He tried to rise and failed. His legs wouldn’t work; they just twitched. “Eliel,” his whisper reeked of pain.
“Raven?” I brushed his hair away from the wound on his back and then wiped away the blood with my sleeve. The wound was already healing. I could see the flesh knitting. Still, Raven kept groaning. Something was wrong. I looked up at Nahel and shouted, “What have you done to him?”
“I can't move,” Raven whispered.
I looked back down at the King. “But you're already healing.”
“I think it's poison. He must have coated his weapon with it.”
“Think again, Your Majesty,” Nahel drawled. He lifted his strange weapon and grinned. “I call it a bone-thread blade. It's a compulsion that you're feeling, not poison. Dragons can't be poisoned, right? Don't worry, it will wear off.” He grabbed myupper arm and yanked me away from Raven and onto my feet. “Of course, we'll be far away by then.”
“No!” Raventar reached for me, his upper body lifting. “Eliel! Eliel, fight him!”
My instincts said something similar, but I wasn't a warrior. I didn't know how to kill a man. I did, however, know how to hurt one.
With a furious cry, I brought my fist down. Nahel didn't expect resistance from me and didn't try to block. My fist collided with his manhood, and he fell to his knees, his hands cupping himself.
“Run!” Raventar shouted. “Fly, my foundling!”
“I won't leave you!” I grabbed Nahel's strange weapon and lifted it. Immediately, I felt the magic in it. It was as if I were holding a slave ribbon. The same twisted, decayed aura leaked from the blade as it had from the ribbons. With a screech, I dropped it.
Nahel chuckled as he straightened. “Do you feel the power in it? It's made from the same silk that once bound you.” He drew a ribbon from his pocket. “And will bind you again. But don't fret. I will take better care of you than Bara did. I will treasure you, Eliel. You'll be my beloved consort.”
“You will fucking die before I let that happen!” Raventar flung himself at Nahel, grabbing the Okon's legs and bringing him down. “Go, Eliel! Fly away! Head to Ahanu. I will find you.”
I ran, smarter this time. As much as I wanted to help the King, I couldn't. I only hindered him. Darting among battlingwarriors, I headed for the cliff. My wing ached. It wasn't healed enough, but I had to try.
Someone hit me from behind, taking me down to the ground. My wing snapped, the bone breaking again. I screamed, writhing in pain.
“I've got him!” an Okon shouted as he hauled me up.
I couldn't stand. The pain was too great. My body went into spasm, and the Okon couldn't hold me. I was too unwieldy with my wings. We went down together.
“Someone help me bind him!” He shouted.
But his friends were flying away. I gasped through the pain even as I grinned, seeing the bastards retreat. Nahel shot into the sky after his warriors, his weapon in his hand. He glanced back at me, bared his teeth, and flew higher.
“Damn it all! I can't carry him alone!” the Okon called after them.
Then his shout became a gurgle.
Angling my head, I saw claws emerging from the Okon's throat. He rose, lifted by that unseen hand, and then flew over me to plummet down the cliff. King Raventar stood where the Okon had been—hands, chest, and face bloody. One hand still bore dragon claws, but he shifted it before holding it out to me.
I didn't care about the blood. I took his hand and let him pull me up. But then I cried out, my wing dragging behind me.
“Eliel!” He scooped me up and carried me back to our demolished tent. The pallets were still there, and he laid me upon them, on my stomach. “Where are you hurt?”
“My wing,” I hissed. “He broke my wing.”
“I see it. It's a clean break. You'll be all right.” I felt his gentle touch on my broken wing bone. “Your brace came free, but it's still clinging to one side. I just need to adjust it.”
I moaned as he set my bone back into place and slipped the brace onto it. “That's better. Thank the Gods—” his words cut off as he fell to the pallet beside me.
“Your Majesty!” Sir Vanoak shouted.
Panting, Raven pushed up on an arm. “I'll be fine. Get the camp packed up. We need to move.”
“What do I do?” I sat up, hands fluttering over Raven. I didn't know what to do. His wounds were already closed—both the cut in his back and over his ribs.
