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The snarling sounds suddenly grew in volume. My heart fluttered as I listened to what sounded like a battle in the distance. Then the noise ceased, followed by a familiar howl of victory. A shaky sigh shuddered out of my lungs.
Beside me, Leif groaned. Something about the jungle sounds had triggered him. He pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes and started rocking again.
“Kira,” J.D. said. “Something’s wrong.”
Leaping up, I turned and ran to the mouth of the cave where Zoe sat. I grabbed her shirt and tugged. “Come on. I need help with Leif.”
The tone of my voice must have given away my concern. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Come on.”
Doing our best not to worry the others, we tiptoed around all the extended legs of the survivors as they slept, or pretended to. Abel, looking a hundred times better than he had earlier, watched us walk by.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
“All good,” I said. “We’re helping Leif. You rest.”
He nodded with some reluctance and rolled back over.
At the back of the cave, Leif was still rocking, but faster now. Along with the increased movement, he moaned louder than before. A few people near him had moved farther away, casting dubious looks his way.
“Well, uh, get you back to good,” Zoe said to him. “Hang on.” She raised her hand and cast a spell over him. “This helped last time, but it made him really sleepy.”
As she moved her hand around him, I saw her wince. Something was wrong with her arm.
“Zoe, what’s wrong with you? Are you hurt?” I asked.
Before she’d finished casting, she let out a gasp of pain and lowered her arm. “Shit, I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“What’s wrong?” Now I had two people to worry about—three, with Wyatt being out in the jungle. “Is it your arm?”
She nodded, wincing again. “I didn’t want to be a bother. A rock fell on my shoulder while we were escaping. I cast a numbing spell on it because I didn’t want to be a bother.”
“For fuck’s sake, Zoe. You wouldn’t have bothered us. Hang on.”
I sprinted back to the cave mouth and found Eli. “Hey, Leif’s awake. He’s not doing well. Can you help him? I need to have one of the healers look at Zoe.”
Eyes narrowed, she stood. “What’s wrong with Zoe?”
“Oh, you know, being a dummy as usual. Hurry.”
Eli worked on Leif while I had one of the skilled healers look over Zoe’s shoulder. “Oh, dear,” the woman said. “This is bad. I think it may be fractured. How are you not screaming in pain right now?”
Zoe grimaced. “Numbing spell. It’s…crap, I guess it’s wearing off.”
The healer clicked her tongue in disapproval. “You know the longer you let injuries go, the harder they are to heal. Come on,”she said to me. “Help me get her out in the moonlight so I can see.”
Assisting the woman, I helped Zoe up and guided her out to the small clearing beyond the cave’s entrance. As the healer set to work, the breeze shifted, and I noticed Wyatt’s scent. Turning, I saw Wyatt, Mika, and the others walking up the hill, finished with their watch. They all looked exhausted, Wyatt more so than the others. Crew headed inside to find the next group to send out for a watch.
Wyatt gave me a weak smile when he saw me. Rushing over, I checked him for injuries. “Are you okay? I heard the fight earlier.”
“I’m fine,” Wyatt said. “Took care of a couple of ferals. I saw worse while we were on the show.”
“Zoe?” Mika gasped, looking at the healer, who was murmuring spells over my friend. “What happened? What’s going on?”
He looked more alarmed and worried than I’d ever seen him. I grabbed his shirt. “Calm down, it’s nothing serious. She hurt her arm in the escape from Haven. The healer’s taking care of her.”
The look in Mika’s eyes told me he wasn’t sure I was being truthful.
