“Now we help the wounded.”
Chapter 61
Reign
If this is only a small taste of what is to come, then I need to prepare myself for the amount of loss we will endure. Though these are not my people buried under the remains of what used to be a beautiful city, I feel their deaths just the same.
They were our allies. Innocent people whose lives were taken simply because their leaders chose to fight with us against King Cimmerian. Of course, they had their own reasons for doing so, but it’s hard to imagine that the possibility of freedom from his rule is enough to risk this many lives.
Each time we pull a body from the rubble my heart stops, waiting to see if it’s one of my friends. I want so badly to prioritize my loved ones, but it would be selfish. There are too many people right here who need my help. Leaving them to fend for themselves would be wrong. I asked for their allegiance, andthey gave it. The least I can do is help those who need saving. My only hope is that we run into the others as we make our way through the wreckage. Knowing them, I’m sure they’re doing the same as we are.
The damage is far and wide. Severed body parts lie under pounds of rubble and moans come from every direction. There’s a moment I think I hear Amaya’s voice, but when I call out there’s no response. Though the smoke has stopped rising, it has yet to clear, making it impossible to see too far ahead.
As I do my best to heal those who have minor wounds, Ryder recruits Zentria civilians to help carry those with more severe injuries to an area untouched by the attack. Each person he orders follows his command without question or hesitation as if he were their own leader. So far, Ion is the only brother we’ve seen, and he’s with the ships now. Zaro and Nio must be further down with the rest of our friends. Damien let us know that they were all together when the attack started, and that information brings me a small sense of relief.
“Over here!” a male with a gash the size of a dining knife calls out.
I rush over expecting him to be the one in need of healing, but instead my attention is swiftly directed to the woman with a single dragon claw sticking out of her stomach. She tries to speak when I begin pressing around the wound, but I shush her and instruct the man to distract her.
“It’s okay. You’re doing great. Just try to stay awake for me, okay?”
Judging by the part of the claw that is still visible, the puncture has to be pretty deep. What’s worse is the curve of the claw. A straight penetration would have been preferred, but even then, the chances of her surviving would be nearly impossible.
The male whose injured arm is still bleeding looks to me and I shake my head. He wants to weep over the woman he obviously loves but he chokes back the sorrow, rocking her gently in her final moments. The heartbreaking wails that follow her last breath ring in my head as I step away, allowing him the privacy to mourn the woman whose loss he will feel the rest of his life.
“Are you okay?”
Strong hands grip my shoulders, and they belong to Damien who is looking at me like at any minute I might crumble to the ground like the rest of the city.
“I’m okay,” I say, blinking back the tears that are sure to flow once I’m alone.
He nods and drops his hands. Even though I’ve hurt him, there’s still love behind his eyes. No matter what has changed between us, that never will. We will go on the rest of our lives loving each other. Maybe differently than we had before. But no matter how the love may transform, it will never fade. That, I’m sure of.
Chapter 62
Ryder
Let’s hope that their healers are skilled, and their resources are abundant because that is what it is going to take to save all of these people. The ones who were able to fight back are in decent shape, but those who fell victim to the initial attack are hanging on by a thread. Most have burn injuries from dragon fire and broken bones from falling debris.
Wherever Zaro and Nio are, I hope they’re having better luck than we are. It seems like for every person we pull out still alive, four more are recovered stilled by death’s kiss. It takes everything in me to push down the anger that continues to creep up with each sweep we do.
Thankfully, I have Reign. Her presence keeps me grounded as I watch her selflessly heal those she can, knowing it kills her to not search for her friends. The old mewould’ve sought them out immediately just to make her happy, but now I find myself following her lead without so much as an argument. Even if it were me who acted on self-interest, it is she who would wear the burden of all the lives I could’ve saved if I had just put their needs above hers. And so, I don’t spend my time looking for Amaya or Zane or the others. Instead, I vaporate back and forth between the closest standing building they have assigned as the Healing House and the battleground that serves as a reminder to us all of the consequences of war.
“Help! Somebody help me!” The voice is hidden behind the wall of smoke still hovering, but I take off in a sprint, following the pleading cries.
“Nio!” I shout when I get close enough to make out who has been yelling. His ash-covered face has tear streaks running down his cheeks. “What happened?”
“He’s dead. They’re both dead.” His voice shakes with his head as he points to the two bodies lying next to each other in front of him.
A sharp pain stabs me when I see Zaro and Anthony’s pale bodies lying amongst the dead, still holding onto each other with their tattooed hands tightly clasped around one another.
They must have been in the midst of celebration when the first wave of attacks began. The pain in my chest radiates as my thoughts begin to run wild, and the realization starts to sink in. Eternal love was the promise they had made to each other. In this life and the next, they chose one another.
A wedding was the last ceremony that would ensure their everlasting love and it was taken from them. What should’ve been a joyous day leading up to the best day of their lives will now forever be remembered as the day their beautiful lives were lost. The only solace now is knowing that they weretogether and probably very happy in the moment it all was washed away.
I kneel down beside the couple, closing both of their eyes, hoping that their love for one another will still be eternal in the peace of the afterlife. My shadows blanket them, along with the rest of the nearby dead.
Nio looks to me and I wrap him in a tight embrace, letting him remove the mask of strength us leaders have to wear. I make a silent promise to him that the next time he sees Zaro, he’ll look like himself. Healed of the blood-stained cuts and deep bruises that cover him now. A small gift that will in no way save him from the heartbreak he is sure to endure every night when he closes his eyes.
