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“Medic Everton!” I called sharply.
Ayla stopped, but she didn't meet my eye, instead staring straightforward like she was in a horror movie, too afraid to turn around and face the monster.
But her pause didn’t last for long, and she took off again. Maybe she didn’t even see me, but that wouldn’t do at all.
Once more, before I could even really think twice about it, my arm shot out and grabbed her shoulder. "What are you doing?” Ayla was brave, I’d give her that. But losing even a single medic or accomplished healer could result in exponentially more losses. “You’re a healer. We’ll need you more after the battle than during. Get back to the infirmary!”
Ayla’s face was blank with surprise, as if it didn’t even occur to her to sit the fight out, then her fierce eyes narrowed. “Yes, Iama healer. Do you expect me to sit on the sidelines while there can be onlysecondsbetween life and death, Captain?”
I don't want you to get hurt or killed.
I rejected that thought as soon as it appeared. Not only did it make zero sense to feel that way about a woman I’d just met, but it was also hardly the time for any selfish motivations to make themselves known. “Stand down and help with the wounded, Everton. That's an order!”
Ayla’s jaw set, and my inner wolffelther challenge, and it was certainly a rare thing to feel coming from a non-shifter. I was certain she was about to argue again and wanted to form a reprimand right away.
But then another blast sounded—too close.
Both Ayla and I flinched. I liked to think it was a credit to both of us that we didn’t scream. I tightened my grip on her arm as I whirled around to see what had happened.
The blast was from the other side of the corridor, just a few feet away. The wall had buckled in slightly, and the windows were just a shower of glass shards.
“Ayla!”
That wasn’t me calling the healer’s name, and I looked down the hall to see Sargent Khan running forward while helping another bleeding sorcerer limping alongside her. But another explosion burst into existence before any of us could react, throwing Sargent Khan into the opposite wall.
“Darla!” Ayla cried, and I let go of her on instinct, shocked by the scene in front of me.
It wasn’t like I was new to battle. I’ve seen many grievous injuries and awful deaths. Nevertheless, the image that'd just played out before us was startling. The force had picked her up like a ragdoll, a toy tossed by a bored child rather than a fully grown woman.
My vision narrowed in, which I knew only happened when my inner wolf was fighting to be let out. I could still hear Ayla screaming the Sargent’s name again in the distance. It almost,almostdrowned out the sickening dull impact of the psychic's head striking the wall.
I cursed under my breath, telling my inner wolf it would have its time.I needed to focus.
It was hard to discern what was what with the cacophony of battle around us, but I focused on my senses. I was suddenly assaulted by several noises all at once, and none of them were good.
Theplink, plink, plinkof tiny pieces of rubble as they rained down across the floor and over the psychic. Shards of glass sliding through flesh almost like a saw as they embedded themselves into the sergeant and the sorcerer like arrows.
Blood bubbling up, slow but warm, the taste of it coppery across my tongue.
But not theone thingI wanted to hear. I closed my eyes and listened harder.
It was strange how it felt like multiple seconds were passing by, but in my reality the world had slowed almost to a crawl. Events were playing themselves out in slow motion—another adrenaline-based gift.
I held my own breath for only a split second. The pause felt like an eternity until I could see the subtle rise and fall of Khan's chest.
Alive.
Ayla was actually the first of us to move toward the psychic with that same impressive speed as before. Naturally, I followed, anxious to help Darla be moved to safety. She was such a positive force among our soldiers and an excellent person. Losing her would be a devastating blow to the force.
Then the impossible happened.
All the explosions, all the world-shaking stopped. I knew that the enemy couldn’t call off the attack. Why would they when so far they were winning? But it didn’t take years of engagement for me to know that something was definitely up.
Looking out the window, which was when I saw…shifters flying through the air?!
Confusion swamped me, thick enough to blot everything else out for a moment, but then my brain put together what was happening. Somehow, they were firingshiftersat us through their siege weapons instead of those flaming, explosive missiles.
I didn’t know whether to respect their ingenuity or be concerned about their sanity, but it didn’t much matter when three of them landed in the court just outside.
