much pain my vision was blurring. Tarek had managed to continue with his Earth ability. The stones shuddered around us. Dust fell, blanketing everything.
I focused everything I had left and sent a massive ball of fire at Zaros and Calix. Zaros dodged it, falling to the ground, but it caught Calix full on in the chest, erupting his body in flames. He didn’t seem fazed by it. Instead, he shook the flames off like water droplets, a grin on his lips. Tarek took the opportunity to cut a portal in the center of the room while Calix recovered.
Tarek raced to me, snatched me up in his arms, and threw us through it. Lor’Lak disappeared behind us.
Chapter 54
We came crashing back to the edge of the Dar’ish kingdom. The dagger was still embedded in my abdomen.
“Ana, can you hear me?” Tarek asked frantically, shaking me gently.
“Yes,” I wheezed out. My body was hot from the fire burning inside of me.
“You’re hurt,” he said, wiping quickly at his damp eyes.
Were those tears?
“I think I’m dying,” I rasped, tasting blood on my tongue.
“I won’t let you,” Tarek proclaimed, scooping me up into his arms and running to the castle.
When we weren’t running, we were leaping through shadows, the blackness blurring past us. He was fast. I was surprised at his speed as we raced to the gates of Dar’ish. It opened immediately, and we charged through into the main hall of the palace where Soran and my father met us.
“Tarek. Where have you been?” Soran demanded, storming to us. “We’ve been working on plans to invade—” He stopped short when he saw Tarek cradling me in his arms. Both he and my father rushed forward.
“How?” my father asked, choking on a sob. “How did you retrieve her?”
“It isn’t important,” Tarek said quickly. “She’s been wounded. We need Gregor. Now.”
“Come, this way,” Soran yelled.
We rushed up the stairs to Gregor’s quarters where Soran pounded on the door mercilessly until Gregor answered. He quickly ushered us in, and Tarek placed me down gently on the bed.
“Princess,” Gregor called out to me. “I have to remove this blade. It’s going to hurt. It’s quite deep and isn’t a normal blade. Do you understand? It’s a Shadow Blade. A cursed blade. I’m not entirely sure you’ll heal. This is going to be dangerous.”
I nodded, wincing as the burning continued throughout my body.
“Get cool rags,” Gregor commanded.
Soran quickly got the items he asked for and stood over me, his face a mask of misery.
“I need you all to leave the room. This may not go well, and I don’t wish for you to see the outcome,” Gregor explained quietly.
“I’m not leaving—” Soran snapped.
“Please,” I whimpered. “Go. Please.”
Soran hesitated, agony on his face before he walked from the room with my father who’d been silently watching, tears in his blue eyes.
“Tarek,” Gregor called. “You must stay.”
Soran cast a quick glance back at him before leaving the room.
“Ana can only be healed by the blood of shadow,” Gregor said in a hurried whisper, placing a cool rag on my head. “The blood of a Shadowmoore.”
Tarek set his mouth in a firm line and nodded.
“When this dagger comes out of her, I need you to provide me with your blood. Willingly. Cut yourself with the dagger and place your wound over hers. Do you understand?”
Tarek nodded again, his eyes focused on mine.
“Be brave, Princess,” Gregor murmured. “This is going to hurt.” And he wasn’t lying.
My body trembled as the knife was removed from me. I screamed so loud and long that my voice faded to a silent shriek. I caught a glimpse of the black, smoking blade. The pain intensified.
Tarek cut his palm quickly and pressed the bloody mess to my wound. My body arched beneath his touch. A whirl of images painted my mind. Things I couldn’t comprehend right then but would eventually. The pain slowly subsided, and I was able to breathe again. There was a warmness around my wound, and I knew it wasn’t just from Tarek’s blood. Something was happening between us. Something had happened. That something felt a little bit like hope.
He smiled sadly down at me, brushing my damp hair away from my face with his other hand.
“You’re a mess,” he whispered in a shaky voice.
“I know who you are,” I answered softly.
He nodded, seeing the truth in my eyes. “I’m the one with the answers. Maybe the only way you can save us all. Even Calix. But it won’t be an easy or painless