And then Zephyr was standing on shaking legs, offering a hand to him. “Thank you.”
Her voice was high and bright, even as she gasped and panted, attempting to catch her breath. It made her sound very young, though Cedric knew that meant nothing. She could be a girl, or she could be older than Cedric’s great-grandparents. It was impossible to tell when it came to Arcanians.
“Thought I was done for,” she said.
There was a wet squelch as Cedric pulled his dagger out of the dead monster. He used his other, slightly-less-bloody, hand to retrieve Zephyr’s from between the creature’s eyes. “I could say the same,” he said as he handed the weapon back to her. “Loathe though I am to admit it, I was in a bit over my head at the end there.”
“You wouldn’t have been if you hadn’t had to help me fight off those gnarlings,” argued the sylvan, her lower lip sticking out in a pout.
Against all logic, Cedric found one side of his mouth curving up in a grin. “Gnarlings?”
Zephyr pointed her dagger at the fallen creature before tucking it into the sheath at her hip. “That’s what we call them back in Verdentia, anyway. I’ve never seen one outside the forests there myself, but...” She shrugged.
“Gnarlings,” Cedric said again, testing the word. He gave a casual wave of his hand. “Well, I’ve learned something new. Let us call it even.”
One side of her mouth tipped up in a small grin. “Do you think more of them will come?”
Cedric paused, listened. “I do not know,” he admitted. “But the growling seems to have faded.”
“Two of them got away.” Her gaze fell to the weeping trail of black blood that carved a path away from the clearing.
“Perhaps they warned off their brethren.”
Her grin widened. “Understandable. We are quite theformidable pair.”
The corner of Cedric’s lip quirked. “Indeed. Regardless, I would rather not find out if more of those things are on their way. We should move on.”
Zephyr hesitated. “You—you would have us move on . . . together?”
Cedric appraised the petite champion. She would hardly have been his first choice as an ally. Too small and too weak to fight off beast and brute, especially given the distinct lack of magic usage in here. He supposed he had to give her credit for being quick enough to outrun the gnarlings, at least. Glancing at the beast she’d felled, he had to admit her aim with that dagger wasn’t too bad either. And though she could easily have run away the moment Cedric drew the gnarlings’ attention, she had chosen to stay and fight—a sign of grit and determination that Cedric found...admirable.
Plus, there was something vulnerable in the way she asked that pulled at Cedric’s heartstrings.
You’re so fucking soft.Once again, Cedric could hear Tristan’s voice ring in his ears. His friend was always on his case about his bleeding heart.
Cedric cleared his throat. “I will admit, you are the first sylvan I have ever met,” he said. “But as you did not take the opportunity to plunge that dagger of yours into my back at the first chance, I think we will get along just fine. And is that not what the Arbiter asked of us?”
Zephyr nodded, but her face was still lined with worry. She sucked her dark green bottom lip behind her teeth. Cedric decided he’d give her a moment to consider and bent to retrieve his stuck sword from the chest cavity of the dead monster that was determined to keep it.
The motion pulled on the wound at his back. Cedric hissed his discomfort. He’d forgotten about it entirely in the adrenaline-fueled battle.
“You’re hurt!” Zephyr exclaimed.
Cedric attempted a shrug, though it only served to make the wound pulse with further pain. “So are you.”
Zephyr shook her head. “Just barely now.”
“Now?”
She pointed to her leg, where she’d wrapped the wound below her knee with some kind of botanical bandage. “Not trying to sound pompous about it, but I’ve a talent for healing minor to moderate injuries,”she said with a shrug.
Cedric touched his token. “But our magic?—”
Vials clinked as she tapped the leather belt slung around her hips. “Granted, it would be much easier if I had my powers, but in this case, they’re not strictly necessary. May I take a look?”
“Fine, but not here. Let’s find somewhere less...”
“Carnage-y?” Zephyr offered.
