“Scared—” I broke off to retch ineffectively into some bushes. “Scared the life out of me when Alaric came back and told me what was happening.”
“It’s all right, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
I didn’t really give a damn if she was mad I had her followed. She could be mad all she liked. At least she’d be mad and safe.
“Promise me you’ll keep yourself safe.”
“No, I won’t.”
My voice grew stronger, and I used the remaining strength I had left to pull her behind a thick tree trunk. “Promise me, Elena.”
“If you will stop carrying on so we can get to the castle in one piece, I’ll promise you anything you bloody well want!”
“Tha’s better,” I slurred, slumping against her once more.
She turned us back toward the general castle, ignoring her own wounds. Keeping her eyes trained in front of us and her ears tuned to the humans behind us, she plowed her way through the drifts and trees until we reached the main road.
Orange orbs from the sconces on the castle walls led the way to the front entrance. The sound of the humans and their horses faded the closer we drew to the gate. A cry of alarm rent through the air when we were sighted and her knees threatened to buckle as Alaric rounded the corner, guards following behind.
He took my other side, his lips pressed into a thin line. Dazedly, I turned to him, clutching at his shoulder and nearly knocking Elena off her feet.
“You’ll watch over her for me, won’t you?” I stumbled over the uneven road. “The fae were after her.”
“With my own life,” Alaric assured me. “Bloody fae. I can’t escape them.”
“There will be none of that,” Elena interjected. “Stop humoring him and help me get him inside.”
“I’ll thank you to cease giving me orders, my lady, considering that you’re the reason he was shot in the first place.”
We reached the front steps to the castle. Servants brought candles, bottles of tonic, and clean cloth. Alaric instructed them to be brought to my rooms. We stumbled through the labyrinthine corridors as I hovered between lucidity and delirium. By the time they laid me on my sprawling bed, I felt more like a corpse than a man.
Bruised and bloodied, Elena crawled onto the bed by my side, tucking her arm under my head and urging a maid to bring a mug of cool water. She held it to my lips and forced a few sips down my throat. I choked on it, already back into semi-unconsciousness.
“Why are you all standing here?” I heard Elena order. “Someone fetch the healer.” When no one moved to do as she instructed, she said to Alaric. “Why aren’t you doing anything to help him?”
I wanted to tell her she didn’t need to worry. My life was for the short time I had her in it, but I didn’t have the energy to form words.
Alaric’s voice was mournful. “There’s no helping him. They lace their arrows with dragon’s bane for a reason.”
“There has to be something you can do.” Elena ran her fingers over my forehead. I loved having her hands on me. It made the gnawing inside my gut go away temporarily. “Anything,” she begged
“Don’t you think…” I said slowly, pausing to lick my chapped lips. “Don’t you think if there was something we could do, we would have done it?”
“So you’re just going to give up?”
Alaric hissed, and his boots ate the ground between them. “I’ll not have you tossing about condemnations. The only thing we can do is wait. Sometimes the arrows aren’t laced well enough, or sometimes they’re removed before the blood can be properly infected. If we’re lucky, he’ll make it through the night.”
“And if we’re not lucky?” she asked.
“You best pray for a miracle.”
* * *
Whispers filled the bedroom.Servants milled about bringing finger foods and goblets of ale and lukewarm water. Stewards ushered in bowls of healing waters with fresh cloths. Alaric sat on a stool by the bed, his mouth a firm, disapproving line.I tossed back and forth on the bed, wondering if this was a fever dream or reality.
“What about the fae?” Elena asked. “They have magic. They must have a way to heal him. Their magick is very powerful.”
“You haven’t had enough of the fair folk tonight then, have you, my lady?”
