7
FINN
Black blood scorches the blades of grass.
Glittering purple scales lay unmoving as the corpse steams. Venomous fangs drip dark poison from their tips. The viper's eyes are dull as I yank my dagger from its stomach. The stinking blood coats my trousers and shirt.
Fire licks along my arm as I turn from the gruesome sight.
Arden cowers atop a bed of crushed blooms. Her cry of fear rings sharply in my ears. There had been no time to warn her.
The second I spotted the creature, it coiled to strike. Protective instincts I didn't know I possessed moved me. Annihilating the threat to her as if it were second nature.
I stomp on the viper's head for good measure. Blood, both black and ruby, ran down my forearm. The burning under my skin steals my breath, but I shove it down. My primary concern is for the Queen.
"Are you alright?" I ask a trembling Arden, who slowly rises to her feet. "Did it bite you?"
Large green eyes alternate between the viper beneath my heel and me. With a shuddering breath, she shakes her head.
"The rot is spreading," she whispers. "Creeping further into the meadow. My scouts said it was a two-day journey before traces of the Void's treachery were present. It's accelerating."
Arden's full lips quiver. Tears collect at the corners of her eyes. My fingers itch to wipe them away, if my hands didn't feel concerningly numb. I long to offer her comfort and clear away the sadness clouding her gaze.
These odd urges are concerning. If I am not careful, I'll lose myself to them before securing my wish. That can’t happen.
"No creature of my realm can harm me. I've never?—"
She breaks off in a shudder. Despite the pain radiating up my extremities, I smile at her.
"Lucky for you, a human with uncommonly quick reflexes fell from the sky.”
Arden's lips lift.
"Are all humans as boisterous as you?"
"Boisterous?" I press a hand to my heart. "You wound me."
"Youarewounded."
My smile turns brittle as her eyes travel down my body. Delicate wings flutter, carrying her to me.
"It's nothing. Barely a scratch."
Narrowing her eyes, she gently rolls up the sleeve of my shirt.
Bile swims up my throat at the gruesome sight. Arden's delicate hands glide along my ruined skin. While her touch is a delight, I can't enjoy it while black venom spills from two deep puncture wounds.
The blood along the openings is beginning to fester.
"This is more than a scratch, Finn." The Queen shakes her head. Pink curls tickle my cheek. "You need to be healed. The venom will rot the wound."
Any teasing retort dies on my tongue. She's right, my fingers are already turning white as my muscles atrophy.
With a nod, I give myself over to her. Which is no hardship.
Especially not when she crowds closer. Her lithe fingers wrap tighter around my arm. A line of concentration forms between her pink brows. Green healing magic flows from her palm and spools around my arm.
My instinct to recoil never surfaces. How could it when her power smells as sweet as her and feels just as warm?
