Page 52 of An Archer's Reckoning

My wine skin lay just within reach. I gripped the stopper in my teeth and took a quick swig, grateful Declan had insisted I fill it with the magical wine before all manner of nakedness had taken over our cavern time.

I held the wine over Eilidh’s wound and began to tip the skin before realizing the silliness and waste in my actions. Righting the skin, I held it before her lips.

“Drink this.”

Her brow furrowed, and she began to protest.

“Just trust me, all right? It’s . . . Enchanted.” I couldn’t think of a better explanation in the moment that covered for my knowledge of a secret cave and its even more secret wine. “I was given this by a Mage some time ago. It has healing properties.”

“Wine? With healing properties?” Had she not been in pain, Eilidh’s lips would’ve quirked. “What the hell. Pour it down my throat. If nothing else, it may deaden the pain.”

By her second swallow, her skin had begun to knit itself back together. She shoved my hand and the skin away and stared in wonder. Once the knitting appeared complete, I poured a small amount of wine onto a cloth and wiped away dried blood to reveal a line of freshly Healed pink skin.

“Oh, Spirits, bugger me right now. What—”

“I do not have time to bugger you,” I said, my mouth running ahead of good sense. Her eyes widened. “Sorry, bad joke. Tell me what you saw out there. Is there danger you were followed? How far out were the men?”

She drew in a breath as if testing the strength of her lungs. “I don’t feel pain anywhere anymore. Crown and quill, I even feel rested now.”

“Eilidh, enough!” I snapped, then lowered my voice. “Focus. What happened?”

She nodded, and her eyes became distant. Her voice rang hollow as she recounted the past few hours. “Padraig had left his quadrant. He crossed mine on his way to you. He wasn’t paying attention and missed the soldiers following him. I’d guess he was thirty yards from my camp when two arrows took him in the back. I ducked and watched him fall beneath the brush. A teamof six soldiers surrounded him, one nudging his body with a boot while the other stabbed at him with his bow. A moment later, they passed not ten paces from where I lay hidden.”

“Hells. That’s nine so far.”

“Nine?” she sat up on her elbows. “They’ve shot nine?”

I nodded. “Likely more. Dec was right. This isn’t more scouting; it’s the beginning of their attack.”

“Dec? You saw Declan? I mean . . . Ranger Rea out here?”

“No. I mean, yes. I saw him a while back. He thought this would happen more quickly than . . . it does not matter.” I looked away and cursed my own carelessness. “Did you see any others on your way here?”

“No. I passed through three other quads, but none of the Rangers checked my passage. They should’ve at least challenged me.”

Were any left alive?

I closed my eyes.

“The quads are done,” I said, resignation weighing my voice like an anchor. “We need to get back to Grove’s Pass as quickly as possible.”

“We can’t abandon—”

“Eilidh, they are gone, but Grove’s Pass still stands . . . for now. Those soldiers could be hours or minutes behind you. We have no more time.”

She remained silent so long I wondered if she might argue or simply head into the mountains to find the others. When she looked up, her eyes held far more grief than when she’d first entered the clearing with blood dripping from her leg.

“Fine. Let’s get on with it then.”

Chapter 18

Jess

It took a minute to realize Keelan had just walked away from me.

Hewas mad atme?

How dare he.

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