I hesitated. She'd left them to be captured. Her own men. She hadn’t even spared them a second thought before leaving them to their enemy. My gaze drifted down to where Hugh lay sprawled in the dirt. He was breathing hard, staring up at the sky with wide eyes, blood coating every inch of him.
"Hugh," I said.
He took a shuddered breath.
"I'm okay," he croaked, his voice hoarse. "I'm alive. I'm—"
"You shouldn't speak yet," I told him, giving his arm a gentle squeeze even though it left a bloody handprint to do so. "Your throat was seriously damaged. I've healed the fatal wound but more needs to be done. As soon as I can rest, I'll—"
I tried to rise and faltered, falling sideways into Gryfon who gripped my waist in his hands and helped me stand, brows knitted in concern.
“Adrian," Gryfon warned. I could hear the worry in his tone.
"I'm fine," I assured him. I tried to wave him off, placing a hand on his muscled chest and pushing away, but my knees gave out once more.
Zya was there, gripping my arms and hoisting me upright. She looked over my head to give a meaningful look to Gryfon. The General only grunted before my feet left the ground and I foundmyself cradled against his chest. He held me in his arms as he turned and barked orders to his men.
"Carry that one if he needs it," he commanded, nodding once toward Hugh. "Find Prima and tell her I've got Adrian."
His men didn't hesitate to split off and carry out his orders. I opened my mouth to protest the treatment. I wanted to remind him I wasn't some weak damsel in distress in need of carrying. I wanted to demand he put me down that instant and allow me to walk back on my own, to retain some form of dignity as we made our way back to the camp. But he was warm and strong and my eyes were already closing with the motion of his graceful movement.
Before my eyelids shuttered closed completely, I sighed his name.
"Gryfon."
His jaw tensed. I could see every muscle as they clenched against the sweetness in my voice I hadn't necessarily meant to intone.
“Adrian,” Gryfon spoke my name slowly, carefully.
“She called you a traitor,” I recalled, blinking at him. “Why?”
He looked down at me and held my gaze. There was something in those icy blue eyes I couldn't name. The same unspoken pain they always held but something else too. Fear, perhaps, or a frigid, simmering rage. It was so hard to tell with him.
"You called the dark," he reminded me instead of answering my question. Something about that felt wrong but I was too tired to argue. "Rest now. We'll be back at camp soon."
The disagreement was on the tip of my tongue but it fizzled away to ash as I slipped out of consciousness and the General carried me out of the woods.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Dante
“All doors must be barricaded by nightfall each day, no exceptions. Windows will be removed and filled in. Candles will not be permitted within the library. No more than four members of the House will be allowed among the books at any given time. They may be removed one at a time by formal written request. These measures are to remain in place indefinitely.”
— Internal Communication Recovered from the House of Harlowe
“Not bad, Viper,” the only one of Rainier’s riders who'd ever spoken to me was saying as she wiped the blood from her sword onto the moss beneath her boots. With a wink, she turned to Roman. “Guess we got back just in time.”
Kseniaand Phantom chose that moment to land directly in front of us.Ksenialeapt artfully from the beast’s back as Phantom snarled and paced away. I watched the creature in wonder. I’d never seen him so out of sorts. It was almost asthough the beast understood what had occurred here. It was almost as if hemourned.
“Primaand the leaders are safe,”Kseniareported. “No sign of Rainier but some of the camp warriors said they saw him heading deep into the forest. He may still be there.”
“Casualties?” Roman asked, ever the strategic Captain, as he sheathed his own bloodied sword.
“Mostly common folk,”Kseniasaid with a sigh. “Or so it appears from the…bodies near the cave and the river. Some tried to make it back. I don’t know how far they might have led the enemy.”
One of Rainier’s riders cursed at that.
“Viper,” Roman’s cold voice spoke. “The weapon.”
