Page 66 of Of Serpents and Ruins
Go to him now!
The urge reared up again, but the pain usurped its authority. I stared down at the bloody wounds and the gouge along my elbow. It was hard to pull in a full breath. Had it been this bad the whole time?
More footsteps thundered down the passage.
I knew Kine was there before I saw him, recognizing the rapid tread of his boots. "Bug!" He skidded to a stop in front of me, his gaze searching. It immediately fell to my arm. "You’re hurt."
"Nothing serious." I struggled to speak.
The need to return to Brandt’s arms welled within me, begging me to turn back and run, but it was no longer so overwhelming in its destructiveness. The intensity of the pain had broken through the magic and made it hard for me to process much beyond it.
"It’s Brandt." Shoving my hair back, I gasped, struggling to stay steady. Embarrassment flooded me as much as the pain. "He’s in trouble. The curse claimed him again. It went forward. For a second time! After the earthquakes."
Tears leaked down my cheeks. It hurt so much I could barely think clearly.
Candy’s head snapped back in the direction I’d come, her sleek ponytail flicking with the movement. She then looked to Kine, her gorgeous eyes wide. "You got her? I can get Brandt calm."
"I got her. Go help Brandt." Kine put his arm around my waist as he pulled me to the side of the passage. "Damn, Bug. Looks like you broke your arm or came really close to it." He examined the limb, wrinkles forming around his eyes and over his brow.
Candy bolted, her feet rapid and light on the stone.
Wrath bristled through me as she left, screaming at her intrusion. I should be the one helping her!
"Relax, Bug. She can help more than either you or I can right now," Kine said.
That didn’t make me feel much better.
Other warriors raced past. I didn’t remember most of their names, but their faces were familiar. My head ached, throbbing with so much knowledge that couldn’t fully rise to the surface. It was like almost recalling a language in which I had once been fluent.
Most of all I fought the demand that I return to Brandt. My own ragged breaths continued. Bowing my head, I whimpered, struggling to hide my tears.
"Come on, Bug." Kine pressed a gentle kiss to my temple. "We’ll get you back to Auntie Runa’s and get this fixed. It’s all going to work out."
His soothing presence countered the demands more than I would have guessed. It was as if he grounded me even though I recoiled and considered bolting after the others.
"How did you find me?" I asked weakly.
"We realized the Gola Resh took you and how she took you. That well is one of the few weak points in Auntie Runa’s wards. At least when the lid is off. Not sure how that lid got off, though. I could have sworn I made sure it was closed before I went up to care for the animals. Even with her strange magic, the Gola Resh couldn’t have pushed the lid off." He guided me up the passage.
A chill jolted through me, pulsing with intense longing. The need rose again even stronger, so strong I could barely breathe.
I dug my heels in and halted. "Wait, no. Please, I don’t want to leave without knowing he’s all right."
"He will be fine." Kine tightened his grip on my wrist, his voice sharper than usual. "You being here makes this harder. The more you two are around each other, the stronger those impulses become. I know this is hard, but if you don’t want to be an idiot, you’re going to keep walking out. Brandt will be fine. Even if there were thirty kapis, he could hold them off, especially in his rage state. It takes his warriors at least an hour to wear him down when he’s like this. Those kapis don’t stand a chance, not in the water. That's where we water serpents are at our best. Now come on."
The firmness in his voice brooked no argument, yet my heart felt as if it was being ripped out.
He tugged me forward.
My wounded arm throbbed in time with my footsteps. Pain in my knees and across my shins flared as well. Tears filled my eyes as he guided me up the long, sloping passage into the silver-white and teal light of the dual moons beyond the cavern.
Several more guards and warriors stood at the entrance. They bowed their heads to us, touching their spears or swords to their foreheads in respect.
Kine also bowed his head as he guided me along. "The arch general and his warriors will be bringing the king up shortly. Remain here."
"And what of the queen?" one of the guards asked gruffly. "Does she require medical attention?"
"I am taking her to safety," Kine responded. "The king’s orders regarding the queen have not changed."
