“Raven.” Landyn protested her loud call.
She ignored him and gently pushed her father back. She began to unlace his leather armor. It wouldn’t be the first time she had stitched up one of his wounds. She peeled aside the brown leather and was horrified by the amount of blood soaking his white tunic. She quickly removed his hand from the wound and lifted his bloodied tunic. The wound was on his abdomen, and it was deep. Red liquid squirted from the puncture, while even more flowed over his side like a river.
Tears filled her eyes. She would not admit to herself that it was a death blow, even though she knew the truth.
“Landyn,” her father called.
Landyn fell to a knee at her father’s side as she pressed down on the wound to stem the flow of blood.
Her father reached up and grasped Landyn’s tunic in a clenched fist. “He has the key. It is for my daughters. Get it back.”
Raven scowled in confusion and glanced at Landyn.
Landyn nodded and promised, “I will.”
“Make sure they get it.”
“I will.”
Her father lay back with a sigh and released his hold on Landyn’s tunic. “Take care of her,” he told Landyn.
“Don’t do that,” she commanded him. “Don’t you give up.”
He grinned gently at her. “Never.”
Hoofbeats sounded behind her. She looked over her shoulder as Thunder came to a halt behind her. She turned to stand, but her father caught her hand.
“You are the leader now, Raven,” he said.
She refused to hear this. He was her father. He was the head of their family! She shook her head. “No, Father. It’s not that bad. I can—”
He lifted his head closer to her. “Take care of your sisters.”
“No,” she whispered. “I’ll wrap your wound and Landyn and I will get you to the chateau. You’ll be…” Her voice choked. “Fine.”
“Always remember that you are a Hawke.” He stared into her eyes for a long moment before lying back.
She shook her head and placed a shaking hand over his wound. She continued to shake her head in denial. A sob wracked her body. As she pressed down on his stomach, she realized she could no longer feel his intake of breath.
This can’t be happening, she told herself as she pushed harder.
“Raven,” Landyn called softly.
“Get cloth from the saddlebag,” she said in a thick voice.
“He’s gone,” Landyn said firmly.
Gone.The word sent tremors of disbelief and remorse through her. Her world slowed. She sniffled. He couldn’t be gone. He was John Hawke. He could defeat anyone in battle. He could…
“Raven,” Landyn uttered gently. He put his hand on her shoulder.
She barely felt his touch as her father’s last words rang through her mind. She was in charge now. But she couldn’t be. She didn’t know half of what her father knew. She needed him. Tears blurred her vision of his strong, wounded body. She removed her hands from his wound and sat back on her heels. Her hands, covered in blood, lay limply against her black leggings. What was she to do?
How could she save her sisters? She couldn’t even save her father. How could she save anyone if she couldn’t help the one person that meant more than anything to her?
She swallowed heavily in a dry, thick throat.
“We should leave. They might be back,” Landyn said.
“We have to bury him,” Raven said without emotion, and sniffled again. She looked at her hands. They were covered in red.
“We have no tools. We can’t do that here.”
“Then we will bring him back to le Bezu,” Raven said. Even though her body was numb, her lips and her mind still worked. But she couldn’t stand. She couldn’t move.
Her father was dead.
