Everything hurt too much. I just didn’t care.
Reaching out with my good arm, I patted the creek edge until my fingers wrapped around the cholka root. Then I put the entire thing in my mouth and started to chew.
Could you overdose on this stuff? Maybe. But I had run out of fucks to give. Not wanting to pass out in the trickling creek, no matter how shallow it was, I rolled onto my side and then forward until I was sort of sitting up.
My chest heaved as dizziness washed over me from the sudden movement, and I knew it was time to do an injury assessment. Using my good fingers, I gently probed the wound and found that it wasn’t bleeding. The hole sort of looked closed, but I didn’t want to mess with it in case it broke open. It was puckered like a star and angry red. Reaching behind me, I ran my fingers over that hole and they came back slick with a small bit of blood.
Okay… still bleeding back there… but just a little.
I looked around; all I could see for miles were trees, no farms or anyone I could ask for help. Besides, they weren’t Marmal, they would surely want the two-million reward and turn me in to the vampires. Instead, I just grabbed a piece of cloth from the sack she’d made me and wadded it into a ball, shoving it into the weeping hole at my back.
A sob escaped me at the throbbing pain that caused, and my hands shook.
I was alive. For now, but I needed to get to the Light Fey City, where I could ask for Prime Minister Locke’s help and call Sawyer. Stat.
Grabbing the lighter, bloody steel rod, and arrow tip for memory’s sake, I packed them all up and stood slowly. Dizziness washed over me. Ginny stood as well, rushing to my side as I leaned on her. “I gotta get to the border before darkness.” I held her and heaved onto her back with what little strength I had left.
She started to walk and the full weight of the Tylenol root crashed into me as I drifted in and out of sleep. Every time Ginny went over a large rock or something, it would shift me and my eyelids would flutter open. Then the soothing back and forth motion would start up again and my eyes would close. We did this for several hours until Ginny came to a dead stop and chuffed. My eyelids sprang open as Ginny whined and started to back up. Night was falling. In fact… night was here. There was barely a sliver of light left through the trees. The woods were washed in a creepy orangish-blue glow, and my gaze fell upon the orange perimeter flags that demarcated the Dark Fey Territory.
I slid off of Ginny and pet her behind the ears. “You did good. Good girl.” Sticking my hand into her sack of pellet food, I came up with some and she nibbled it from my palm. “Wanna come with me all the way through the Fey Lands? I’m sure Marmal wouldn’t mind so long as I had you returned?” I grabbed the strap nearest her shoulder and began to yank, trying to pull her closer to the border flags, but she reared back and chuffed again.
Dammit.
I looked into the darkening forest; it was different than the troll forest, somehow darker as if light didn’t even go there. The trees didn’t move and there was an eeriness in the air.
I’d sort of made friends with Arrow. Maybe I could just cut straight down and across the Wild Lands. Take my chances with the Ithaki. Hope I ran into some Paladin and namedrop Arrow. But they hated city wolves. I doubted they’d let me cross if it meant I was going back there.
I pulled out and consulted the map Marmal had given me. Where I was, it would be twice as long to reach Werewolf City by crossing the entirety of the Wild Lands, and the Ithaki were probably hellbent on revenge for Bucher’s death. No. I just had to push through and do this.
I turned Ginny around, pulled my pack and shotgun off her back, and then gave her one final hug. “You probably saved my life today. Thank you.”
Yes. I talked to a donkey, because shit had gotten desperate.
With a light smack of her rump, she trotted back into the deep forest of the Troll Village, while I spun on my heel and headed for the Dark Fey Territory. I kept the shotgun in my good hand and only the strap of my pack over my left shoulder, careful not to put any stress on my bad right shoulder.
I could do this. This was fine. I had a shotgun and shotguns killed things. I’m pretty sure I killed that troll today, although I would process that when I was back at Sterling Hill in my dorm with my new therapist that I was totally getting. I peered up at the treetops and noticed there were no more treehouse lofts this close to the border. People were smart enough to not sleep near the dark fey. I needed to find a safe space to make camp but not sleep. No way was I even blinking for a long time in this territory. I’d stayed up for all-nighters before with Raven and I could totally do it again.
No matter I’d basically just got shot. I’d be fine.
I’m a badass bitch who doesn’t need sleep or stitches.
These pep talks really worked. I felt better already.
With a deep breath, I stepped over the orange flag line and flinched as Sawyer screamed in my head.
‘Demi, fucking answer me!’
Relief spread through me as his voice filled me up. I risked the pain I knew was coming to answer him back.‘Just crossed into Dark Fey Territory. Can’t talk, it hurts. Got shot with an arrow but I’m okay… I love you.’The electric shocks seemed to be getting stronger, or maybe that was just my perception, but damn, if we could get these off now, that would be great.
‘Demi! Oh thank fuck. I love you too, I’m going insane without you here.’His voice was raspy like he’d been screaming for hours, even if just mentally. He sounded completely worn out. ‘The stupid troll leader is paranoid that the witches read their thoughts, so they put a magical shield over any mind-to-mind connections across their entire territory.’
A single tear slid down my cheek to hear that it wasn’t something I did to mess up our bond, or that he wasn’t off on some love ride with Meredith.
‘Demi, listen carefully. You have to be very cautious in the dark fey lands. Any amount of your blood that’s exposed will lead them right to you.’
Well, wasn’t that fucking great. I was covered in blood.
‘Don’t respond. I’m going to assume if you got shot that you are bleeding.’
