“Let's move it. Now.” Minx pushed Alla back toward the camp. “We're not far. Once we meet up with Kaleb, we can decide where we go from here. Now, hurry, before—”
She didn't get a chance to finish the words.
From a Zuscha archer dwelling in the lower boughs of a broad-leafed tree, there came a sudden blast. The arrow ripped through the air and bit into Alla's left shoulder with staggering force. Taken by surprise, Alla stumbled a few paces and then fell to her knees, the shaft of the arrow jutting from her pale flesh. She grit her teeth, gripping the wound, and struggled to breathe deeply.
Kneeling there, in the open, the girl was a sitting duck.
“Alla, get up!” ordered Minx, grabbing the back of the girl's collar and hauling her back to her feet. Alla rose not a moment too soon, for another arrow, likely from the same bow, was fast embedded in the very soil where she had only moments ago collapsed. The Fae huntress guided the prisoner through the brush as quickly as she could, urging Mau on ahead. Mau, you need to hurry out of here. Find Kaleb, if you can. I could use some back-up. This girl is slowing me down.
Alla let out gasp after gasp—her entire arm wreaked with pain and her brow dotted with fresh sweat. Her eyes, cloudy and mysterious though they were, had about them an uncommon glassiness as they proceeded through the woods in search of the camp. She was on the verge of losing consciousness, by the looks of it. Only the waves of pain kept her mind from powering down.
“Hang on, Alla, we'll get you out of here.” The arrow had gone deep, and the mere sight of it sticking out of Alla's shoulder made Minx's stomach churn. She'd taken a few arrows herself over the years, but this particular injury was no mere glancing blow. It was deep, and would take a great deal of time and care to heal.
Alla didn't respond. Barely hanging on, she seemed in another world altogether, her breathing growing slower, more ragged, and a thick thread of drool tumbling from her trembling lips. Her knees buckled and her legs stopped moving. Going suddenly stiff, she found herself being dragged by Minx across the ground, shaking and saucer-eyed.
“Alla? Alla, what's going on?” asked Minx. She knelt down to assess the girl, checking her pulse. To her astonishment, the cadence of the girl's heart was very slow—far slower than one might expect during such a heated escape. Her attention returned to the arrow. She glanced at the shaft, finding the wood discolored—not by blood, but by some dark, tarry substance.
Oh, no...
The arrow sticking out of Alla wasn't the normal kind. This was a treacherous creation, a poisoned arrow. The shaft had been soaked in lethal toxins until the wood had become saturated, and the tip, too, had probably been dunked in the foul stuff before firing. The presence of so much toxin in the shaft of the arrow promised a steady flow of the stuff into whatever wound the tip became embedded in; the longer it remained in Alla's body, the more intense her poisoning. Minx locked her fist around the arrow and guided it out of the wound carefully. She then tossed it aside and slung one of her arms around the girl, hoisting her up.
If Minx didn't hurry, another one of those poisoned arrows would surely show up with her name on it.
There were tricks she could use to keep the poison from spreading, though under the circumstances Minx had precious little breathing room to employ them. Healing herbs could draw the toxins out of Alla's bloodstream, given a highly-concentrated paste or tincture, and the wound itself could be at least partially mended by her own Fae magic, though the success of either treatment required time. There was no telling how long Alla could hold on; her sudden collapse pointed to severe envenomation. Already her breaths were becoming imperceptible. Her lips had taken on the barest hint of blue and her fair skin was becoming splotchy.
Minx hauled the motionless girl through the woods and happened finally upon the camp. Kaleb still hadn't returned; only Mau awaited her as she dragged Alla toward the fire. Lowering her to the ground, she took clean water from one of their waterskins and doused the wounded shoulder, cleansing it. It looks like poison, Mau. She's reacting very strongly to it. I think she absorbed a lot.
A poisoned arrow? The Faelyr looked back to the woods with a low whimper. Are they still following you?
I don't know. Minx closed her eyes, marshaling her thoughts and striving to calm herself despite the threats looming in nearby treetops. It was time to attempt some healing. She'd never worked on an injury of this severity before, and even as she rifled through her things for a smattering of healing herbs, she wasn't sure her interventions would make a difference. Hold on, Alla. Chewing up a palm's worth of bitter herbs from her own pouch, Minx worked them into a paste between her fingers and then applied the balm to Alla's wound.
At this, Alla jerked. Any contact with the open wound pained her, and the sting of the herbs upon her torn flesh sent her into spasms.
“Relax, Alla. This might help. Certain herbs can draw out the toxins and nullify them. I don't know what they poisoned you with, but these are the best medicinals I have. It'll take awhile for them to absorb, so stay still.” Minx held her down, trying to minimize her violent writhing.
A figure emerged from the woods, breaking her concentration. Minx reached for her bow and prepared to take a shot. The rustling of the ferns yielded Kaleb's familiar form, and she abandoned her weapon with a sigh. “Oh, it's only you.”
Kaleb eyed the scene with alarm, his gaze settling on Alla's unmoving
