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The arrow found its mark in Cian’s chest. His body jerked, eyes going unfocused.
I drew my sword and charged the rear of the line.
Brenna’s forces turned, hundreds of them crowding so tight that I could barely swing. My sword went into something meaty. Blood dampened my palms, but I couldn’t pull back. There wasn’t room. So, I let the sword go and drew Nisang’s knife, Briar. It went through an exposed throat like hot steel through ice, and when I pulled it back, I sent one barb into to the side of someone else’s face.
When I couldn’t stab, I punched. I kicked. I used elbows and knees and shoved if nothing else. I would’ve torn out throats with my teeth to get to them.
Odan and Hellion were suddenly there with me. Cian slumped over one of Hellion’s shoulders. The gargoyle grabbed me by the collar of my armor and lifted me into the air, fighting to get any height with all the extra weight. We swerved and banked over the valley of the dead below, losing altitude rather than gaining. Buried among the dead were explosive fire charges that would blow us apart if we touched the ground. Our only hope was to reach the opposite cliff, which seemed impossible at the current trajectory.
The black cliff loomed. Odan grunted, pulled me back, and flung me at it without warning. I hit the rock face first, sending a jolt of searing pain through my whole body. Fingers fought to find enough rock to hold and found nothing. I slid, sharp rock scraping against armor and skin, coming to a stop only a few inches down when my feet found a narrow ledge.
Meanwhile, Odan flew to the top of the cliff, Cian in tow. He brought Hellion over last before coming back for me, extending his hand.
Arrows slammed into the rock face on either side of me and below. One barely missed Odan hovering mid-air above me. I gripped his hand, and he jerked me from the narrow ledge, shooting into the sky at full speed. We passed the top of the cliff and came back down in a dive, tumbling hard onto a small patch of mossy grass.
Cian…I lifted my head and found him lying still on the rocks in front of me. More arrows flew at us, but they fell short or hit the small lip of rock above us. I pulled myself along the rock to his side, relieved to find him gasping and swearing. The arrow was sticking straight up out of his chest on the right side. How far had it penetrated? An inch? Two? Was that enough to be fatal?
“Cian!” I gripped him with both hands, moving his face toward mine.
He fought to focus, eyes dilated. “Nevahn?”
“Where is your horse?” Odan demanded, passing us by.
I lay there numbly, staring at Cian’s unfocused eyes.
“Nevahn!” Odan jerked me up. “Whereis yourhorse?”
“Get your hands off of him or you will no longer have hands!” Hellion snarled.
Odan released me but whirled on them. “I am trying to save your boyfriend’s boyfriend. To do that, I’m going to need you to calm the fuck down, and for him to pull his shit together! What the fuck happened to your arm?”
“It’s broken,” Hellion replied. “And I think they were fighting with Shadowbane, but I can ride.”
“Fuck!” Odan shouted and turned back to me. “Horse. Where is it?”
I swallowed. “Other side of the pass.”
He swore again. “You’re going to have to take him.”
I blinked and looked up, realizing for the first time that we weren’t alone in the little cave. Two gray horses were chewing on some grass. Odan had busied himself tying Cian’s sword to the saddle of one.
I watched Cian’s chest rise and fall, breaths ragged. His eyes darted around the little alcove, as if he wasn’t sure where he was.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Shadowbane,” Hellion said. “It’s a toxin that clings to the magic in the blood. Brenna’s soldiers were armed with it.” They went to take a step and then staggered, falling to their knees.
“Hel!”
“I’m all right,” they murmured, shaking their head. “I don’t think I got nearly as much as he did.”
“He won’t heal as long as it’s in him, and it’s too far in to pull out,” Odan said. “Those bastards will rally to this side of the pass in a few minutes, if they aren’t already. You have to get him to a healer.”
“But I don’t know where one is. I don’t even know whereweare.” I looked at Hellion.
They were sweating, clearly not much better off than Cian. “I can guide you,” they said, breathing heavily.
Odan practically dragged me over to the mare, prompting me to climb up into the saddle. As soon as I was there, sitting numbly, he snapped the arrow shaft sticking out of Cian as close to the wound as he could and carried Cian to the horse, draping him carefully behind me.
