch his shoulders.  He was heavy and she grunted under his weight but slowly she eased him down until he was resting in her lap.

"I-I'm sorry," he repeated quietly, looking up at her.  She brushed his brown curls back from his face and shook her head.

"What on earth are you sorry for?" she managed through her tears, forcing a smile to her lips as she looked down at him, "You've done nothing wrong.  You saved Vincent."

"I've been lying to you," he said quietly, shaking his head.

"What are you talking about?" Delaney frowned in confusion before glancing up at her husband to see if he understood.

Vincent wore a confused look as well but then his expression changed.  The frown fell away and what was left was almost unreadable except for a hint of sadness.

"I-I've been lying to you," Ian whispered, "And if this is going to be the end of me I want to tell you before I die."

"Shh," Delaney shook her head as tears fell from her eyes, "Don't say that.  You're not going to die.  The doctors will fix you.  They'll fix him won't they Vincent?"

She looked up at her husband but his expression didn't change as he watched the man before them.

"Won't they Vincent?" Delaney asked again, louder now.

Her husband swallowed and let his gaze fall away.

"Yes," he said quietly, nodding, "Yes my love they'll fix him."

Delaney looked at him with anger and confusion.

"Delaney darling why don't you just talk to Ian?" Violet asked quietly, touching her daughter-in-law's shoulder as she came to kneel beside her, "Talk to him until the doctors come."

"I want to tell you this," Ian repeated, looking at her, "It's important to me that you know... that you know that I love you."

Everyone grew still upon hearing those words.

Vincent cleared his throat, "Mother would you take William away from here?  He doesn't need to see any of this."

Violet was looking at Ian in shock but her eyes floated up to Vincent's and saw he wasn't surprised to hear the pirate's admission.

"Y-yes," she agreed quietly, "Of course."

Violet got to her feet and took the hand of the little boy who was watching Ian with wide eyes as his blood poured from his abdomen, staining Delaney's dress a dark red-black.  William walked out with Violet, glancing back over his shoulder more than once to take in the scene.

"I love you too," Delaney said quietly to Ian now, "But I knew you loved me.  You told me yourself silly.  I don't understand what lie..."

"No Delaney," he whispered, "No I love you.  I love you as you love Vincent.  I love you with my whole heart and soul and I have for so long."

"W-What?"

"I never told you," he shook his head with tears in his eyes, "I never told you because I know you love Vince and I don't blame you for that.  Even though I knew you were madly in love with him though I couldn't... I couldn't stop myself from falling in love with you."

"Ian," she whispered, shaking her head as her heart broke for him, "I'm so sorry..."

"Don't," he interrupted her, "Don't apologize for loving your husband.  I've watched you both together.  It is a real, true love.  And Vince is a great man.  I'm happy that at least if you don't love me, you are loved by an honorable man like him who will do all he can to keep you safe and happy."

He groaned then and closed his eyes, a shaking hand moving back towards the dagger in his stomach.  Vincent swore and looked up.

"Where are the damn doctors?" he shouted, anger and fear in his voice.

"I'll go look and see why they're delayed," Daniel said quickly and dashed towards the doors and out of the room.

"I-I could go get the other witches," Sophia offered hesitantly, "Maybe they would know something that could help."

Delaney and Vincent met one another's eyes for a moment before Vincent nodded, "Yes please Sophia.  Please go for them and bring them as fast as you can."

Sophia lifted her skirts and hurried from the room then as well, following after her husband.  Delaney looked back down at her friend and felt her heart ache.

"Don't cry please," Ian said looking between her and Vincent, "Please don't.  Either of you.  T-talk to me about something."

"Alright," Vincent nodded, moving closer and laying a hand on his friend's shoulder, "What would you like to talk about?"

"I don't know," Ian started to chuckle but winced and stopped, closing his eyes, "How about... How about how annoyed Mason is going to be when he learns he ran away from here and sailed off to marry the princess of the Red Lands to escape marrying that horrible woman... but if he had just waited around a bit longer he wouldn't have had to get married at all."

Delaney smiled through her tears and Vincent chuckled.

"I'm sure if he learns about it in time he will have your sister help him escape that marriage as well."

Ian smiled and closed his eyes, "She'll be happy to help.  She..."

Delaney looked up at Vincent with worry as Ian's sentence trailed off.

"Ian?" she said quietly at first but then more urgently, "Ian?"

"Ian?" Vincent said loudly and shook the man, "Ian hold on!"

Just then the doors flew open and Sophia swept in with two strangely dressed women right behind her.  Delaney looked on in shock as she realized she recognized one.

"Helena?" she whispered in surprise.

"Hello Lady Adair," the witch gave her a mischievous smile as she sat and began to examine Ian, "I told you we would meet again."

Vincent looked between Delaney and the witch in confusion before the other witch pushed him out of the way.  Delaney cradled Ian's head in her lap and looked at the witch she had met so long ago in the dark room in the back of Win's club.  The woman's masses of dark brown curls were tied back behind her head in a red ribbon and her sharp grey eyes studied the pirate closely.

"C-Can you save him?" Delaney asked quietly as she looked at the witch, "He's still alive."

"He is but he's very weak," Helena said sadly, "Still there might be something we can do."

"Is this medicine or magic?" Vincent asked seriously.

"He will need a bit of both."

"What can we do?" Delaney asked.

"He will need strength through magic to give the medicine time to heal him," Helena answered, "He will have to take strength from someone else who has it."

"Me," Vincent answered quickly, "He can have my strength."

"No!" Delaney shook her head, "No he can have mine."

"He took a blade that was meant for me," Vincent shook his head, "He can take all of my strength he needs."

"I'm sorry my Lord," the witch said sadly, "But you can't spare your strength.  You need every bit of it to continue fighting the dragon poison in your body.  If he were to take it there might not be enough left to keep the poison from overwhelming you."

Vincent dropped his gaze, the pain clear on his face.  Delaney wanted to go to him but in her lap, Ian began to cough and gasp.

"Now," Helena shouted, "We need it now before it's too late!"

"Take mine!" 

The witch reached out and grabbed Delaney's hand.  She pulled the dagger from Ian's abdomen, making him cry out.  With the blade, she made a quick slice across Delaney's palm making her cry as well and Vincent shout her name.  Helena said some words quickly before pressing Delaney's hand down hard against her friend's bleeding wound.

Delaney gasped as she suddenly felt all her energy and strength flowing through her to her bleeding palm where it was making the blood hot that was mixing with Ian's.  She could feel everything being sucked out of her and she began to feel light-headed.  She looked up at her husband in fear.

"V-Vincent?"

And then her world went black.