He was a formidable opponent, and Tariel would not underestimate his ability to track themagain.
The three of them found a patch of forest and hid in the trees before dismounting. Midnight let out a sound that seemed a mingling of pain and relief, and Riann groaned as he hobbled away on one leg, his arm thrown over Calrain’sshoulder.
“Oh, your poor leg,” Tariel exclaimed as Calrain set Riann down on his side. She winced at the sight of the arrow protruding from his calf; it had broken in half at some point during their flight. “We need to get that out of yourleg.”
Riann shook his head. “Heal the horse first,” he said. “My leg can wait. We can’t afford to losehim.”
Nodding, Tariel approached the great black steed. He whinnied nervously, sidestepping, but she managed to place her hand on his back and send a tiny wave of calming magic through him. Instantly, the horse stopped moving, and she gently coaxed him to the ground so she could tend tohim.
“This looks quite painful,” she murmured, conjuring a soft white light to study the wound by. The gash was as long as Tariel’s forearm, and half an inch deep. Gingerly, she pressed her hand against it, and blood seeped out, mingling with the blood that had already stiffened hiscoat.
“I know, I know,” she soothed as the horse whinnied again, a pained sound that wrenched at her heart. Closing her eyes, she envisioned a needle threading through the wound, stitching it back together. When she opened them, a glowing purple thread sat in the palm of her hand, the end forming a point. She closed her fingers around it, then gently inserted the needle into the top flap of skin, then thebottom.
Heal,she thought, willing the magic needle to stitch the skin closed. It took some effort, but she got it to do what she wanted, and within moments, the wound had closed. The stitches glowed brightly for a moment, then vanished, leaving no trace of the gashbehind.
The second part, healing the internal damage, was a bit harder. Tariel’s brow beaded with sweat as she pressed her hands against the horse’s side again, visualizing the ripped tissue in her mind and forcing it to heal. A wave of tiredness went through her, but as the horse’s breathing grew easier and it relaxed beneath her touch, she knew she had doneit.
“All right,” she said, getting to her feet. “Riann’sturn.”
She took a step toward them, then swayed. “Tariel,” Calrain said in alarm, grabbing her before she fell. “Are you allright?”
“You need to rest,” Riann said through clenched teeth. His eyes glittered as he looked at her, and his concern for her outshone whatever pain he was feeling. “I can make do with abandage.”
“No.” Tariel shook her head. “I can sleep in your arms once we are back on the road. We cannot afford to stay herelong.”
Calrain nodded grimly. “We already made the mistake of letting Sir Jerrold get close to us once. We can’t allow it to happenagain.”
Riann’s eyes lowered with shame as he nodded. “I have failed you both,” he said as Tariel knelt at hisside.
“You have done no such thing,” Tariel said, gripping the arrow shaft. Riann stiffened, and she yanked it out quickly, getting the worst of it over with. “You took a calculated risk, and I supportedyou.”
Riann clenched his jaw. “You didn’t know any better,” he said, his gaze going to Calrain’s. “But you did. And you saved my arse tonight.” His expression softened. “I owe you adebt.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. We would have died if you had not fought off those knights long enough for me to get to the horses.” But Calrain grinned, and the expression lit up his handsome face. “It felt good to play the hero for once, but I admit, now that the excitement has passed, I am more than happy to pass the torch back to you. Now stop your squalling and let Tariel healyou.”
Riann huffed, but he did as Calrain asked. Thankfully, Riann’s wound was much smaller than Midnight’s, and Tariel was able to heal it quickly enough. But the effort sapped her remaining strength, and she swayed again, the ground tilting up to meether.
“I’ve got you,” Riann said, gathering her into his strong arms. The edges of her vision dimmed, and she closed her eyes as he lifted her. Guilt clawed at her briefly for leaving them alone at a time like this, without the benefit of a disguise…but there was no fighting the exhaustion, and she finally succumbed to the seductive darkness ofsleep.
* * *
When Tariel opened her eyes,it was still dark. For a moment, she wondered if she had merely passed out for a few minutes, but the scenery seemed different, and there was a bedroll beneath her. Pushing herself onto her elbow, she noticed a second bedroll next to her, still warm to the touch. But why wasn’t there a third? And where had Calrain and Rianngone?
As she stared up at the canopy of stars, everything came back to her. Sir Jerrold kidnapping her men, the flight to rescue them. She was beyond grateful that they had not only managed to escape, but had retrieved the abacus aswell.
Her thoughts drifted back to the abandoned village, and she recalled the conversation she’d had with the ghost girl. A pang of guilt hit her—she had promised to bury the girl, but there had been no time to do so. Would the little girl curse her for not keeping the promise? And what did she mean when she said that Tariel was the reason they had been struck by theplague?
Sitting up, she reached for the pack next to her, thinking to summon the spirit. Perhaps Zolotais would be able to provide answers, and at the very least, she could relieve whichever man was currently onwatch.
The branches of a nearby tree rustled before she could summon the spirit, and Tariel called what little magic she’d managed to regain, ready to wield it against the intruder. But her muscles relaxed when Calrain stepped into theclearing.
“Ah, you’re awake.” He smiled, revealing a tiny dimple at the corner of his mouth. The moonlight silvered his shaggy red hair and highlighted the edges of his angular cheekbones as he approached with long-legged strides. “How are youfeeling?”
“A bit tired, but much better,” Tariel said as Calrain lay down beside her. “How long have I beenout?”
“Two days.” He reached out and brushed a lock of hair back from her face, his brow furrowed with concern. His warm fingers sent sparks skipping through Tariel, and her core tightened in response. “Riann is up in the tree, taking the second watch right now. This is the first time we’ve stopped for a full night’s rest since you rescuedus.”
Tariel smiled. “It looked like you two were doing a fine job rescuing yourselves by the time I found you,” she said, curling her fingers around his hand. She turned her cheek to kiss his palm, and delighted in watching his silver eyes grow dark withlust.
