whispers, and I fight the guilt that surges within me again, now is not the time for an internal crisis.
The falcon screeches and, as I look over Vaeril’s shoulder, I see it’s been joined by three others.
“Put me down now. We do this together or not at all.”
He seems to listen to me as he veers towards a little outcrop of rocks that form a little alcove, protecting us from the birds above. Placing me down gently, he then staggers over to the closest rock and rests against it. He looks exhausted. He may have been working in the forge for years, but that doesn’t help with stamina. I wish I could do something, but he just needs a chance to catch his breath. Peering through a gap in the stones, I see the birds are just circling around us. They can still fly back to their masters and guide them here, but if we can keep them from activating the bands on their legs, then it will give us more time.
“How’s your ankle?” he inquires, narrowing his eyes on it as if he can see through the boot to the skin underneath.
“It’s fine.” It still hurts when I put weight on it, but it’s not broken. I’ve suffered broken bones before, and that pain is far worse than this. The time he’s managed to give me to rest has helped, and I’m praying the adrenaline will help me push through the pain. I can feel his eyes on my back, like he doesn’t believe me, but he doesn’t challenge me on it.
“I’m ready.” Turning around, I raise an eyebrow when I see him. He can barely stand up straight, I don’t know how he managed to carry me for so long.
“Are you sure you don’t need more time to rest?”
“No,” he retorts, pushing away from the wall and holding his hand out. “The longer we wait, the closer they get.”
He’s right. Closing the distance between us, I slide my hand into his, and at his nod, we step out from behind the rocks.
Together, we run, dodging the rocks and the diving birds as we desperately head towards the green smudge on the horizon. We work together, pulling the other up when one of us trips. Unfortunately, it’s usually me who stumbles. The ache in my ankle is agonising, but I don’t voice my pain, I just push through it. If that’s my only strength, it’s something I’ve learned to perfection.
“Look!” Vaeril calls, and I lift my weary head, my eyes widening. The forest is just ahead now, we’ve nearly made it. It’s huge, I’ve never seen anything like it. The farm I worked on didn’t have many trees, and the only ones to be seen were the same, thin, skinny ones they had on the castle grounds. Plants never seemed to do well in Arhaven, like nature was slowly pulling away from the corrupt kingdom. The city never suffered from lack of crops, but I heard the servants talk of whole towns that had to up and leave because they couldn’t survive on the harvests that were left over after the city had taken what it needed.
The birds have backed off now, their cries fading the closer we get to the trees.
“Nearly there,” he bites out, as we make the final push. He’s right, we’re so close now. I don’t know what the next step is after we reach the forest, but I don’t care, focusing solely on this goal—reaching the woodland.
Shade covers us and I look up, seeing only green, the canopy of the trees shading us from the onslaught of the birds. Letting go of Vaeril’s hand, I hobble over to one of the large trees, reaching out and touching the rough bark. A little laugh escapes me as I look around.
“We made it,” I say with a grin, turning around to face the elf.
He’s leaning against one of the other trees. He looks pale and a flash of concern goes through me. He smiles at me, which only makes me worry more, he almost never smiles.
He opens his mouth, and I take a step towards him, but he never finishes what he was going to say. His eyes roll back in his head and he drops to the ground.
Fear like I’ve never felt before floods through me, and although I’m exhausted, it fuels me, pulsing through my veins as I race to Vaeril’s side. He’s crumpled on the ground, his eyes are closed, and his silver