Fear of Fire and Shadow (The Fade #1) - Samantha Young Page 0,90
the back of my neck rose.
A low growl sounded from my left and I drew to an abrupt halt. L heard it, too, and spun around. Her eyes followed the sound.
“Mountain dog,” she whispered. Slowly, silently, she took her crossbow and brought it up, aiming it somewhere to my left. “I thought we might be comin’ upon one o’ these dung-bred lowlifes.”
Frightened but needing to see for myself, I turned my head. My eyes widened at the sight of the large dog mere yards from me. Its body was skinny but muscular, its coat rough with bald patches here and there. Its muzzle was pulled back over its sharp teeth, saliva dripping from his rotting gums.
Its eyes were feral.
“We’ve got to be takin’ this mutt down and then be goin’. Its pack can’t be too far behind.”
Just as the dog moved to attack, L shot the arrow. It plunged with perfect aim into the dog’s flesh. It whined and collapsed mid jump. I exhaled in relief and turned to thank L, only to yell out as another dog lunged out of the woods at her.
It took L down, clamping its jaws into her shoulder as she struggled beneath it, attempting to reach for her crossbow, which had fallen from her hands.
I acted without thought.
With the hunting knife in hand, I leapt on the dog, plunging the blade deep and up into its belly. It snapped out at me, missing me by an inch, before it whined and slumped unconscious on top of L. I grabbed her biceps and pulled her out from under it. The dog’s blood stained her trousers.
Her own stained her jacket where the dog had ripped it open and tore into the muscles of her shoulder. The bite was deep. She swayed a little, and I reached to catch her. In her usual gruffness, L batted me away.
“We need to go.”
When she took off at a run, I followed, anxiety gripping me. L was running on adrenaline. When that dissipated, I needed to get her home to Sarah as soon as possible.
Finally, L drew to a stop, the pallor of her skin worrying. I pulled out the cloth the Somna plant was wrapped in and put the plant back into the pack. With a briskness I knew L would appreciate, I removed her jacket and shirt, using the cloth to tie a tourniquet over the awkward wound. It would stem the flow of blood, but that was about it.
Hastily, I put her shirt back on as she lolled in my arms. Next her jacket. I forced a couple of sugary biscuits into her mouth, followed by water. And then I wrapped my arms around her, watching as I attempted to keep her from slipping into unconsciousness.
Chapter 27
I’d never been so thankful in my life to see a house.
With L growing weaker by the hour, we weren’t as quick as I would have liked in returning her to the Mosses’. I was glad I’d paid attention to the route we’d taken, for L was disoriented. In those hours spent looking after her, keeping her conscious, I was more like myself again. This person, this young woman in control, was me. And with my old determination, I pushed both L and I to our limits, not stopping for food or rest until I had her back to Sarah. I wasn’t letting anything happen to the girl who had saved my life twice without ever asking for anything in return.
As if she’d sensed us, the door to the shack flew open, and Sarah rushed to meet us as I dragged L up the garden path.
“What happened?” Sarah’s eyes blazed with anxiety.
“Mountain dog,” I bit out, relief making me weak. Thankfully Sarah took hold of L and carried her the rest of the way into the house.
When I stepped over the threshold, I took in Jr. staring wide-eyed at his mother as she laid L on the table.
“Jr., heat some water,” Sarah threw over her shoulder as she ripped L’s clothes away. She hissed at the sight of the wound and I flinched seeing how putrid it had grown with infection. Sarah stroked her daughter’s face tenderly. L barely registered the touch. “L, my love, ye got yerself a fever. I’m goin’ to be sortin’ that out, all right, honey?”
I just stood there, gazing on uselessly. This was all my fault. I should never have taken L with me. Sarah caught the guilt and concern on my face and smiled reassuringly.