Page 78 of Fate Unchained

Zann was the fiercest warrior Kyril knew, and he’d seen much worse in battle, but his hand gripping the glass trembled. He jerked the glass out with one swift motion, then pressed his palm over the wound. It was instantly soaked in blood.

“We need Briony,” Kyril said. She was the only healer he knew who could deal with a wound like this.

Zann shook his head. “I’m going to connect with Hazel and bring her back.” He glanced at Kyril briefly. “I’m immortal. She isn’t. I’ll recover.”

Kyril thought about how he’d brought Lilah back when she’d almost died in the cave. How he’d taken on some of the cold trying to drag her under. “Will you be all right?”

“It’ll be dicey for a few hours, but I’ll live.” He closed his eyes. “Hazel is the one you need right now. She can scry for Lilah.” Zann muttered under his breath, and a white light sparked where Zann touched Hazel, but then again, it may have been light reflecting off the cobblestones.

People on the street screamed. A woman a few steps away shrieked, “Vulk! Vulk are here!”

Finn raced up to them. “Boris and a few of the others left via the roof.”

Zann slumped forward, placing one hand on the ground, the other still connected to Hazel. His eyes remained closed. Hazel’s cheeks gained more color, and the pool of blood on the cobblestones shrank as if being reabsorbed.

“What’s wrong with Zann?” Finn asked.

Zann’s eyes opened a fraction, and his gaze met Kyril’s. “Don’t tell Hazel I did this.” Blood no longer surrounded Hazel.

Kyril scanned the street. They needed to get Zann and Hazel out of here, and let Hazel find Lilah. His heart was beating so fast it drowned out the continued cries from the crowd gathering around the shop. Another woman ran towards them. In a few more minutes they were going to be surrounded.

The screams around them stopped, and the woman who’d pointed at them said, “Where did the vulk go? I swear there was one right here. It ruined the tea shop!”

Sulfur tinged the air. Strong magic. What was going on?

Lilah’s friend Brooke stood near Finn, her hand out in front of her. She held a lumpy purplish object in her fist, which streamed white light, building a dome around the vulk and Hazel.

This was a little too similar to the cage. “What the uit is that?”

“It’s an invisibility crystal. No one can see inside its bounds,” she said. She glanced at Finn. “I can hide you while you get back under cover, but I get to write about the vulk.”

Finn growled. “No way.”

Brooke shrugged. “My house is right down the street, so I could get you away from here, but fine.” She pointed with her free hand at Zann. “Carry your friend out with the town of Coromesto attacking you.”

A troop of the king’s guards pounded down the street, their armor clanging and echoing off the buildings.

Zann collapsed to the ground, and Hazel’s eyes flew open. She gulped in air and jerked up to a seated position. “What’s going on?”

Kyril ignored her, leaped forward, and put his hand on Zann’s chest. Zann breathed, but it was faint. What had Zann done? “Let’s get out of here. Help me carry him.” Kyril heaved at one arm, and Finn stepped over and grabbed the other. Between the two of them, they lifted him off the ground.

Hazel got to her feet and lurched, almost falling back down. “Zann! What happened to him?”

“What happened to Lilah?” Kyril asked.

Brooke pointed at a narrow street to their left. “We need to go. Am I shielding you from view or not?”

Finn snarled. “If you can find me after this, yes, you can have a story.”

Brooke put her arm around Hazel and backed down the street in front of the two carrying Zann, continuing to hold the object in her hand to keep the invisibility barrier around them.

“How the blazes do you have an invisibility crystal?” Hazel asked. “Those are illegal!”

“Who cares, tell me where Lilah is,” Kyril said.

“Morana sent a brownie with an invitation to meet with her. The card was enchanted, and when Lilah touched it, it took her away.” Despite Brooke having an arm around her, Hazel tripped, sprawling onto the pavement.

She scrambled back to her feet, cursing vividly, her cloak torn and dirty. The spellcaster wasn’t doing so well. “Here, hold onto me and Zann,” he said. Then if she fell again, he could catch her. “Where would Morana take Lilah?”

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