Page 30 of Stealing the Troll’s Heart

He’s unconscious, but alive—just barely. I have to hold back the tears that rush to my face as I search his body for any other wounds. Given the pool of blood around his leg, it’s taking its toll on him. I look around to see if any other soldiers from my unit are nearby, but it’s just me out here.

I don’t want to hasten the blood loss, so I leave the sword where it is. I reach into my bag and pull out the firstaid kit I was provided, and I almost drop all the pieces as I open it because my very arms are trembling.

He can’t die out here. I won’t let him.

I take out the cleaning solution and bandages. A woman on the train full of recruits taught us the basics: Remove the offending weapon, clean the wound, and bandage it up. That’s really the best we can do out here on the field, but it should be enough to hold someone over until they can get proper medical attention.

But how can I possibly get him in front of anyone who could help? There’s just no way.

I pull out the sword tip and quickly clean the wound. Luckily, Raz’jin is passed out, and I just hope it’s not too late for him. If he died here...

I can’t think about it. Focus, focus. Once I’ve cleaned the gaping hole in his calf, I grab a thick bandage and wind it around as many times and as tightly as I can. Blood starts to saturate it, but soon the flow slows down.

Finally the adrenaline catches up to me, and I fall to my knees next to Raz’jin’s face. I push some of the wild hair away from his eyes.

“Please,” I whisper to him in Trollkin. “Please, wake up.” I reach into my pocket, where I still keep his emerald, then I grab his arm and press it into his hand. “See? I have it. I’m so sorry.”

He’s still breathing, but he doesn’t move. I can’t let one of the other members of my unit find him like this, so I kneel down and hook my hands under his armpits and start to pull. There has to be somewhere I can take him, somewhere we’ll be safe until...

Until what? He’s lost so much blood, there’s a good chance he’ll never wake up again. Maybe I’m wasting my time and my energy.

But I can’t abandon him. Now that I’ve found him, there’s no chance I’ll leave his side again.

Raz’jin

I feel like I’m floating in a haze right above my body. The last of my life force is slowly draining out of me... Until suddenly it’s not anymore.

Somebody is carrying me. No—dragging me. Who could that possibly be? Perhaps it’s Blizzek, who somehow survived.

I can feel the rocks and branches tearing up my back as I’m moved, but the pain is dulled and far away. I’m drifting farther and farther from myself.

That’s when I hear a voice: “Raz’jin?” I would know it anywhere. My body stops moving. “Please,” my little human says. “Please, wake up.”

If she wants me to do it, then I will.

Suddenly all the pain becomes exquisite and terrible. I can feel the gaping wound in my leg, the scratches and scrapes all along my back. I groan.

“Raz’jin!” Somebody takes my head in their soft, small hands. “You’re all right.”

Am I? But her broken Trollkin convinces me that it must be true. I open my eyes slowly, and when I do, I find familiar bright green eyes looking back at me. Relief washes across her face, and before I know what’s happening, she’s bent over and holding my head against her chest.

“What...?” I manage out the word, and my voice is hoarse. “Telise?”

I have to be dreaming. There’s no way that she’s real.There’s no way I’m lying on her lap, her breasts right in my face.

“It’s me.” She sits back up, and gently rests my head on her knees. She’s smiling at me with the widest smile I’ve ever seen, huge tears dripping down her round cheeks. “It’s me. I’m so sorry.”

Sorry...? I blink a few more times, trying to get my bearings. Where are we? All I can make out is the dense cover of trees around us.

Wait. This woman...

This mongrel human threw me out. She stole from me. She’s the reason I’m here at all. Isn’t she?

I groan as I pull away from her, trying to support myself on my own.

“Raz’jin?” Her voice is less certain now. “Don’t move.”

I’m not going to let her tell me what to do, not after all this. “Ugh.” I’m finally able to bring myself to a sitting position, and my leg screams in pain. “Where am I?”

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