I hear a cry and turn to see a Fae soldier with a Bloodbane arrow in his arm. My face pales as I see the poison take effect. His skin turns a sickly shade of gray and it rushes from the wound sight over his body. His face goes grey, eyes bulging out of his head and suddenly they burst. Blood and gore oozes down his cheeks after the sickening pop. I gag, turning away and directly into the chest of the lead Fae soldier. She grips my shoulders, eyes intense.
I whimper and behind her I see two more Bloodbane fall, but another Fae soldier drops dead from poison. The remaining Bloodbane are back to back, muttering a spell under their breath. “Watch out,” I breathe, pointing a trembling finger.
The Fae soldier moves faster than my eyes can follow. She’s a blur, whirling a dagger that wasn’t in her hands before towards the witches. She misses, and the blade is lost in the brush. But the Bloodbane scatter. She rounds on me and shoves a sword in my good hand. I clutch it, weighed down by it when I’m already weak.
“Fight,” she hisses through gritted teeth.
She’s gone before I can respond. I cling to the sword, holding it in front of my face and shrinking back against the tree. The fight has been a blur, but it won’t be long until the Bloodbane notice me. Just as I think this, their eyes turn on me in unison. They study my red cloak and my lack of manacles. They know I’m not like them.
A soft scream slips from my parted lips but it’s nothing more than a sigh as one of them stalks towards me. She grins, and I know she’ll be proud killing a traitor like me. She tosses the blade in the air, catching it deftly. She’s trying to intimidate me, and it’s working. I dart to the side when she’s a few feet away and pain throbs in my leg at the sudden move. She watches me move awkwardly, clearly wounded, and her grin broadens.
I glance around, searching for a Fae soldier to aid me, but they’re fighting their own battles. I swallow thickly, watching the witch close in on me. She drives her blade towards my chest but I deflect it with an awkward wave of my sword. Irritation sparks in her eyes but I dance away, out of reach.
With a growl, she rushes me. Fear washes over me and I feel like I’m drowning in it. So close. I’m so close. I grit my teeth and stand my ground.
“Wait,” Serus purrs.
At the last moment, I turn the angle of my sword until the point is centered directly on her unprotected neck. The blade slips through her flesh, biting through her bones like butter. I cringe as blood gushes from her throat and her eyes bulge out of her head with shock as death takes her. Her dagger slips from her grasp, clattering to the forest floor. It was only a hair from my own chest.
I drop the sword, gagging. The witch’s body topples to the side, blade impaled through her throat. She takes a final, gurgling breath and red bubbles burst on her lips. My muscles are trembling violently with shock and adrenaline, as well as exhaustion. I stumble away from her body and the Fae woman catches me in her arms before I topple.
Her brows are furrowed, lips pulled into a confused frown. I push away from her and take a deep, settling breath. “Let’s go,” I murmur, breathing hard. I need to get to Altair. I need healed. I need to help him.
It’s just the Fae woman and I leaving that grove of sharp trees. The rest are decomposing in their own blood. I don’t look back and neither does she as we climb a rocky incline. Serus leaps ahead, agile and light. I eyes him jealously as I drag myself up one handed. Panting, I’m yards behind the Fae woman. She pauses at the top and then whoops excitedly.
I look up, brows furrowed. I’ve never seen a Fae shout like that; so celebratory. I push myself faster, curious to see what lies beyond. Pain lances through my thigh and arm, but I grit my teeth and ignore it. I grunt as I hoist myself up the last few feet and stagger to my feet beside her. I follow her gaze into the sky.
My breath rushes out me like I’ve just been punched in the gut. A grin stretches across my face, relief and feeling I can’t quite describe washing through me like a stormy wave. My shoulders sag and for the first time, I can’t feel the wounds on my body.
Altair soars above us in the distance. His enormous wings stretch across the early night sky, blotting out the stars. I imagine I can see his hazel eyes raking over the landscape. I lift my good arm, as if to wave, but the Fae woman snatches it down. Wordlessly, she points to the right. Lean around her, wincing in pain, and then my breath is lost again.
Hordes of demons and Bloodbane dot the landscape and the sky, coloring everything black and red. My face pales as I realize just what Altair is preparing to do. No. No. NO.
I just made it. Wait for me, I want to scream. I bend over, keening silently, eyes locked on the stony ground. Serus slinks into my view, staring at me with glowing eyes. Its as if the look is willing me to relax, to take a deep breath. I straighten, cradling my injured arm, and start down the hill.
“Where are you going?” The Fae woman hisses.
“To the fortress there.
