Page 49

An indeterminate amount of time later, Zara whispered, “Nero?”

“Hm?”

“I think they are gone.”

He forced himself to sit up a little and open his eyes. His back burned as he moved. He felt a fresh gush of blood flow out of the wound.

He scanned the field carefully, then looked toward the trees. He saw no more shadows lurking. With a sigh, he allowed his fade to drop. It was just as well. He would not have been able to hold it much longer.

“We need to keep moving,” he said, and he urged Changa forward. “Still Varai and Paladins close by. We can’t stop until we’re farther away.”

As he steered Changa around the rock, he was startled to find a young Varai man just on the other side of it. Nero started to command Changa to attack, but the man quickly waved his arms in the air. His weapons were sheathed.

“It’s just me!”he said in a loud whisper.“Devana!”He was talking to Zara, who seemed uncertain. Her hand had gone to the dagger at her side. Nero had already seen her throw a dagger with deadly accuracy once before, and he was sure she could do it again if she was so inclined.

“What do you want?”Zara asked.

“I can help you,”Devana said.“I know a place you can hide. I’ll help you get there.”

“Why help a human and a half-blood?”She sounded tired as she inclined her head toward the trees.“Your people are back there.”

Devana frowned a little, lowering his arms.“Because you helped me. Not everything in life is about which people you belong to, is it?”

Zara glanced over her shoulder toward Nero, and he realized she was waiting for him to decide whether to trust the man. He slowly nodded.

They followed him through the darkness and drizzling rain. It wasn’t long before Nero spotted another figure in the distance, walking the same direction they were. It was the Paladin. When they spotted each other, the Paladin wandered closer.

“Naika,” Zara said, sounding nervous. “Are you well?”

The Paladin didn’t reply, but arched an eyebrow at her, then turned her baleful gaze on Nero. She didn’t appear injured. Lucky her.

Nero blinked slowly. He blinked again, and somehow, time had passed. He was leaning heavily against Zara as Changa walked slowly beneath them.

“Almost there,” Zara was saying. Her voice was close to his ear but still seemed far away. He tried to reply, but words didn’t come. Zara’s voice grew more distant until it faded away entirely.

Chapter 17

Zara stiffened as Nero leaned heavily against her. He had been leaning against her for some time, but now he was putting more weight on her than she could hold.

“What are you doing?” she said, jostling a little to push him away. When he didn’t let up, she elbowed him in the side. He gave a pained grunt, and suddenly he was sliding sideways. Zara realized he was going to fall from the saddle, and she flung out her arm to try to catch him.

He dropped to the ground, completely limp. Zara froze. There was an arrow in his back.

“Stop!” she cried to the others. She yanked on the behelgi’s reins, and the creature snorted in protest but quickly stopped. Zara jumped from the saddle and dropped to Nero’s side. “Gods, he was shot!”

She fumbled with his clothes to try to get a look at the wound, only to realize the arrow was pinning them all to him. She didn’t know whether she should pull the arrow out. She didn’t know anything about doctoring.

She looked up at Naika, who had appeared at his other side. The Paladin was frowning down at him impassively.

“Please help him,” Zara begged her. She already knew she would refuse. “Please.”

Naika’s frown deepened. She made no move to help.

Zara looked at Devana next. He looked concerned but helpless. He shrugged a little.“I don’t know about medicine,”he said.

Neither of them cared if some half-blood elf died. Zara was his only chance. Scowling, she took the arrow shaft in her hands and bent it until the shaft snapped off, then slid his cloak, leather armor, and shirt off the back of it. Blood had soaked his clothes and dyed her hands. Nero twitched, but was otherwise unresponsive. Zara wondered if he’d already lost too much blood to survive, and fear made her work faster.

She could see the back of the arrowhead just beneath his skin, which she hoped meant it hadn’t gone very deep. Perhaps he had a chance after all. She went to the bags hanging from Changa’s saddle and dug through them until she found a roll of cloth. Then she returned to Nero’s side and took the arrow shaft in one hand.