Page 66 of To Tame An Angel

The entire land was a blanket of trees and mountains as far as the eye could see. Not a hint of civilization. Not a castle and certainly no lights from below. Just penetrating darkness. Tannor hitched a breath against me and I cupped his head, praying to the gods to protect us.

Then, as we flew over a sharp ravine that led down to a river, I heard wings. So many wings. Like a storm.

I blinked through my watery eyes, pelleted by the cold air, and saw that the guards were on top of us. Their bows were loaded, their faces shadowed as they shot their arrows.

A yell erupted from my throat and Tannor instantly covered me with his wings. We dropped like led into the ravine, with my piercing screams echoing as we fell. Arrows upon arrows stabbed Tannor from all sides as he kept me cocooned inside. His face was pressed against mine as the wind rushed around us and he gurgled. He met my eyes for a split second before a thick drip of blood fell from his mouth and landed on my face.

Then he hit the harsh earth.

Tannor didn’t make a sound and it seemed like all noise was sucked out of the earth when I finally heard the crunch of something awful. Bone. The hit against the mountain expelled all the air from my lungs and we rolled, a chaotic tangle of limbs and wings as he fell, rolling, smacking against stones, pounded by tree trunks.

He tried to hold tight to me, but he was broken, and his hands slackened. We tore apart and I was at the mercy of gravity as I was hit with branches. The wounds on my back split open as I rolled and rolled, skinning my elbows and knees. Then I stopped, ending at the base of the ravine, my body twisted, dazed and in so much pain I could barely blink.

I didn’t hear anything other than the gentle tinkling of the river water. Swallowing, I shifted slightly, hoping and praying I could move my legs. I could. I gasped, curling my knees and trying desperately to lift my head and search for Tannor.

My hair covered my face, and I slowly shoved it back. I was completely drenched in blood, but I wasn’t certain if it was mine or what damage I had. All I knew was that I needed to find Tannor.

“Tannor?” I whispered.

I pushed myself up on my palms, finally on all fours and ignoring the terrible burn coming from my knees and feet.

All I could see were rocks, patches of grass, and the lazy river reflecting the glow of the stars.

“Tannor?” I cried louder, slowly forcing myself to stand on wobbly feet.

I couldn’t see him. Where was he? Had he drowned? Was he in the water? I stumbled towards the river, the water splashing my ankles as I sought any sign of his location.

“Tannor?” I screamed, faltering into a sob. “Answer me, I command you!”

No voice, nothing but water and the sound of the soft wind through the trees. I pressed my hands to my mouth, battling the panic I felt, not knowing what to do or where to even begin searching for him. Then a small noise came from behind me. For a moment, I thought it was the guards and I was ready to kill them all. But it wasn’t.

A saw a flash of white feathers twisted behind a large tree and a single bloodied foot.

“Tannor!” I screamed and ran forward, tripping over rocks, and sliding twice before I collapsed next to him.

It was nothing like I was prepared to witness and a low moan of distress tore through my throat. My angel was completely broken. I didn’t even know where to touch him. His head was turned towards me and his eyes were closed. His face purpled and covered in debris and blood, with a wide gash on his forehead and blood dribbling steadily into the ground. His legs were twisted and bent oddly, his right hand was skinned raw, and his torso was pierced with six arrows. He was dying. Quickly dying.

“No, no,” I hovered my hands over him, not knowing where to start, not knowing which was his most pressing wound.

He shifted and blinked, his blue eyes finding me in the dark. To my distress, he smiled softly. As if he were relieved that I was well. That I’d lived, even if the price was himself.

I gently lifted his head and placed it on my lap, my tears falling on him as I tried to form a plan to save him. But I couldn’t, could I? I had no medicine, no medical skill, no magic strong enough to cure him.

“Don’t worry. I feel nothing,” he whispered and gave a little cough that made more blood dribble from his lips.

Another sob from me as I tenderly caressed his hair, shaking my head, and wishing it had been me who was broken.

“Don’t leave me please,” I begged. “I’ll find help.”

Even as I said it, even as I wished it, I knew no help would come. We were outcasts, lawbreakers, and the law had determined that we would die, by any means necessary. I held him closer, kissing his face and grasping his uninjured hand.

The rustling of the trees and the sound of wings startled me. When I looked up, I saw in horror the guards landing a few feet from us. They were calm and unharmed, weapons in all their hands. They easily spotted us, and I tightened my hold on Tannor.

“Escape,” Tannor whispered but my eyes were on the looming forms.

“Lady Nalla,” the leader spoke. He was larger than the rest, with wide arms and strong wings twice his size. “You are to come with us directly to the queen to face your crimes. Step aside, my lady, and do not interfere with your angel’s punishment or you’ll also suffer his fate.”

I gently set down Tannor’s head, feeling the burning rustle of the magic in my belly.

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