There’s no reason to kill me now that the king’s enemies have been found. No reason except for revenge.
Someone in the kitchen was working with Bevix.
“Need to warn Arix.”
“You need to get on the mishua,” Sarissa snaps. Four other Sarissas also nod their heads in agreement.
I blink, and my eyes stay shut. Something cracks across my face, and I manage to pry my eyes open.
There’s only one Sarissa now, and she’s pale, her eyes flashing.
“Blue,” I mumble. “They’re blue now. Pretty blue.”
“Fuck,” Sarissa mutters. She wedges herself beneath my shoulder, throwing my arm around her neck. “Just walk. I’ll figure this shit out.”
I’m so dizzy I’m having trouble seeing the world around me. Distantly, I know this is a bad sign. “Death by dried meat,” I mumble. “Humiliating.”
Sarissa snorts. “I told you not to come with me. Okay, the mishua is right here. All you have to do is help me get you into the saddle.”
I nod, but my chin falls forward and my eyes slide closed.
CRACK.
“You enjoyed that,” I say, managing to open my eyes to slits. Distantly, I can feel my cheek burning with the force of her slap.
“Of course I did. Get your shit together.”
I feel my lips curl. For some reason, I occasionally find her abrasiveness charming. “Vicious female.”
“Get on the mishua.”
I can vaguely see the beast dancing in front of my eyes. Sarissa inhales sharply, likely realizing just how bad our situation is.
“Okay,” she says. She takes my hand, directing it where it needs to go. Then she kneels, and I shift my weight to my right foot as she raises my left one and places it in her cupped hands.
“Use me as a step stool.”
The female will only be able to handle my weight for a short moment. I collect every last drop of my remaining energy and shake my head in an attempt to clear it.
“You got this,” Sarissa says, and I chuckle.
“Are you…encouraging…me?”
“Sadly, your well-being is now directly tied to mine. On three.”
She counts down, and I push up. The female is stronger than she looks, offering a good amount of resistance as she pushes against my foot, helping to boost me into the saddle.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur, and the world goes black.
Chapter Four
Sarissa
“Korzyn?”
Unconscious. Fuck.
We’re in deep shit right now. I glance toward the path the Dokhalls took. We need to stay even further from the main path, which is going to add even more time to our trip.
I glance up at Korzyn. He’s worryingly pale.
“I knew you were a liability,” I mutter.
He doesn’t reply, and I take the mishua’s head, looking deep in her eyes. “You either walk where I lead you with him on your back or I leave you behind for the Dokhalls. Do you understand?”
The mishua snorts, but I’m not messing around. Either she behaves or I’ll figure out another plan. If I have to drag Korzyn through the forest myself, I’ll fucking do it.
Of course, I could always leave him.
I sigh. It’s one thing if I kill him myself. It’s another if I leave him to die while he’s vulnerable. There’s no honor in that.
Plus, Arix might kill me.
I grind my teeth. If I’d been allowed to go alone, this never would’ve happened.
Well it did happen, Sarissa. So what are you going to do about it?
I pull out my map. I could head back toward the mishua pen. There are other guards there who may be able to help. Making my way to Hexir is out of the question now. According to the information I bargained for, there are a few caves to choose from, although those came with warnings to be careful not to end up in a wild karja’s lair.
There’s a cave not far from here. It won’t be comfortable, but if we can hunker down there, I can figure out what to do next.
Okay. The commander isn’t looking good at all. His lips have a bit of a blue tint. Is his breathing labored?
Another instructor’s voice sounds in my head. “It’s not the situation that will kill you. Panic will take you out first. Don’t let your own response be the determining factor in your death.”
Zoey taught me a little about plants before I left. I walked with her in the forest a few times, soaking up as much information as I could. If I can find a particular plant, it may help draw the poison out of the commander. But first, I need to get him somewhere safe.
The cave it is.
I tug on the leather strap around Heli’s nose. For a moment, she digs in her heels, and I bare my teeth at her.
“I will kick your ass.”
It’s an empty threat. If she lowers her head any further, she’ll probably gouge me with those vicious-looking horns. Korzyn groans on her back, and she jolts into motion, almost stepping on my toes.
I give the Dokhalls a wide berth, heading deeper into the forest. The mishua takes soft, quiet steps, but I’m still tense, my largest knife clutched in my hand as I scan my surroundings for threats. I stop often, listening for any more Dokhalls. But each time I glance at Korzyn’s face, I move faster.
I’m dripping with sweat by the time we arrive at the rocky mountain on the edge of the forest. The cave entrance is small, but I ignore my claustrophobia and force myself to go inside, checking for animals.
The cave is much larger inside than it looked from the outside. Since no wild animals are leaping at me, ready to tear my face off, I duck my head and inch inside the cave, my eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light.
Water drips down the walls toward the back of the cave, but the front is dry and—if I can build a fire—should allow us to stay relatively warm.
From the small pile of furs on one side of the cave, I’d say it’s been used as a hunting cave by one or more of the Braxian
