Page 42 of Ashland Hollows

Claws extracted. They dug into my shoulders as he pulled me to a stop. Glancing up, his eyes were pointed forward, not even trying to look at me in a warning. My gaze flickered to follow his, and I took in the sight of the group before us. They were huddled together, with Valencia right smack in the middle. Witches, Veela, faeries, and more. A tail swished from the group's midst, telling me there was also a centaur. I couldn’t remember seeing a centaur in any of my classes, but hey – it wasn’t like I had been paying so much attention to all the people within them.

“Azula!” Mallory’s voice drew my attention as she scurried up to me, her eyes wild. “They want us to leave in a week!” she hissed as she skidded up to us.

My eyes drew up as Carli followed, the shimmering wings behind her catching my attention. They were far more pronounced now. This really was her element. I knew she’d been trying to figure out for years which part she truly belonged to – witch or faerie. Her grandmother had always told her that she'd always love her no matter what path scooped her up.

Envy swirled in me at the realization that if Carli chose to try and enter the war, there was more of a chance she’d get accepted because of the wings that fluttered on her back. But I was a full-blooded witch. There was no way I could just get in. I swatted those feelings away because I knew it wasn’t her fault her parents had been two different species. It wasn’t her fault that the faerie side was obviously more dominant. I just had to remind myself of that.

Drawing my gaze away from my best friend, I again took in the crowd.

“They’re going to rank us by how well we do. They’ll separate us,” Mallory whispered, her voice filled with terror. “I just know it.”

I did too, but I said nothing as Valencia turned just then and caught my gaze. I leveled mine with hers and squared my shoulders, gripping my bag tighter, protectively.

ChapterThirty-Three

We were barred from returning to our bunks to sleep as the night drew on. Instead, they rounded us up in groups, and we were sent in to gather our belongings. I lingered just inside the bunk as the other girls walked around in dismay at the strewn-around items, confused as to who could’ve done it and why. Surprisngly, Olga said nothing about me. She, too, stood off the side, clutching her bag in wait for her friends to join her.

I couldn’t stop watching her. Something about how she clutched it unnerved me, making me want to look, but I knew better. Approaching her would only cause problems I didn’t need. Ushered out once we gathered our things, I fell into line as we were shuffled toward the vehicles. We couldn’t possibly be leaving so soon, though, could we?

My eyes flickered to the soldiers off the side, searching forhim. It unnerved me that he was the one I wanted reassurance from; I needed to be told everything would be alright. I hated how he made me want to search for him so easily. Unable to locate the wolf shifter, I pulled my eyes forward as we were stopped. Valencia stood in front of us, somber in her stance. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was truly sorry for what was happening. I knew better, though. She was vile, and it was as simple as that.

“This rush is out of character, and I do apologize for this,” Valencia started, her voice booming through the air, magnified from some spell for all to hear. “This is not how we normally do things. Don’t worry. We won’t be leaving to join the war tonight. We are, however, leaving to wait at our next station. Normally this is for the healers who pass training, but circumstances have proved dire, and for now – you all have technically passed. Your true test will be on the field to show if you belong there. If not – well, to be honest with you, there is no guarantee that you will return home. Because even if you aren’t out on the field, it’s come to our attention that the enemy has turned to strike the medical sanctuaries. They’ve kidnapped many healers and killed plenty of others. We’re shorthanded, and that’s why you’re leaving to join. Our soldiers need our help to survive. But in doing so, you are also putting your own lives in grave danger. You need to understand that now.” She pointed at the soldiers lined up, and once again, I couldn’t stop myself from scouring the faces in search of his. “For those who wish to return home, tonight is your last chance. There will be no hard feelings. You will be escorted out. For those who wish to remain and take on the war as a healer,” her eyes darted over us, but I swear her gaze lingered on me longer than any other. “You will be leaving first thing at the crack of dawn. You need to make your decision now. Go home or help the war.”

Something in me shifted at her words. It was like a well being opened and water pouring over me, washing out the clouds that had swarmed in my head. I blinked several times, my vision wavering, my body swaying. My breath caught in my throat, and my knees locked, threatening to send me to the ground, but I somehow kept myself from completely collapsing.

I could smell it then. The sulfur in the air, the salt mingling. Gunshots rang in my ears, shouting, pleas for help, pleas for death. A wave of melancholy crashed over me, and tears pricked in the corners of my eyes, burning as they slithered down my cheeks. I blinked, and the layout in front of me changed into the most gruesome sight I’d ever witnessed.

Bodies lay around, mangled beyond repair, their lives torn from them. Others ran, a lot with blood gushing from open wounds and streaking their faces. The gunshots were louder now, but the screaming was worse. It roared in my ears. Smoke filled the air, making my eyes water.

One soldier turned to me, his green accents clear as day. He screamed at me as his claws extended, swiping at the air. I couldn’t make out his words, but how his face was twisted in anger at the fact that I wasn’t listening told me enough. Turning, I drew face to face with three soldiers with red accents, and my heart skipped a beat. They weren’t paying attention to me, though. Their focus on the war spewed around them.

The ground shook from the pounding footsteps, the gunshots, and so much more that I couldn’t quite make out.

I wrenched myself out of it, snagging in a sharp breath, my heart thundering in my ears. My body trembled, and I could feel my face soaked with tears. Wiping at it, I drew myself together as best as possible, trying to get my head straight, but it was stuck on the field, surveying all those bodies – all those soldiers I could’ve helped save.

Then there was him, shaking me to the core, realizing that I wanted to run to him and put myself in the line of fire to protect him. Next was my father, Jasper, and Timothy – him who I also wanted to protect at all costs. I didn’t like this one damn bit.

“ZuZu?” Carli whispered, nudging me gently. “Are you all right?”

I blinked away more rabid tears and turned to her, giving her a watery smile. “I’m fine.”

Keeping secrets from your best friend was a bad sign, and even though I knew that, I had to hold my tongue. I had to wait and see how things panned out to figure out where we were going. Valencia dismissed us for the time being to figure out what we were each doing and where we were going. At this, I turned and grabbed hold of Mallory’s wrist.

“You have to go home,” I told her. “You can be the town’s healer. Keep them safe and sound.” When she shook her head, I let out an exasperated sigh. “Mallory, your brother trusted me to keep you safe. I dragged you here, of all places. I went against his wishes once already. The least I can do now is talk you into going home, where you will do so much better.”

Her face twisted. “I want to be part—”

“No, you don’t.” I cut her off rashly. “You want to be a healer. Not a war medic. You can do a lot for the town. You really can.”

Her face twisted, lips puckering. “I don’t want to leave you—”

“I’ll be fine. This is the path I’m supposed to take.” I lowered my voice. “This is my destiny, what the goddesses want for me. Not what they want for you. If it was, you’d be excited to go, willing to just give everything up. You aren’t, and I can see that. You have to go home and keep the village from death, decay, scratches, and everything else. They deserve a good healer, and you are a good one, and you will get better and be an amazing one. But not if you stick around for this. You deserve to have that life.”

“My brother wants to marry you.” The words gushed from her lips, eyes searching my face. “What’s he going to do if something happens to you?”

I glanced over my shoulder and, this time, caught dark eyes staring directly at me, his jaw set. There he was, standing right within my view. Pulling my eyes back to Mallory, I gave her a small smile. “I’ll return soon enough. You’ll see.”

Mallory frowned and glanced around, shuddering a little, and I could only imagine her thoughts of entering the war zone.

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