Sleep wasn’t coming because she had a bad feeling about something. It was the same twitchy itchies that she’d told Morgan about, and she’d felt this way since she’d been placed in the tent. Something bad was going to happen. She could feel it.
Avery heard a distant moan and something that sounded like a roar. Now that she knew they were some sort of fae mating ritual, Avery was less concerned about the nightly barrage of noises that filled the camp. How in the hell did these people learn to live with their close neighbors and friends’ very passionate and very noisy lovemaking? The fae, as a whole, needed to learn a little tact when it came to having sex. At the very least, to give everyone a better night’s sleep. Hell, even Savine was tired of hearing his people fuck like animals.
Lightning cracked across the sky. The faint light illuminated the tent, and Savine rolled closer to her. He was so close to her now. She squirmed and rolled to her side, resisting the urge to trace those faint marks across his skin again.
Loud screams filled the night, louder than they normally subjected her to while sleeping in the encampment. Savine shot out of bed. She lifted her head up and watched him move. He wasn’t wearing anything and had his back turned to her. Damn, he had some fine assets of his own. He pulled up his leather pants and strapped on his armor.
“Sir!” someone yelled outside the tent. “We’re under attack. The Latian loyalists are in the camp.”
“How many?” Savine seemed to growl out as he struggled to get dressed in front of his warriors.
“A small group, approximately thirty. General Garnel has men in combat now.”
She was reminded once again that she lived in a war camp. “Savine?” Avery called out. Her voice sounded smaller than she meant to make it sound.
Savine turned and looked at her. His calloused hand brushed her cheek, but his face was hard as steel, a warrior preparing to battle. “Stay hidden here. I’ll leave guards to keep you safe. Just keep this dagger from now on, and do not leave this tent! I had a gift made for you, too. It’s near the door,” Savine said as he handed her the dagger that she’d used to kill the Hylax.
“Kersi, Rue, keep Avery safe, and do not let her leave this tent!” With that, Savine strapped his sword to his back and ran out into the dark night sky.
Thunder clapped again as Savine left Avery standing there with the two guards near her. Nerves rattled through her stomach, and she wasgoing to be sick. Not this violence again. The fear inside her grew as the threat of bloodshed approached.
The two fae whispered amongst themselves, and Avery couldn’t make out what they said. Whatever they planned, she wanted to know what was going on.
“What do we do? I can’t just sit here!” Avery shouted. Both fae flinched and covered their ears.
Rue replied first, “We’ll stay here. It is a minor attack, an attempt to disrupt our travels and take our supplies.”
“Can I help? I have some medical experience. Maybe I could help the wounded?”
Kersi looked her up and down before he spoke. “I believe Savine is correct in suggesting that you stay put. You would only put yourself and others at risk.”
Avery nodded. Of course, she would only put everyone at risk. She should just stay out of the way. But thinking about Savine out there, fighting even a small group of the enemy, made her feel queasy.
Rue smiled slightly at Avery before speaking. “This shouldn't take long. Just sit back and try to—”
Her words were cut short with a scream as an arrow shot through the top of the tent. Before anyone could react to the arrow, three more cut through the fabric. Avery shrieked and covered her head. Because, of course, covering her head would keep an arrow from piercing her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Kersi flat on his back with an arrow through the throat.
“No!” Rue shouted as she kneeled beside Kersi. “He’s fading! The arrow was tipped with helmsbane. Iron arrows too. This isn’t a typical attack.”
Avery watched Rue’s eyes assess the situation. To Avery’s horror, Kersi’s wound turned black. His furry essence began writhing andpulsing from the wound spot. It shocked Avery as she watched the wound spread quickly, the frothing, black blood spouting out of him.
“What can we do to help him?” Avery cried out.
“There’s not much we can do. Try to get the iron arrow out. A fae can occasionally survive helmsbane, but if the iron is in his blood, we cannot do anything.”
With a choke and a shake, Kersi’s body became still. Two more arrows shot into the tent, one hitting Avery’s sleeping bag and another nearly hitting Rue.
Avery saw Rue grab the arrow nearest to her. “Not all the arrows are iron. They made this one of aspen. Typical of the loyalists to cut down the tree with the most developed communication network. You said you are a healer? This isn’t some skirmish like we suspected. We’re just as much of a target here, so let’s go help any injured.”
Looking at Kersi’s still body on the floor of the tent, any previous training would be worthless against whatever was out there attacking the camp. Dealing with a battle wound was a lot different from getting someone with a torn ACL safely to the ski lodge. “No, not a healer. I’m a ski patroller. I help injured people in the snow.”
“Good enough. We need to get out there and make sure the non-warriors are not under attack. The initial estimates from General Garnel must be way off if they have breached the council’s tents,” Rue said as she grabbed the sword from Kersi’s back. “Take this. And the dagger. Do you know how to fight? I saw you with—”
Avery interrupted, “No, I don’t. I’m not the fighting type. I’d do more harm than good with a sword. Maybe an axe?”
Rue shook her head, disappointment obvious on her pale face. “If you are going to survive here, you better become the fighting type, and fast. Looks like Savine knew you preferred an axe.”
Avery looked at the axe near the door of the tent. From the head to the handle, the axe was all metal.
