Elara's voice shook as she pointed at Kael, her small hand trembling from pain. "We should leave, Kael." Her words sliced through his growing anger, the dark energy around him easing a bit. He took a slow breath, his violet eye dimming, then nodded. Anya grabbed his arm, her grip tight with urgency. "Let's go, now, toward Borin." They took off together, Kael holding Elara close as her blood soaked into his leaf-woven clothes, Anya running beside them toward the forest's edge.
From the castle wall, the captain, Gavric, watched them pull back, his scarred face softening with relief, though fear chewed at his insides. "A Vanguard, so young," he muttered, glancing at the dead archers, blood pooling under them. He stood straighter, his jaw set. "I must tell Lord Darius."
On a grassy hill near the forest, Borin jumped up as Kael appeared, Elara in his arms, Anya right behind, out of breath but fine. "Are you okay?" Borin asked, his voice rough, brown eyes wide with worry.
Elara forced a grin through gritted teeth, her pink eyes shiny with pain. "Do I look okay, Lizardman?" she rasped, the nickname she'd given Borin yesterday still sharp despite the arrow in her calf. Blood oozed around the shaft, staining her oversized robe.
Borin shrugged off her quip, eyes on the wound. "Gods, that looks bad. Hurts a lot, huh?"
"Yeah, it does," Elara snapped, her voice wobbly as pain stabbed her leg, her face twisting.
Anya caught up, her face red but calm. "We need to treat that wound now. And find shelter, somewhere safe."
Borin glanced at the far-off city, its walls a faint threat on the horizon. "Can't Kael just smash through them?"
"No," Anya said hard, her tone final. "We don't know who's inside, could be someone tougher. We skip it, look nearby. A village might be close. We need answers too, why they called us witches."
"First, let's pull that arrow out," Anya said, stepping close to Elara. She tugged the waterskin from her belt, its leather worn and cracked but still good. "Hold her tight, Kael." He nodded, keeping Elara steady against his chest with a soft, firm grip.
Anya splashed water on the wound, rinsing off the grime and blood, the cold making Elara hiss through her teeth. "Borin, rip a piece of your robe so we can wrap her leg, keep it tight." Borin nodded and tore at the sleeve, the fabric ripping with a rough sound.
Anya grabbed the arrow's shaft, her fingers steady even though her heart thumped loud. "This is gonna sting bad," she warned. Elara gave a quick nod, teeth clenched, her pink eyes scrunching tight.
Anya muttered, "One, two, three," and yanked the arrow out fast. Elara let out a sharp scream, her body twitching hard as blood gushed out, dark and thick. Tears rolled down her muddy cheeks, wiping out her usual cheeky grin, leaving just a twisted look of hurt. She'd been under Valerius too, but he never touched her like the others, her jobs were small, nothing harsh. This pain was new, slamming her hard.
Borin shook his head, staring at her. "How'd you even make it through that lab? That place was a hundred times worse than this little scratch."
Elara didn't answer, too busy gasping. She caught Kael's look instead, his fists balled up, that strange black blood of his humming....
Want to read the full chapter now? Get Chapter 10 free on Patreon or wait for the next public upload!"
patreon.com/E2749E