by Leia Stone
As the root settled into me, making everything feel light, and the pain ebbed a little so that I could focus, I realized what the lighter and steel rod were for.
Oh snakebite. This was gonna hurt.
“I totally got this,” I told Ginny, who looked at me from the base of the tree where she was napping. We’d made good time with all the running, but I’d need to get back on her to get across the remainder of Troll Village by nightfall.
I held the lighter in one hand, flame dancing in the afternoon light, while I grasped the steel rod with my nearly useless injured hand, letting the end heat up. I had wrapped a bit of leather around the end so that I didn’t burn myself, and now I was just growing the giant set of balls it would take to rip out the arrow and shove the hot steel rod into my wound, giving myself a millionth-degree burn. I think that one was way off the burn chart and into cauterization land. At least I hoped so. There was a small possibility Marmal left me this lighter for a fire and the steel rod just fell in here, but I was too far now to back out.
“I got this. I got this,” I chanted. The root was good but not Vicodin good; it was like Tylenol good.
Nervousness danced across my belly as I realized it was now or never. The steel rod was hot and I was wasting lighter fuel.
“I’m a fucking badass bitch who can totally handle this!” I declared to the woods as I felt bile rise up in my stomach.
“One. Two.” I clicked off the lighter before I could puss out and dropped it on the forest floor. With my hand free, I reached up and yanked the arrow out of my shoulder from behind, hating the sickening way that it moved inside of my body. It didn’t hurt as bad as I thought it might, but the spurt of blood that shot from the wound scared the shit out of me.
Note to self: I guess you do have arteries in your armpit.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
My survival instinct took over then and I just reacted. Dropping the broken, bloody arrowhead to the ground, I grabbed the red-hot steel rod from my useless arm and shoved it into the bleeding hole, crying out in pain as it hissed. The scent of burning flesh hit my nose. Agony like I’d never experienced seeped through my body, but I kept going. I pushed the rod all the way into the hole until it nearly disappeared, and then yanked it back out as the bile in my stomach surged forward.
Pain, unbelievable pain, rocked my body as it all became too much and I turned my head over to the side and vomited.
Ginny made a whining sound and I fell forward, into the cold creek water. The side of my face hit the water and I just let the water run over my face and into my mouth, spitting it out every few seconds. Rolling onto my back, I lay half in and half out of the cold creek as it turned red with my blood. I wondered if I would die like this. Was that blood from my clothes or the wound?
I didn’t care.
Everything hurt too much. I just didn’t care.
Reaching out with my good arm, I patted the creek edge until my fingers wrapped around the cholka root. Then I put the entire thing in my mouth and started to chew.
Could you overdose on this stuff? Maybe. But I had run out of fucks to give. Not wanting to pass out in the trickling creek, no matter how shallow it was, I rolled onto my side and then forward until I was sort of sitting up.
My chest heaved as dizziness washed over me from the sudden movement, and I knew it was time to do an injury assessment. Using my good fingers, I gently probed the wound and found that it wasn’t bleeding. The hole sort of looked closed, but I didn’t want to mess with it in case it broke open. It was puckered like a star and angry red. Reaching behind me, I ran my fingers over that hole and they came back slick with a small bit of blood.
Okay… still bleeding back there… but just a little.
I looked around; all I could see for miles were trees, no farms or anyone I could ask for help. Besides, they weren’t Marmal, they would surely want the two-million reward and turn me in to the vampires. Instead, I just grabbed a piece of cloth from the sack she’d made me and wadded it into a ball, shoving it into the weeping hole at my back.
A sob escaped me at the throbbing pain that caused, and my hands shook.
I was alive. For now, but I needed to get to the Light Fey City, where I could ask for Prime Minister Locke’s help and call Sawyer. Stat.
Grabbing the lighter, bloody steel rod, and arrow tip for memory’s sake, I packed them all up and stood slowly. Dizziness washed over me. Ginny stood as well, rushing to my side as I leaned on her. “I gotta get to the border before darkness.” I held her and heaved onto her back with what little strength I had left.
She started to walk and the full weight of the Tylenol root crashed into me as I drifted in and out of sleep. Every time Ginny went over a large rock or something, it would shift me and my eyelids would flutter open. Then the soothing back and forth motion would start up again and my eyes would close. We did this for several hours until Ginny came to a dead stop and chuffed. My eyelids sprang open as Ginny whined and started to back up. Night was falling. In fact… night was here. There was barely a sliver of light left through the trees. The woods were washed in a creepy orangish-blue glow, and my gaze fell upon the orange perimeter flags that demarcated the Dark Fey Territory.
I slid off of Ginny and pet her behind the ears. “You did good. Good girl.” Sticking my hand into her sack of pellet food, I came up with some and she nibbled it from my palm. “Wanna come with me all the way through the Fey Lands? I’m sure Marmal wouldn’t mind so long as I had you returned?” I grabbed the strap nearest her shoulder and began to yank, trying to pull her closer to the border flags, but she reared back and chuffed again.
Dammit.
I looked into the darkening forest; it was different than the troll forest, somehow darker as if light didn’t even go there. The trees didn’t move and there was an eeriness in the air.
I’d sort of made friends with Arrow. Maybe I could just cut straight down and across the Wild Lands. Take my chances with the Ithaki. Hope I ran into some Paladin and namedrop Arrow. But they hated city wolves. I doubted they’d let me cross if it meant I was going back there.
I pulled out and consulted the map Marmal had given me. Where I was, it would be twice as long to reach Werewolf City by crossing the entirety of the Wild Lands, and the Ithaki were probably hellbent on revenge for Bucher’s death. No. I just had to push through and do this.
I turned Ginny around, pulled my pack and shotgun off her back, and then gave her one final hug. “You probably saved my life today. Thank you.”
Yes. I talked to a donkey, because shit had gotten desperate.
With a light smack of her rump, she trotted back into the deep forest of the Troll Village, while I spun on my heel and headed for the Dark Fey Territory. I kept the shotgun in my good hand and only the strap of my pack over my left shoulder, careful not to put any stress on my bad right shoulder.
I could do this. This was fine. I had a shotgun and shotguns killed things. I’m pretty sure I killed that troll today, although I would process that when I was back at Sterling Hill in my dorm with my new therapist that I was totally getting. I peered up at the treetops and noticed there were no more treehouse lofts this close to the border. People were smart enough to not sleep near the dark fey. I needed to find a safe space to make camp but not sleep. No way was I even blinking for a long time in this territory. I’d stayed up for all-nighters before with Raven and I could totally do it again.
No matter I’d basically just got shot. I’d be fine.
I’m a badass bitch who doesn’t need sleep or stitches.
These pep talks really worked. I felt better already.
With a deep breath, I stepped over the orange flag line and flinched as Sawyer screamed in my head.
‘Demi, fucking answer me!’
Relief spread through me as his voice filled me up. I risked the pain I knew was coming to answer him back. ‘Just crossed into Dark Fey Territory. Can’t talk, it hurts. Got shot with an arrow but I’m okay… I love you.’ T
he electric shocks seemed to be getting stronger, or maybe that was just my perception, but damn, if we could get these off now, that would be great.
‘Demi! Oh thank fuck. I love you too, I’m going insane without you here.’ His voice was raspy like he’d been screaming for hours, even if just mentally. He sounded completely worn out. ‘The stupid troll leader is paranoid that the witches read their thoughts, so they put a magical shield over any mind-to-mind connections across their entire territory.’
A single tear slid down my cheek to hear that it wasn’t something I did to mess up our bond, or that he wasn’t off on some love ride with Meredith.
‘Demi, listen carefully. You have to be very cautious in the dark fey lands. Any amount of your blood that’s exposed will lead them right to you.’
Well, wasn’t that fucking great. I was covered in blood.
‘Don’t respond. I’m going to assume if you got shot that you are bleeding.’
That was affirmative.
‘I haven’t slept since you left,’ he rambled on. ‘I’m at the border of the Witch Lands with Belladonna Mongrave, the high priestess. She says that if you can steal a fey blade and cut off the cuffs while saying a special incantation, it will remove the magic of the cuffs and you can get your powers back and fight.’
Relief rushed through me, but then slowly turned into terror. Steal a fey blade? How the hell would I do that? And how would me speaking the incantation do anything? I wasn’t a witch.
‘Demi, listen, I had to tell her what you are. That you’re half Paladin. Because I know Paladins have witch magic. She said so long as the magic is strong enough in you, it should work.’
I’d never even tried a spell with Raven, it all freaked me out to be honest. I wanted to stick with being a shifter and not dabble in that stuff. But to be free of these chains, I could do it this one time.
‘Now the fey blade. It won’t look like a knife they cut meat with, it would be a decorative handle or ornate type with engravings. Every fey has a fey blade they are given at birth from their fathers.’
Damn, he knew a lot. I nodded as if he could see me. Okay, steal a fey blade from a psycho dark fey that turned so evil their own people made them separate and split their lands … no biggie.
My gaze scanned the darkness and found a glow off in the distance that indicated it might be a fire. Maybe I should wait until morning…
‘It must be dark there by now, do you see any cabins or tents or anything that shows someone is living inside? Best to do this at night while you have the element of surprise.’
Damn. He really had thought this out.
‘Once you cut them off…’ He paused as if he’d rehearsed this, ‘Your scent will become stronger and they’ll hunt you.’
Well, wasn’t that the fucking bedtime story I needed.
‘But I’ve weighed the odds and calculations a hundred times, and you’re safer using your powers and having your wolf than if you are trying to hide with the cuffs on, especially if you’re bleeding. There’s just no way you will make it to the Witch Lands without getting those cuffs off.’
I stopped walking. Witch Lands? Last time we spoke he said I only had to get to Light Fey City. Maybe that’s what he meant. He was just with the witches now and he would meet me in Light Fey City with Prime Minister Locke.
He didn’t speak, and his mention of meeting me in the Witch Lands started to bug me.
‘Witch Lands?’ I whispered mentally, hoping that without speaking too loudly, I wouldn’t get zapped. No such luck.
He was silent a long time. So much so that I was debating enduring the pain of asking again.
‘We’re at war, and the light fey have joined the other side. It’s just us and the witches now.’
I stopped dead in my tracks, hoping I hadn’t heard him right.
War? I’d been gone a few days and he’d started a war?
My mother said that if one side ever joined the other, making it four on two, the smaller side would be decimated. I started walking toward the campfire again, if only to keep moving and not freak out too much.
‘No. Why? Me?’ I hissed as the cuffs burned into my freshly healing skin, but I didn’t care. I had to know.
Silence again. I was closer to the fire now. I could see two hulking shapes hunched over the fire and talking softly, so I froze and awaited Sawyer’s reply.
‘When I went to Vampire City to retrieve you, Locke stopped me and said I had no legal ground to be there. He put an ankle monitor on me and said that I needed to remain in Wolf City until the murder investigation was over.’
An ankle monitor. Holy shit.
‘So I killed him.’
Oh. My. God.
‘Sawyer! You didn’t!’ I hissed at the pain from the cuffs.
I could feel his anger threading through our imprint, raw and unbridled. ‘Oh yes I did. We found out he’s been in league with the vampires since the night he met you. They both want you and are willing to work together to get you. He tried to keep me from rescuing you so I took him out of the equation. No one’s going to come in the way of my bringing you home safely, Demi. No one.’
My boyfriend went on revenge murder sprees more than I liked to admit, but it was kind of sweet.
‘Demi…’ His voice broke. ‘I’ve tried everything I can think of. Our helicopter was shot down … this fucking ankle bracelet electrocutes me if I try to leave Werewolf City. We’re working on getting it off, and I sent Sage and Walsh to try and find you, knowing you would be along the dark fey border but…’ His voice broke and my heart pinched. I just wanted him to hold me. I just wanted to erase the past few days and start over. Poor Sage and Walsh were tied up in this now, and everyone was at war. This wasn’t right.
He sighed. ‘But all of this is a longshot… I think you’re going to have to make it to me on your own.’
My heart thundered in my chest to hear that I might be alone all the way to the Witch Lands. That was two more territories over. I’ll be honest, I’d been hoping for a helicopter rescue, but hearing that one got shot down… that option was gone.
‘Can you do that? Can you be strong and make it back to me?’ There was an ache in his voice that I felt in my bones. ‘Because I’m not sure I can live in a world without you.’ He mentally sobbed. ‘And I definitely can’t live with myself and how I treated you the last time we saw each other.’
Silent tears slid down my face and I nodded.
‘Don’t answer,’ he added. ‘These things hurt like hell if it’s anything like my ankle bracelet. When you get home, I’m banishing them forever. And I’m bringing your parents home and I’m never letting you out of my sight again.’
A sob escaped my throat, but I swallowed the noise for fear of alerting the two giant figures sitting around the campfire. How had everything gone to shit so fast? It was so nice to hear him back to his raging jealous murderous self.
‘I prayed,’ he went on, probably finally elated he could speak to me again. And to be honest I needed the human contact, and needed to hear everything he was thinking. It was nice to just listen for once. ‘I’m not even religious and I prayed you would return to me unharmed,’ he said.
I smiled, imagining Sawyer with clasped hands sending up a prayer for me. He really was a catch, but I did wonder one thing…
‘Meredith…?’ My arms were going to fall off at this point. I’d never been consistently electrocuted so much in my entire life, but I had to know. I had to know if that bitch just got a slap on the wrist for her stunt.
His anger bled through our bond, ‘She’s been banished from Wolf City forever at my request. She’ll be enrolled in Delphi University tomorrow.’
Shock ripped through me. He… banished her for that? I didn’t know what to say. Was she cuffed? Was she all alone? I kind of suddenly felt bad for her even though she totally tried to ruin my relationship.
‘I should have believed you, Demi, I should have known. I feel you in my soul. I know what you are capable of
and what you aren’t. I should have known better even through a stupid spell.’
You can’t just see through spells though, that’s not how they work. We just sat there in silence for another few minutes, breathing and just being. I wasn’t going to hold it against him. He had been under some magical love spell, and it did look like I’d kissed another guy. Well, I had kissed another guy, but that whole situation was fucked, and if I ever saw that douchebag again, it was a kick right to the nuts.
I was ready to move on from this and get my life back, my boyfriend back. If we broke up over this, Meredith won.
I was also ready to get these damn cuffs off. Eyeing the two figures by the fire, I worked slowly to pull off my pack, and set it at the base of the tree I was leaning against, making sure to be quiet. The two figures ahead were talking softly, and muffled, so that I couldn’t understand them while cooking something on the low fire.
What did Sawyer say? Every fey had a fey blade? I wondered if I just walked up and asked to borrow it for two seconds if they would let me… yeah, right. These were dark fey, fey that did such evil shit their eyes turned black from the magic and they separated from their light fey kin to run their own sick territory. The horror stories that they told at Delphi about this place gave me the creeps. They’d put the Ithaki to shame if they were true. My gut feeling said that if I wanted to live through this night, I’d have to wait until they fell asleep. The shotgun was nice, but it wasn’t going to work well on two people. Two dark fey of all people. They’d have me frozen in place with magic by the time I could reload.
There were very few dark fey at Delphi; they didn’t usually banish their kind that broke the rules, they just killed them.
I slowly slid to the base of the tree and clutched the shotgun on my lap. I just wanted my wolf. If I had full use of my powers, I wouldn’t need to be so afraid. I’d still be scared shitless about sleeping the night here, but not this overwhelming helpless feeling I had now.