by Rory Miles
He let go of me without a word, making me frown at the loss of contact. My fingers itched to reach out to him once more, then curled into a fist, refusing to give him the satisfaction of such an act. I wouldn’t chase him. We walked in silence to the horses Bron had gotten for us. He’d remembered to borrow Beauty from the couple I’d sold her to. They’d been more than happy to let me use her for my trip, considering I’d given them a deal when they’d bought her from me. The mare waited patiently for me. I smiled and mounted my steed. Giving her a quick pat on the neck, I turned the horse, squeezing my legs to start trotting toward the DMC. I worked to keep the worry from my mind, not wanting to make the animals nervous. We had a long ride ahead of us, especially if Bron was going to give me the silent treatment the entire way.
An annoyed sigh passed my lips. I should’ve found a different cottage to renovate. These men were frustrating beyond belief. At least figuring out how to save Flynn would distract me from worrying about Bron.
Chapter Thirteen
Four painful days passed before we neared the DMC headquarters. Trees turned to shrubs, forest floor turned to rock and dirt, lushness faded to sand then to stone. We trekked through the forest and passed through the desert lands before entering Mountain territory. Once we arrived at the base of the mountains, we left the horses behind at a small stable. Bron paid the owners five coins to keep and feed them while we were gone. Once we settled the animals, we hiked east, toward the border of the mountains and desert which stretched over a hundred miles before giving way to Untamed land. Untamed people were notoriously reclusive and despised intruders. We set up camp within the foothills, still in Mountain territory but uncomfortably close to Untamed land.
Long ago an alliance between each sector formed to establish rules, government, and the monarchs. Having been previously free to do as they chose, some opposed the new rules and rulers. Instead of staying and adapting to the new world, groups of people fled the governed lands and staked their claim on barren, wild land. Thus began Untamed living, families, and land.
The sectors had tried to force their rules on them, but after several ambushes on royal forces, they withdrew, leaving the people there in peace. Rumors of people disappearing into Untamed land were widespread, as well as rumors of those same people being found flayed and dismembered.
The DMC headquarters was nestled in the furthest reaches of Untamed territory, their houses butting up to the foothills of the mountains. The fact that Untamed clansmen hadn’t booted the DMC out of their land spoke volumes to the power the DMC held. The clansmen and women weren’t exactly known for their charity.
To approach without drawing unwanted attention, we’d have to hike over the ridges of the inner mountains before advancing from above. Provided the guard stations hadn’t changed since I’d been gone, it wasn’t a bad plan. We’d take out the guards, silent and swift, before moving on to the prisoner camps.
Bron started a fire using his magic, and Kace set out to find more wood and brush for the fire, leaving me to work on finding something suitable for dinner. The food from the last town we’d passed through was long gone. I waved at Bron, stepping away from camp and heading into the mountains in search of food.
Minutes ticked by. Then some more as I walked further. A lizard skittered around a large rock when my crunching footsteps neared. I rushed over the boulder, trying to grab it before it could slither into a crevice my hand wouldn’t fit into. My knife stabbed the edge of its tail. The creature made a funny noise, scrabbling on the rock to escape the blade. My fingers brushed the back of his body, stilling when I heard a deep, rumbling growl.
Hairs on the back of my neck raised, my heart racing and breathing going shallow. I hadn’t wandered too far; this animal must be hungry to have come this far out from the deeper part of the ridges. Another sound, reverberating deep within the chest of a beast I wasn’t yet prepared to meet, reached my ears. My fingers went to my shooter and darts. Slowly, so as not to provoke whatever it was, I faced down the threat.
A small thatch of black fur framed a pink nose. Tan fur ran the stocky length of the mountain lion. Pale green eyes, too smart for my liking, bore into me with a hunger which made my stomach pang with fear. Using one trembling hand, I attempted to maneuver a dart into the wooden tube.
One thumped to the ground. The cat’s ears twitched, nose sniffing its soon-to-be supper. With my teeth grinding, I tried another dart. A strangled exhale left my lips when it finally slid home.
“Nice kitty,” I said, raising my arm slowly. The shooter wavered in my shaking hands.
The mountain lion stepped closer, paws digging into the dirt and rocks. Muscles rippled with each movement. A creature with strength almost unmatched. A spitting hiss nearly had me pissing myself. She stopped, crouching closer to the ground. Sweat pooled in the small of my back. My palms grew moist.
One good shot. That’s all I needed.
The wooden tube reached my lips, trembling. If I didn’t calm down enough to steady my hand, I’d miss. Mustering courage from the bottoms of my feet, which were planted firmly in defiance, my hand stilled.
A puff of air sent the dart sailing. It struck the cat’s haunch, which was slightly raised. A blood-curdling scream escaped from its maw, sharp teeth glinting with saliva. Digging into the earth, the creature launched itself straight at me, paws opening in anticipation of crushing me between them.
I screamed, ducking and rolling away from the swiping claws. The mountain lion landed, scattering pebbles beneath its feet. Turning, another paw slapped at me. This time I didn’t get so lucky. Pain exploded where the claws lanced across my shoulder.
“Fucking bitch.” I grabbed my whip. In a matter of seconds, I had the length uncoiled and snapped it at her neck. She screeched when it lashed her. My left hand reached for another dart.
She jumped at me, making me fall onto my back before she landed on my stomach, front paws on either side of my head. Dripping saliva, her mouth opened and she lowered her head toward me. I jammed the point of the tranq into her stomach, letting go as soon as it stuck to grab for the dagger strapped to my thigh.
My shoulders lifted slightly, bringing me closer to the sharpest teeth I’d ever had the pleasure of seeing up close. I pressed into the earth once I pulled the blade free, narrowly missing a snapping jaw.
Then I dragged the blade up her stomach, opening her as wide as the shortened weapon could manage. Goddess above, she only grew angrier, growling and swiping my face with her paw.
I just got bitch slapped by a fucking cat.
Stars burst across my vision. Pain pulsed in my jaw but everything felt muted, secondary to the immediate threat and fear coursing through my body. Her teeth bit into my biceps.
A keening sort of cry echoed around. My cry. My arm shuddered when the beast began convulsing where it stood over me. Muscle tore, skin shredded before the tranq—or the wound—made her collapse on top of me. Air rushed out of me, fleeing under the weight of the lion. Her jaw went slack but her teeth were still deep in the meaty part of my arm.
Tears wet my cheeks. I tried to push the creature off of me but she wouldn’t budge. Her weight pressed down on me, making it hard to breathe.
“Holy fuck, Winter!” Kace yelled, his shoes slapping over stones. A few grunts and unsuccessful attempts at physically pushing her off of me later, light green magic wrapped around the cat.
“Wait!” I cried. “Her teeth.”
Kace came around to the side where she’d bitten me. His face paled. I focused on his crooked nose, breathing through my teeth and trying not to throw up.
“Open her jaw first.”
His Adam’s-apple bobbed. “Are you sure?”
“Just fucking do it, Kace.” I ground out the words, regretting being so rude. “Sorry. It hurts. Please get this bitch off of me.”
He squatted, pushing his fingers into her mouth. All the while I stared at the peculiar angle of his nose. Who had broken it?
Teeth slipped out of
my arm. I screamed again. A bird two boulders over startled and flew away, squawking at me in irritation. A few seconds later he threw her off of me with his magic, panting not with exertion but panic. His eyes were as wide as the saucers Sammie used for her teacups.
His fingers hovered over my arm. “I don’t know how to heal,” he said.
I cradled my arm against my body. The opposite shoulder stung something awful when my weight shifted, pressing the gouged skin into the ground.
“Go get Bron,” I said, breath unsteady as I spoke. My jaw felt like it was going to fall off.
He shook his head. “I shouldn’t leave you.”
“If you try to carry me like this with your magic, I swear I’ll kill you.” I spoke through clenched teeth, unable to open my mouth.
He frowned. “Fine. Hopefully I’ll be back before vultures eat you.”
I shuddered at the thought, pain rippling through every fiber of muscle. He turned to run back toward camp.
“Kace?”
Glancing over his shoulder, he said, “Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
The minutes he was gone felt like hours. Every part of my body hurt and nothing could distract me from the giant bite on my arm. I glanced at my biceps. Blood seeped from the wound. Skin hung at awkward angles. Black dotted my vision, growing to larger orbs, then to a wall of black, descending over my vision and stealing conscious thought.
Floating weightlessly through unconsciousness couldn’t have lasted more than ten minutes. When I woke to the sound of pounding feet, it felt like an eternity had passed. Pain lanced through my body, my arm numb from the blood loss. My eyes clenched shut, my face scrunching in pain.
“Winter? Can you hear me?”
I peeled an eye open, seeing the concerned face of Bron and the pallor of Kace’s. My jaw locked, making it impossible to answer him.
Kace cursed. “She’s in shock.”
“No shit,” Bron growled.
Kace glared at Bron but didn’t say anything.
“I’m going to try to heal your arm first,” Bron said, kneeling down next to me. He gingerly took off Lumi, handing her over to Kace for safe keeping.
I blinked to let him know I was ready. The bliss I’d felt the last time he healed me flooded my body. A sigh passed through my lips, my body melting into the ground. Then, as quickly as the euphoria had come on, it fled, replaced by a skin-scorching heat. My mewling sounds filled the mountains once more. Kace sat, pulling my head into his lap and stroking my hair as Bron worked his magic. Bit by bit I felt the tendons and muscles stitch together. Every magic thread stabbing through my arms made me gasp in pain.
“Can’t you put her to sleep?” Kace asked Bron.
Bron’s brow was furrowed in concentration, his hands holding my arm.
“Not with the amount of blood she lost. She’d sleep for days.”
I realized then that was how he’d been able to heal me the first time: hitting me with a sleep spell before he worked his healing magic.
Using his teeth, he ripped a strip of his shirt off, revealing a perfectly sculpted abdomen, and wrapped my biceps with the material. He moved to the next wound, working with rapt attention to fix the broken parts of my body. Breathing became easier when he finished healing a splintered rib. His gaze met mine, dark gray eyes turbulent with emotion. A vein on his forehead had popped out. Still my jaw remained locked. His mouth pulled down as he spoke.
“Your jaw is fractured. I can fix it, but I don’t know if I have enough energy to close the wounds on your cheek and shoulder.”
Kace blew out a frustrated breath. “You healed the worst of it. The other injuries can wait until you are rested. Fix her jaw so we can go back to camp.”
With no way to speak, I squeezed Bron’s forearm twice in encouragement. With a shake of his head, he placed both palms on the sides of my face. Tears leaked from my eyes as he knitted the bone together. My mouth ached when he finished, but it opened.
“Thank you,” I rasped.
Bron grunted in acknowledgment and sat back on his heels, looking exhausted. Kace helped me sit up, taking care not to touch the open scratches on my shoulder.
“Come on then,” he said, standing and holding a hand out to me. Once I was standing, he helped Bron up. My face creased with worry.
“Will he be okay?” I asked. I never learned how to use healing magic so I wasn’t familiar with the side effects.
Kace grimaced. “I’m not sure . . . I’ve never seen him heal such serious injuries. After some rest and food he should be all right.”
Using his magic, Kace lifted the dead animal and turned to head for camp. I trailed him, wishing I could have found dinner without being critically injured. Bron shuffled along behind us. My shoulder and face still stung from where the mountain lion’s claws had swiped me. I fell back, waiting for Bron to catch up.
“At least we’ll have plenty of meat,” I said, smiling at him.
He shook his head, letting out a puff of air. “You almost died.”
“Thank you for helping me.” I examined the bandage, noting that the wound was fully sealed. I didn’t ask why he’d secured it with the material and didn’t want to remove it either, in case that might offend him in some way.
“You’re welcome.”
The walk back to camp took longer than it should have. Kace showed patience I envied, stopping to wait for the two of us when he had walked too fast, lending a hand to help me and Bron step over the bigger boulders. I expected Bron to resent the help but he didn’t, knowing he had exerted more energy than was safe trying to heal me.
We all but collapsed near the fire pit, watching as Kace made our dinner. Mountain lion didn’t sound appealing, but I’d rather eat it than be eaten by the creature.
Chapter Fourteen
Turns out mountain lion tastes delicious. After eating our fill, we fell asleep, slumbering late into the next morning. Kace got up first; his movements woke me but I found my eyes shutting again, pulling me back under for a few more hours. Bron slept the longest. His magic had been depleted, and using the last drops of powers to heal me had taken a toll on his physical energy as well. Our plans would be set back a full day, pushing our rescue mission even closer to the full moon.
“Let’s clean the wounds before they get infected. We should have done it yesterday,” Kace said, tugging on the collar of my shirt. Nothing about the interaction made me uncomfortable. Nor did I feel like he wanted me to take my shirt off for any reason other than to clean the gouges.
I pulled the material off, cringing when the crusted blood pulled at the wound, causing fresh blood to run down my shoulder.
Kace’s eyes didn’t wander. He seemed completely unfazed by me standing half naked in front of him. I gave him my back, letting him use fresh water to wash away the blood and dirt. Next, I watched as he crushed up some dandelion stems on a rock, using just a bit of water to make a weird paste-like substance.
“Dandelion?”
“It’s the best I can do until we can get some real medicine. It can stop the inflammation and it might prevent infection.”
I worried my lip, watching as Kace placed his hands on his knees and stood. “Bron shouldn’t try to heal you for at least a few more days. He’s spent.”
I hated that I made Bron weak. Especially now when we needed our full strength to infiltrate the DMC.
“Don’t move.” His fingers spread the paste over my wounds.
When he finished, he picked up my shirt, using a knife to cut the fabric.
“What are you doing?”
“Fixing your shirt so you don’t rub more dirt into the scratches.” He pursed his lips while he worked, stretching and tying the material until it looked like a poorly made halter top.
“Thanks.” I pulled the shirt on, surprised by how good it looked.
Kace began warming up the leftover meat. We’d cooked it the previous night and Kace had done what he could to preserve i
t. Given the lack of supplies, we ended up wrapping it and using our knives to bury it in the fire pit, hoping the burning embers would keep it warm enough to prevent spoiling.
Bron grunted. Kace and I turned, watching him stretch with weary eyes. He’d slept through lunch. My energy levels weren’t fully replenished, but the healing magic had made me feel great considering I’d barely survived a beast attack. Bron, however, looked like he needed a week’s worth of sleep.
“How do you feel?” Kace asked when Bron was sitting upright.
“All right, kind of like I need another nap and I had one too many ales last night.”
I handed him the water tin.
“Are you hungry?” Kace asked. He masked his concern well, but I still saw the tension lingering, his shoulders bunching together.
Bron curled his lip. “Mountain lion?”
I laughed. “It actually isn’t bad.”
He stretched out his arm, making a “give me” motion with his fingers. Kace placed the freshly warmed food in Bron’s outstretched hand. We watched as he gingerly bit into the meat. His eyebrows scrunched then pulled up in surprise.
“Huh.”
Kace snickered.
While Bron ate, I went to wash up, using a soaked cloth to wipe my face, neck, arms and legs. The dirt came away but the stench of travel lingered. I wouldn’t be rid of the smell until I had a proper bath, or at least water to submerge myself and my clothes in. When I returned to camp, Bron had finished eating. He propped himself up against a rock. I gave Kace a worried look. Bron didn’t look up for a fight anytime soon.
As if sensing my concern, he let out a loud breath.
“You two will need to go without me.”
Kace frowned.
I placed my hands on my hips, looking down at Bron from where I stood just a few feet away. Gravel crunched underfoot as I pivoted to look at Kace.
“He’s right.”
Kace dropped his head into his hands. “This wasn’t the plan. We aren’t prepared for this.”