Yes. Press down. He did what he could. Nessa disappeared from his view. He wanted to call out to her, to warn her not to leave his side. But then, he chuckled. What good was he? What good had he ever been? His own father had called him worthless and had shipped him off to a lesser lord for squiring.
She reappeared in a moment, shoving his hand aside and putting something on the cut. It stung, but did little to make Luke’s mind clear.
Still, he was glad she was back. He could feel her moving around beside him, tending his wound. He should tell her to run, but that wouldn’t be good. Not alone in the forest. He closed his eyes and thought of how he had come upon her, running away. “You never needed rescuing.” She didn’t respond and he opened his eyes to see if she were still there. To his surprise, she was laying on the ground, facing him. Her eyelashes were clumped together and streaks of wet ran from her eyes to the ground, as if she were crying. He couldn’t stand to see her crying. “Nessa.”
“It’s pretty bad, Luke. I’m not a physician.”
Luke chuckled and closed his eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll save you.” And then, darkness engulfed him.
Nessa stared at him. The rising sun bathed the smooth lines of his face in a red kiss. She didn’t know what to do. She had gathered some yarrow and placed it on the wound, but it was bleeding heavily. She kept a hand pressed against it, in the hopes of holding the blood in his body. She didn’t know what to do. She was going to lose him. Her heart squeezed tight. A lump rose in her throat and she blinked back tears. Mel was going to be so angry with her! But more than that, she would never see the way his thick, black hair curled at the back of his neck. Or when he smiled, the way his eyes lit up. No. She wiped at her eyes with determination. She would not sit by and watch him die. Not when he was the only one who had come to rescue her.
She sat up.
A noise sounded from the forest. Nessa stiffened. Was it one of Urien’s men? She climbed to her feet, looking for some weapon she could fight the intruder off with. Her gaze happened on Luke’s sword lying on the forest floor. She quickly picked up the handle. It was heavy and she could barely lift it; the tip dragged in the dirt.
The leaves of a nearby bush shifted and rustled. Nessa tensed. Suddenly, the little girl burst forward, holding the black and white cat in her arms. “I found her!”
The sword had been too heavy for Nessa to lift, but upon seeing the girl, her shoulders sagged with relief and a small sob escaped her lips. Nessa released the sword and rushed to the girl. She grabbed her shoulders. “My friend has been hurt.” The girl’s gaze shifted to Luke. “Do you know anyone who can help?”
The cat squirmed in her hands.
Nessa squeezed the girl’s shoulders. “Please,” she begged, desperate.
The girl scowled and then nodded. “I’ll bring my Papa back.”
For a moment, Nessa couldn’t release her. Hope, despair, disbelief all welled inside of her. “Will he help?”
The little girl nodded her head so enthusiastically that a strand of her brown hair fell into her eyes. When Nessa released her, she backed away.
“I’ll be back,” the girl promised.
Nessa watched the child race off through the woods, holding the cat in her arms. If the cat escaped her hold, the child would forget Luke and run after the animal. Nessa wasn’t certain the little girl would return. She had no other option. She put all her trust in a child. And if the girl didn’t come back, Luke would die.
