Page 75 of Ruling the Green

I’d already made the decision to bring her back to her lake, to let it heal her, when Nira came running up with her warning.

We couldn’t go back to the lake.

I couldn’t heal Serin.

I just had to carry her trembling body through the woods, knowing the agony she was in and unable to do anything about it.

It wasn’t until we could see the castle in the distance that we dared slow, stopping long enough to yank pants up Serin’s legs and slip her feet into shoes.

“Shit,” Nira, who’d run ahead, said, rushing back. “There are people everywhere. Guards. Soldiers. There’s no way we can sneak her in looking like that. No way you’re getting in without someone seeing.”

“You have to take her,” Vishen said. “Jet and I will go in the front, act like we were just taking a walk. You slip in through the back with Serin. Get her upstairs.”

“No,” I barked. “She can’t walk.”

“I can,” Serin said, voice weak, even as Nira yanked the flask off of Vishen’s belt.

“Drink,” she demanded.

“No, use it on her wrists.”

“We have a bathtub full upstairs. I need her strong enough to run with me.”

“Jet, focus,” Vishen demanded. “Come with me. Trust Nira. And you can take care of Serin within the next ten minutes. We’re wasting time.”

There was no arguing with logic, as much as a part of me wanted to.

I touched Serin’s arm, then I took off with Vishen.

“Ready?” I heard Nira say in a no-nonsense voice.

“Yeah.”

Fuck, she sounded small. Weak. Pained.

But Vishen was right. The faster we could get inside the palace undetected, the sooner I could take care of Serin.

We had to slow to a walk close to the gates so we didn’t draw undue attention. We’d only made it partly across the courtyard before the redcaps spotted us and ran behind us, chanting that eerie tune of theirs.

I barely noticed them.

I had one thought.

Serin.

Once we reached the steps, the redcaps fell away and we were alone again, both of us breaking into a run to my floor.

We broke into my room just after Nira, who had her arms around an already-weak Serin.

“I’ve got her,” I said, scooping her up.

“What the fuck happened to your hands?” Nira asked.

“And your head,” Vishen shot back.

“Go take care of each other,” I said. “I’ve got Serin.”

I didn’t wait for a response, just carried a trembling, whimpering Serin through to the water closet, closing the door behind me.