Page 114 of Of Blood and Banes
Daeja looks up to the earth dragon, dipping her head in appreciation.“Thank you for sharing your breath.”
The earth dragon settles me with one long look, then it turns and leaves, disappearing and becoming one with the forest.
CHAPTER 37
POISONS
I’m lying on the ground, my muscles still paralyzed from the poison, but at least I’m alive. Turning my attention away from Daeja, I find Sethan and Archie still crouched at Corvin’s side, with more soldiers gathered around them in a half circle. Marge hobbles over to me, her legs and staff blocking my view of Corvin as she nears.
She crouches down in front of me, my vision filled with her warm, wrinkled face as she stretches out a hand and presses it to my forehead.
Cole’s right behind her, also dropping to his knees in front of me. His mouth moves quickly, but no words come out. Marge turns to respond, but I still hear nothing.
“Why…why can’t I hear you?” I mumble, the words feeling like a mess on my numb lips.
Marge and Cole turn their attention to me, eyes wide with concern. Cole says something, but I can’t read his lips. I try to glance around them to where Corvin is.
“Is he…is he okay?” I ask.
Cole lowers his gaze and tosses a quick look over his shoulder as Marge frowns and shakes her head.
“I’m sorry…he was too far gone,”Daeja whispers.
I strain against the invisible block, gritting my teeth as I fight to sit up. But it’s no use. A heaviness blankets my body from my neck down.
Cole leans forward, sliding his hand underneath the small of my back and my head before lifting me up off the ground into his arms. Daeja turns a pointed glare at him, and I can feel the vibration of his deep voice rumble in his chest.
“He wants to carry you until the poison fades from your system.”
I slur the words out loud, unsure if I’m making much sense, “When will that be?”
When Marge answers, Daeja relays the message,“She says it could be an hour or two, depending on how much leaked into your bloodstream. But since that earth dragon gave you its breath, it’s likely to speed up the process.”
I nod, sighing and sagging into Cole’s arms. When I glance up at him, he meets my gaze and mouths, “It’s going to be alright. Rest if you can.”
An hour or so later, the numbness fades from my nerves. I walk alongside Daeja and the rest of our group, a sad silence settling over us. Cole is with Archie, rubbing his back and murmuring to him. Daeja informed me they strapped Corvin’s lifeless body onto A’nala’s saddle to transport him to the next town, since the wagons didn’t have quite enough room.
By the time we make it out of the Forbidden Forest, the jagged spires and rooftops of Pinepoint reach into the sunset. The other dragon riders fly ahead of us, their thunderous beating wings are the first sound to bubble up through the silenceblocking my hearing. Melaina relays that they’ll check in with the city council, then loop around Pinepoint to ensure the city is safe for us to stay overnight. And to find a proper burial site for Corvin.
We stop a few miles out from Pinepoint out of caution—the size of the rebellion against Sethan is building, though no one knows the numbers. We sit on the grassy hills and watch the clouds race by in vibrant bursts of pinks and yellows. I flop down, and Daeja takes a seat next to me, her hip touching mine.
“It wasn’t your fault,”she murmurs, swinging her gaze to me.
Shaking my head, I wrap my arms around my knees and stare down at the grass swaying in the wind.“I should have saved him. The only thing I knew about him was his name, and I should have saved him.”
Archie plops down next to me and wraps his arms around his legs before whispering, “Thank you for trying.”
I turn my face toward him and find his eyes lined with tears.
“It should have been me. I was the foolish one,” he croaks. “Gods, I feel so fucking stupid sometimes.”
“Hey…” I grab his shoulder nearest to me and shake him when he won’t look my way. “Hey, it was an accident. You didn’t know they were dragon eggs.”
He shrugs out of my grasp, his face settling into a somberness. “It doesn’t matter. Sethan already hates me and thinks I’m not worthy of Melaina. I can’t imagine this will do anything in my favor. And maybe I’m starting to agree with him.”
“Sethan doesn’t think a lot of people are worthy. Even me sometimes.”
He blinks, then glances sideways at me.
