Page 4 of Resurgent

His terror sinks into my bones like ice, because after hearing all of that—after watching her these last six months—I know he’s right. If she could fight. If she could move. If she weren’t incapacitated.

She would be with him.

“We’ll find her. I swear.”

“Tyr finally reached her. She was attacked,” my dragon, Kali, tells me.

“Does he know where she is?”

We keep moving west until we hit a wide stream, then cut north for what feels like forever. We take turns calling her name, and then waiting through long, suffocating stretches of silence for a response that never comes.

Then, A furious roar tears through the distance, violent and unmistakable, and my heartbeat kicks into overdrive.

“She’s Northwest of the riding grounds in a cave!"

“She’s Southeast of us in the caves!” I yell to Matt as I break into a sprint.

“Tyr’s coming, but she’s hurt really bad.” Kali’s panic slams through me, knocking the breath from my lungs as she continues, “I’m flying that way as fast as I can, but he’ll probably get there before I do.”

“Okay. Let me know if he tells you anything else.”

I resist giving Matt the update, knowing it won’t do him any good right now.

We jump over fallen logs and push through the thick forest, branches whipping at our faces as bushes and undergrowth cut up every inch of exposed skin.

“Hurry! She’s saying her goodbyes—she doesn't think she's going to make it!”

No. No. No!

“Run faster! She's dying!” I shout, and despite us both already pushing ourselves as hard as we can, the added adrenaline gives us an unnatural boost.

We break through a thin line of brush, and something dark stops me in my tracks, forcing Matt to slam into my back.

“What—” he starts, but then he sees it.

A trail of blood drops.

His voice cracks into a choked gasp, “Lee.”

I swallow hard and pass Matt the gun from my ankle holster. “Stay behind me.”

“Like hell I will—”

“Matt,” I turn, sharp enough that he freezes, though the look of indignation doesn't fade. “If someone’s still out here, you running in blind won’t help her. Let me go first.”

His jaw works, fury and fear warring behind his eyes, but then he nods.

We follow the trail up toward a series of caves, moving low and fast, every sense stretched tight.

The forest is silent, like the birds and crickets are holding their breath to see if we make it to her in time. And then something splashes south of us.

My heart ricochets into my throat.

“Did you hear that?” Matt whispers.

I don’t answer. I’m already moving, Matt right behind me, as we abandon the trail of blood for the very real, pained groan we hear.

My pulse beats like a hammer.