Page 32 of Broken Lands

But she wasn’t. Instead, she was on the ground, scrambling to get up. Her face was full of panic as she tried to regain her feet and faltered, her ankle giving way, body slamming to the ground again. Leaving the safety of the tower without a single thought, I tossed more balls of scorching hot flame from my palms as I tried to reach her before anything else could. The sounds of battle were growing louder, and in the distance, I could spot some of the guards. Not close enough.

I watched in horror as one of the creatures leapt from behind Amy, too fast for me to blast in time, and clamped its jaw down around her calf.

She screamed as it sunk its teeth deep into her flesh and I sent another ball of flames at the creature, silently praying that it loosened its grip on her. Blood pooled on the ground around Amy as the venom of the beast made its way into her system and she quickly lost consciousness.

Lori hit the creature with a blast of water from behind me. The quick succession of blows knocked it off of Amy just as I reached her. I knelt down, slipping in the blood that was spreading further around her still form. More and more guards were joining us, but they faded into the background as I focused my attention on Amy.

There was so much blood, her skin so pale… her body so still.

No.

No!

She wasn’t dead, she couldn’t be. I refused to allow it.

“No, no, no. Please, Amy, hold on.” I murmured as I took her pulse and examined her leg, trying to figure out what to do. There were so many puncture wounds, rows and rows of them, all still oozing blood. The flesh around each one had turned a sickly shade of green—as though they were infected or poisoned.

We’d had very basic first aid training back home—we had to. There were so many of us, so many children, that someone was almost always hurt. I didn’t know much, but it was enough that I knew my first step should be to halt the bleeding by putting pressure on the wound. I tore my shirt off, leaving me in just a crop. I didn’t care, way too focused on Amy to even feel the chill of the night air. I folded it over a few times and pressed it down on her leg. I leant my body over hers, praying that I was applying enough pressure, that what I was doing would be enough.

“Please,” I whispered, a tear breaking free and sliding down my cheek, dripping onto my hands. I couldn’t watch her die. She reminded me so much of Sarie. Of my best friend back home. “Please stay with me. Don’t let go.” I was not a fighter. I never had been! I’d always been more at home among the plants and seedlings in the orphanage’s greenhouse. Plants weren’t confrontational. They thrived when cared for and given the right nourishment. They didn’t fight me.

I wasn’t made for this. I couldn’t keep watching people die—first the guard on the journey here and now Amy. It was too much.

My tears fell heavier as I kept an unrelenting pressure on her leg. They blurred my vision until I could barely see my hands in front of me. I couldn’t stop them. There were more and more people crowding around us, fighting against the remaining creatures, but I couldn’t see them. All I could see was Amy. Her still, lifeless body lying in the pool of crimson blood. Blood that was coating my legs as I knelt before her.

“Please,” I begged one last time, lowering my head onto my hands as I willed life back into Amy’s lifeless form. Exhaustion seeped through my body, taking hold of every piece of me. My eyes closed, and I couldn’t seem to find the energy to open them again. I was sinking, consciousness fading from my grasp.

As I was falling under, a bright light built behind my heavy eyelids. It built brighter and brighter, from red to orange, before reaching a burning white crescendo.

Just as consciousness completely failed me and the bright light faded to black, I heard someone shouting my name; the voice was distorted but familiar. Then there was nothing.

Chapter seventeen

Riley

Sittingupwithastart, I peeled open my gritty eyes and looked around, unsettled by my surroundings. The last thing I remembered was kneeling in the dirt beside Amy as her life faded from her body, guards and void creatures battling around us. It took me a moment to realize I was safe. That the sounds of battle were gone, replaced by the hushed tones of whispered voices in the night.

An orange glow flickered against the dark green canvas wall next to me, coming from the many candles clustered on tables within the space. The scent of fresh rain after a storm drifted in the open flaps on the other side of the room. Things were calm now, no more frantic yelling, creatures with sharp teeth snapping at us, or fae element attacks flying through the air.

Beneath me was a stiff stretcher bed, a crisp white sheet tucked over my legs. There were rows of beds just like mine filling the space, many filled with injured guards and a lot of other fae milling around the space, attending to the injured and speaking amongst themselves in hushed whispers.

This must be the medical tent.

Throwing the sheet off my legs, I swung them over the side of the stretcher as I looked, searching frantically for Amy. She had to be here. If she wasn’t, if she didn’t make it, I… I didn’t know what I’d do. I couldn’t stomach the thought of another life having been lost in front of me.

Suddenly, I spotted her flaming red hair, almost luminescent against the white sheets of the bed she was sitting in. Upright, an elderly fae woman was beside her, holding a glass of water and helping her to drink it.

Thank the gods, she was alive! Although I could see her, I needed to get to her, to make sure she truly was okay. It didn’t sit right with me that she was injured while getting me to safety. Or that my efforts to protect all of us weren’t enough.

I pushed to my feet and began moving toward her without even thinking about it. The edges of my vision darkened as the room swayed and my legs gave way beneath me. Strong hands gripped me under my arms, catching me before I could crash to the ground. I slumped against a warm, hard, familiar body as I regained my balance and my vision cleared. How long had it been since I passed out, I didn’t know, but it had clearly been a while.

“Where do you think you’re going?” If I hadn’t already guessed who held me by the feel of him, I’d have recognized his growl anywhere, his touch too. I straightened, my body brushing against his as I turned to face him. Looking up, Colin’s eyes locked with mine immediately. They were darker than they’d been this afternoon, almost black and dancing with shadows. His rage was undeniable. I could feel the anger emanating from him, searing across my skin as he assessed me.

I took a step back, his hands falling from my shoulders as I went. The fury flooding from every pore in his body confused me. It seemed to be directed at me. I wasn’t sure what I could have done to deserve his wrath. It didn’t matter, anyway. I just wanted to check on Amy. I’d deal with whatever this reaction was later, once I knew she was alright, that those monsters hadn’t caused her any permanent damage.

She’d been trying to protect Lori and I, had been trying to ensure we made it to safety—and we had. But that shouldn’t have been at her own expense.

I crossed my arms over my chest, tilting my chin and narrowing my eyes as I stared back at him. “I’m going to see Amy. Excuse me,” I said, my frustration building. What was his problem? I spun on my heel, storming off without giving him a chance to respond. His heavy footsteps let me know he was right behind me as I marched away and I sighed heavily. Whatever was bothering him wasn’t going away. Whatever. He could stew in it for now. Amy was my priority. Fuck the drama.

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