Page 5

Evelina

Evelina wasn’t a stranger to heartache. War had made her more accustomed to death and pain than most fae her age were used to dealing with. The Valon Empire wasn’t perfect, but it was a place of wonder and peace—until the rebels decided to taint the land with their chaos and destruction.

Gloriana burst into the infirmary, nearly causing Evelina to drop the two tonic jars in her hands. “The rebels attacked the grove.”

Breathless and frantic, she started stuffing herbs and tonics into a leather crossbody bag. Evelina quickly reshelved the jars and joined her in packing. Her heart was racing as they slung their bags over their shoulders.

Lorene hurried into the room next, his chest rapidly expanding. He pushed his light brown hair out of his eyes and said, “We don’t have time to wait on the other healers. We need to go now.”

Gloriana nodded, briefly glancing at Evelina.

“I’m going,” Evelina said before Gloriana could say otherwise. Just because she was a princess didn’t mean she was going to stay behind. “You could use the extra hands; we don’t know what we’re walking into. ”

Gloriana only hesitated a moment before slinging her bag across her chest. “Follow our lead and keep your eyes on your surroundings.”

The three of them rushed outside to the stables. They saddled their horses and rode as fast as they could. An attack on the grove was the closest attack to the palace yet.

Evelina had been to the refugee camps countless times, but she had never been to the actual scene of a battle before. Her heart thundered as quickly as the trees zipping by. The horses’ hooves pounded against the ground, loud enough to rival the piercing bells that rang their warning of the attack.

As they approached the grove, the horses skidded to a stop, dirt flying from the ground. They heard the screaming first. Shouts of panic and soldiers ordering people to clear out. The moment they got close enough to see through the trees, Evelina’s blood drained from her face.

An Aegis close to them spun around, his eyes wide. He rushed toward them and said, “The rebels left the moment we got here. There’s two that need help but—” A piercing cry came from the forest behind him, cutting him off. The soldier swallowed. “I don’t know if anything can be done for them.”

Lorena slid off his horse, nodding. “Take us to the wounded.”

A flurry of motion disturbed the grove. Trees were singed and smoking, creating a thick fog that settled over the forest like a blanket. Undine frantically put out fires, while Nox bent down to check the fallen dream orbs and Aegis set up a safety perimeter.

Evelina’s jars clinked together in her bag as they followed the Aegis soldier to the wounded. They skidded to a halt, finding two Nox lying beneath a tree.

Lorene and Gloriana dropped to the ground, quickly assessing them.

The sound of flapping wings descended from the skies, and Evelina glanced up, overwhelmed. The trees were too thick to see more than a blur as they passed.

“Beta Fleet Six and Nine just arrived.” A soldier ran up, his chest heaving as he reported to the Aegis.

“Are there any more wounded?” asked Gloriana, an odd look on her face.

The Aegis shook his head. “They were alone when the rebels came.”

“We’ve got this,” Lorene said without looking up. “Go.”

The Aegis nodded sharply, casting a final glance at the two fae lying on the ground in front of them. Lorene paused, his hands folded together in front of him. He wasn’t moving, wasn’t reaching for any tonics or cloths for mending. He was a skilled healer; he should be doing something.

Evelina rushed over to him and Gloriana, dropping to the ground beside them. “What’s needed?” she asked. She started on the wounded fae closest to her, her eyes drawn to a large pool of blood beside their shoulder.

“Evelina,” Lorene said gently.

She turned to look at him, her eyes wide. “Lorene, why aren’t you?—”

Gloriana rested an arm on her shoulder, crouching down on the other side of her. “They’re already gone,” she said gently.

Evelina examined them, refusing to believe it. But their chests weren’t rising and falling; their eyes were open and unmoving. Still, it wasn’t until she placed her finger on the inside of their wrists that she believed they were gone. No pulse, no signs of life.

“There’s nothing we could’ve done,” Lorene said gently. “They’re in Caelum now.”

They walked back to their horses, a flurry of people still moving around them. Evelina had seen death before, had lost refugees who’d shown up with wounds beyond fixing. But the wounded at the refugee camps had always been survivors, people who had been brought to her. This was her first time being too late, her first time seeing all the ones left behind—the ones who never made it to her door.

As Evelina was saddling back on her horse, she heard a group of soldiers recounting the attack.

“They came out of nowhere,” one said.

“If they can attack here, they can attack anywhere,” another said with a rising panic.

Evelina closed her eyes, focusing on the feel of her horse beneath her, the smooth, spotted coat and coarse mane. She opened her eyes, feeling a little steadier.

“We were lucky it was only two,” a third said.

Only two. That was two more who didn’t deserve to die. Two was too many.

Every death cut into her like a dagger slowly twisting into her heart. She felt every soul they lost, every family that was left behind to pick up the pieces without their loved ones. The children who lost parents, the siblings who lost their sisters and brothers. It wasn’t fair—wasn’t right. Panic filled her chest, and her breathing started to come out in small gasps.

This was when her stress would become too much to bear. When her knowledge of healing would be of no use, because the patient was too far gone. She felt focused when she had a task to do, more in control. She had to find a moment to grieve for her people alone.

Her arms wrapped tightly around her waist as she counted the trees they passed. She didn’t stop until she reached one hundred and ten—when her breathing evened out and her heart didn’t squeeze as tightly.

Gloriana occasionally looked over at her, her eyes filled with worry. But a healer knew loss. It might not lessen the weight of each one, but they all knew it nonetheless.