Thanks to the anti-magic cloaks, the rebel soldiers were not harmed by the lightning. They were practically unharmed, which cannot be said about the enemy.
The king abandoned his army and turned back, accompanied by his retinue. In any case, it would have been difficult for Klaus to break through to his father, and now, when his mind was clouded and his strength was flowing out of his body uncontrollably, it was completely impossible. But could something like that stop him?
Panic on the battlefield. One captain, ignoring everything, tried to save only his brother, the second was busy protecting those who were not saved by the anti-magic cloaks.
Despite the fact that Klaus's strength significantly undermined the royal army, the advantage was not on the rebels' side. The soldiers, having lost three commanders at once, could not work together. They were pushed back. The rebels were forced to retreat.
"August, you won't get to him! Take command - shouted Gorald, beating off another storm of lightning."
The captain ignored the big guy. Now August regretted that he had brushed off Egor. This boy would be very useful. Only he could stop this surge of energy, and preventing the prince's magical attacks was a top priority.
"There are reinforcements! Enemy reinforcements," an amplified voice rang out.
August looked away from his target and into the distance. Indeed, an army was hurrying to the battlefield. A huge army. No less than five thousand soldiers. The captain went cold when he saw his father's flag waving.
"It's over! Our war will end here and now. We are all corpses" flashed through his head.
"Gorald, give up this useless activity! Retreat!"
But it was too late. Even if they retreated, they would not be able to hide from the enemy. August dismounted from his horse and ran towards Klaus, parrying the lightning strikes. He only needed to throw the cloak over the prince and it would be over. "At least I will die next to him."
Klaus was sweating and breathing heavily. His body no longer obeyed him, but he stubbornly tried to get up. August was able to catch up with him only because the strength of the discharges decreased, and the prince stopped moving.
The captain threw the anti-magic cloak over the exhausted body and it was over. He knelt down, pulled the unconscious prince to himself and hugged him tightly. The clatter of hooves surrounded them, but August did not look up.
"Is he alive?" came the familiar voice of his father.
"He will die only over my dead body," answered August and raised his head, meeting Jiro's gaze.
The man was speechless. He saw a ghost? How could this happen?
"August?"
"Father. You have a second chance to get rid of me. This time for real."
Jiro pressed his lips until they turned white, with an effort he looked away from his son and gave the order.
"Kill everyone. Don't let anyone escape!"
August squeezed Klaus tighter and prepared to die, but nothing happened. The captain looked up again and exhaled in surprise. It was not his comrades who were being destroyed. Jiro Deffender had made a choice. He sided with his nephew.
"Why?" the question burst out of his own accord.
"I made my bets, that's all," answered Jiro. "He needs to be shown to a doctor immediately."
Klaus was sent through a portal to the underground city. Egor followed him. As much as August wanted to do the same, he couldn't. He needed to talk to his father and find out his motives.
Gorald was left in charge of the remnants of the rebel army. Contrary to expectations, the soldiers took Klaus's action with enthusiasm, after hearing that the prisoner was the prince's teacher.
Instead of doubting their leader, the warriors became even more sympathetic to him. Fazli was a slave, albeit a high-ranking one, but the heir to the throne had treated him with respect since childhood. This became an even greater motive for the soldiers to follow this man. He had always been on the side of the common people. This was not just a whim or a desire to spite the king. The prince had chosen this path when he was still a child. Such talk circulated among the warriors and was passed on.
Gorald sighed with relief. He hoped that their delay here would not last long and that Klaus would quickly come to his senses. Now is the best time to move forward, before the enthusiasm of the rebels and their allies fades.
"So why are you here?" August asked Jiro when he entered his tent.
"I would like to ask you the same. How did you survive?"
"Does it upset you? To be honest, I don't care about your feelings. I only care about him. What are you planning and why did you help us? You understand what this means for you, right?"
"You mean my brother? I understand everything perfectly well. As I said, I made my bets, but now I began to doubt my choice. What happened? Why did Klaus lose control of his power?"
"The king knows which points to press," August answered simply.
"Is what the soldiers say true?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm not surprised. He's been losing control over stupid things lately. What changed him so much? Was that boy from another world?"
"Klaus was always like that, but he didn't let that part of himself come out. Now he's at the stage of acceptance. If he used to suppress any emotions, now he simply can't cope with them. He'll cope."
"Not the best time to get to know yourself. Why did you let this happen?"
"Because if he hadn't started feeling, he wouldn't have acted so violently. As sad as it is for me to admit it, Egor is truly his driving force. He's his greatest weakness, but also his most powerful force."
"What do you mean by that?"
"As long as this boy is near him, he will do everything to protect him. And what is the biggest threat to those close to Klaus right now?"
"Ichiro."
"Exactly. Do you think he will stop now? He will do everything to take the place of the king and make this world safe for the boy," August chuckled sadly.
"And you still adore Klaus?" Jiro noted.
"I always considered him the closest person to me. I realized at first sight that he was special, so I bet everything on him. My life, my aspirations, my dreams. Everything."
"You also can't think with your head when it comes to him. It's strange. In our family, brotherly bonds, let's say, are not the best, but you and Klaus are different."
"Maybe because we have different fathers? Or maybe we just never put blood ties above the one that formed between us. I don't know. So what are you planning to do? And what do you want from him?"
"My army, like my life, is now in the hands of this emotionally unstable boy, as sad as it is to admit. Now I understand that you were right about something back then. You should have acted, not waited. Well, time has passed, now we are both on the same side."
"I still don't trust you. I'm afraid that it will be difficult for him to believe in the purity of your intentions. What do you want to get for your support?"
"The same as you. Freedom of action."
"That's a very vague answer."
"I would prefer to discuss this issue when Klaus comes to his senses. Do you think that will happen soon?"
"I think that as soon as he regains his strength, he will return. He will not forgive the murder of the teacher and the threat to his loved ones. He will want to sort everything out as soon as possible."
"Do you think he is able to think clearly now? Aren't you afraid that he will make a similar mistake?"
"I know someone who can calm him down a little."
"You mean that boy?"
'Yes."
"Do you want to influence Klaus through him?"
"Yes."
"You have become more cunning than before."
"Life has taught me."
***
Klaus opened his eyes. His whole body ached, and his head was a complete mess. The last thing he clearly remembered was his teacher's head shattering into pieces. After that, a complete failure.
He tried to get up, unable to hold back a painful groan.
"Thank God, you're awake!" Egor's worried voice was heard. "How are you? Where does it hurt?"
"Calm down, Mommy. I'm fine. Are we in an underground city? What happened? Where are the others? And most importantly, where is that old son of a bitch?"
"Calm down. Yes, we are in an underground city. You passed out after you lost control of yourself. Klaus, I didn't see what happened, but I saw the consequences," Egor shook his head.
"I'm sorry I made you worry. It's just... He was my teacher. He was more than a father to me, and now, because of me..."
"It's not your fault! You didn't kill him!"
"But it happened because of me. Everyone I care about is suffering. It's dangerous to be around me, Egor..."
"Don't you dare! Don't continue if you want to distance yourself from me again! It was my choice to be here and it's up to me to decide whether to stay or not! It was your teacher's choice to take care of you and die for you! You're not forcing anyone, how can you blame yourself for something you didn't do!"
"Egor, you don't understand anything..."
"You don't understand anything! This is what your father wanted. He wanted you to lose control. Don't follow his lead! You used to suppress your emotions to be stronger, now use them for the same purpose! Don't lose your head. Please, just don't lose your head."
"You sound almost like August," Klaus grinned and Egor glanced to the side. 'Seriously? Have you already become such friends with him? Ha, I didn't think it was even possible."
"It's not that we became friends. It's just that I completely agree with him, and he loves you too," Egor said the last phrase barely audibly.
"God, and what should I do with all this? How can I restore the trust of my own soldiers now?"
'There won't be any problems with that," his friend smiled and told the prince about the conversations among the soldiers and that Jiro Deffender openly sided with Klaus and was ready to hand over his large army to him.
"How long did I sleep?"
"Two days."
"fuck it! Because of my weakness, I lost two days. I need to go back. The first thing I need to do is find out what Uncle wants."
"Don't rush," Brod grumbled discontentedly, entering the prince's "chamber". "You can't even stand on your feet now, and you're already planning to go back to the battlefield?"
"A general can't rest while a soldier is fighting."
"Then drink this," the healer handed over a gray-brown liquid, the aroma of which made the boys' eyes water.
"Do you want to poison me or cure me?"
"Don't underestimate my medicine. This potion will restore your magical flows in a few hours. So..."
Brod didn't have time to finish speaking, as Klaus, pinching his nose with his fingers, drank the mixture in one gulp.
"It tastes even worse than it looks," he winced.