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People tried to stay away from Bard’s Forest. Even before the Mindolin’s attack on the forest, people stayed away. Now, with its dead trees and ominous look, people camped as far from the forest as they could manage. It would give the Mindolin’s forces an upper hand.
It would take our people hours more to arrive and be ready. Until then, Yavich and I settled in to wait, observing the rebels, as Yavich called them, with the others who’d arrived behind us.
I still had no idea how to stop all the death, but an idea would come to me. Time hadn’t run out…yet.
I’d walked as far as I could in the darkness. Somehow, I’d found a small crevice my large body would fit into. After a long time of listening to distant howls and the occasional screams of Demons who were not lucky enough to escape the creatures, my eyes drifted shut and wouldn’t open. Fear had been a good motivator, but the lack of sleep I’d had since Mount Pickett was attacked won out.
Brynn!
Grace?Her voice seemed like a dream to my groggy brain.
Oh, thank goodness. I’ve been trying to reach you for hours.
The sun blinded me on my first blink, and my muscles were stiff when I stretched out. I’d overslept.
I’m so sorry.I pushed myself to my feet, holding onto the rock wall so as not to fall over when a dizzy spell hit me. The heat of the Ridge assailed me. When was the last time I’d had water or anything else to drink? When was the last time I ate?
Are you okay?
Examining the world around me, nothing looked familiar. I’d walked so much of the Ridge yesterday. How much further did I need to walk to leave?
I put a hand to my forehead. What had Grace asked? Oh yeah.I’m not hurt.
You don’t sound well, Brynn.I stumbled as I walked, proving Grace right.
Have a couple glasses of water on hand for me when I make it out of this place. I’m sorry. I fell asleep. I’m not used to going so long without sleep or food. I’ll do better next time. I promise.
My first job, and I’d let everyone down. I hadn’t made it out of the Ridge like I was supposed to. We needed to save all of Adam’s brothers, and my incompetence had slowed us down. The girls would hate me for this, or at least the ones who were still missing their men. Which was most of them.
Hey, you’re alive, and you’re on your way out. Just keep coming. The Warlock brought Carmon to us. He’s needed some looking after along with Chris, but you need to hurry. Cal says we need to reach Jeff next. He’s in bad shape, so the sooner you reach us, the better.
The left side of my body slid down the rock wall beside me as my knees gave out. I needed water.
My vision swam, but in a blink, a man knelt down in front of me. I’d met him before, or at least seen him. Who was he?
A bright flash, and we were out of the Ridge and darkness surrounded me.
“Relax, Lady Fire.” This voice was female.
A woman bent over a pool and scooped water into a cup of some kind and gave it to the man. I still couldn’t recognize him enough to place how I knew him. One thing was for certain, I didn’t know the woman with him.
The man knelt down beside me and helped me sit up before putting the cup to my lips. I drank greedily, spilling some water down the front of me, but I didn’t care. My parched throat rejoiced at the cool water, and my head began to still its spinning.
“Who are you?” That was probably not the most polite thing to say first to the person who’d saved me. I should have been thanking him.
“My name is Zhaine, or you’d recognize, Lord Lightning.”
My eyes widened. Of course. How could I have forgotten the man who’d stolen my husband from me hours after I’d gotten him back? Even if this man had a good reason for taking Adam, he could have allowed me a moment to say goodbye.
“I promised Adam I would protect you while he did the job we needed him to do.” Zhaine held the cup out to me after I’d sat up. “I was rather hasty and didn’t fully finish listening to my mate,” he indicated the woman by the pool, “when I stole Adam away. I’m sorry.”
With a nod, I acknowledged the apology but did not decline or accept it. I was withholding judgment for now.
Brynn?Grace’s concern was back.
I’m with Lord Lightning and his mate.
You’re at Onyx’s pool?Grace was familiar with this place?
