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Valerie made quick work of them, not hesitating as she lashed out with swiftness. She was angry, filled with hate and a need for vengeance.

She used her magic to wrap vines around their ankles to distract one while she cut into the body of another. She stabbed one in the stomach before she pulled it back and slashed it across his torso. He gasped as he fell to his knees, trying to prevent his entrails from spilling out.

Valerie was fast and lethal. She used the fact that her body was slender, flexible, and lighter to fight the men, their slow bodies weighed down by their muscles and leather armour.

She cut the throat of another, then rammed her sword into the chest of a different one.

She barely had enough time to block with her blade when the final one tried to cut her with a downwards swing.

She scrunched her nose in disgust at the human. It was the only thing that showed through her indifferent façade. She did it purposely, wanting to show just how putrid she found him.

“I will kill you for this!” He motioned with his head towards the death and carnage she’d caused. “These were good men.”

He swung downwards again. Valerie was forced to back away from him to compensate for the brute force behind his swings, her arms threatening to cave. She even had to use her other hand to hold the flat edge of the blade to help her block.

Stepping sideways to evade the last downwards swing, she sliced his leg across his thigh. It crumbled immediately, forcing him to one knee.

He lifted his head to find her, but it was too late; she was behind him. Valerie shoved the blade through the back of his throat until it came out the other side.

Not all of them were dead yet, but it wouldn’t be long before they bled out. There was no point in ending them quicker, not when she had more important things to attend to.

Dropping her weapon, she ran over to Kaeylyn. She was sitting on the ground, staring down at her midsection.

The bandit had cut her side. Nowhere vital, but the wound was deep enough that if Valerie didn’t act quickly, she’d bleed out.

Scooping Kaeylyn into her arms, Valerie searched for herbs, anything she could use to heal her.

Unfortunately, the darkness of night had crept in, and searching was near impossible. She even unleashed a ball of fire to swirl around her body to help her light the area. It did little to help.

Valerie’s heart raced. She feared for her sister’s life, feared being discovered by the Dragon. She’d never been this choked with it.

Seeing her free-flowing magic used to create light caused her anxiety to spike every time it passed her face.I cannot see properly.Kaeylyn was growing paler. She was going faint, her eyes drooping.

“Stay awake, Kae. Do not fall asleep,” she told her, tapping her face gently while still trying to search.

Panic began to set in.It cannot end like this.

Valerie laid her gently down on the ground so she could search in their immediate vicinity. She moved shrubs with her hands while crouching low, trying to find something, anything, that would either heal her sister, or at least stem the bleeding so she could wait until daylight.

Dirt collected under her cracking nails as they broke from her digging at the ground and stones. It was after the third time she checked on her sister to make sure she was still conscious, only to find she no longer was, that Valerie’s face began to twist. Her own heart was erratic, and her eyes crinkled with deep sorrow.

She couldn’t find what she needed here.She will not make it to morning.

Without the help of herbs, Valerie couldn’t heal Kaeylyn’s wounds. Something had to be sacrificed for wound mending and regrowth, and white wielders used natural means to do it.

I took her from the palace only to get her killed in this stupid forest.She scooped her into her arms, clutching her tightly while she knelt next to her body. She embraced her, unsure of what else to do.

I should not have hesitated in killing those men.She’d been hoping to convince them to let them leave so Geryon wouldn’t find them.Instead, I gave them time to grab her.

What do I do?Valerie began rocking her. How could she fix this? How could she save her when her magic couldn’t?I cannot call upon fairies; they will no longer listen to my call.They would have been able to heal such a small yet deadly wound on a child.

Something began to tickle her face, an emotion that she hadn’t felt this deeply for an exceptionally long time.

I am so sorry.Something thick built in her throat, like she was suffocating.

Valerie helped raise Kaeylyn. She was dear to her, just like all her sisters were. They were the only people she cared for.

I love her. Valerie had taught her about witchcraft, had been a guiding light for her until she was taken.The people I love are not allowed to betray me by leaving.