Page 21 of Wind and Water (Reign of the Witch Queen #2)

Wren stares at our retreating troops. She focuses on the water, then closes her eyes. Her lips move without any sound.

The rushing away of water leaves us on dry land, and the centaurs increase their speed, which puts some space between us and the oncoming army.

I turn on Belloc’s back and throw balls of fire at the shadow demons.

The centaurs’ magic sends a charge across my skin, making the hair on my arms stand on end.

The fireballs expand and explode, destroying several of Venora’s stolen souls.

As the water rises behind us, it pulls many of Venora’s soldiers off their feet and washes them farther away from us.

Forming a wave, the water flows back in a rush, scooping us up with a hundred centaurs and carrying us northeast toward land.

The power of Wren’s wave is more than I could have imagined.

It’s many minutes before we begin our descent, and she sets us down gently.

We’re miles from where we started, perhaps more than a day’s ride.

The tower looks small, and it’s too far to see if the witch queen still watches.

If Venora has enough power left after destroying the centaur village, she could send another missile, but I think she expected her soldiers to best us in battle. “I think we’ve gotten away.”

“It’s a miracle,” Belloc says but keeps running through the shallows of the lost lands. The beach is in sight, and no one will feel safe until we reach solid land. “Now to get out of this cursed place.

Wren sits with her shoulders slumped.

“Wren?”

“She’s well, just tired.” Jadar’s voice is full of concern, but he gives me an honest nod to let me know she’s in no danger for the moment.

Birdie’s left eye is swollen shut, and her face is bruised. Her cuts and dried blood will need tending. She stares from Wren to me. “Did my girl do that?”

“She saved you and then us all. Wind and water are at her command in a way I’ve never seen in an elf. This is a different kind of magic.” I hate to say that I owe the oracle an apology for not believing in their prophecy, but the last few days have made me a true believer.

We continue at a steady pace, but slow from the breakneck gallop as our shadows grow long. The entire party is nearly falling from exhaustion. Where we land is mostly marshes, but we find a dry knoll and stop to make camp.

Wren and Birdie fall into each other’s arms, both crying.

Corell steps beside me. “If nothing else goes right, we have done a good thing in bringing mother and daughter back together.”

I nod. They are a family, and knowing one of my brothers may have fallen makes me yearn for that closeness.

As if she heard my heart, Birdie looks up from the embrace with her daughter. She holds an arm out to me. “Liam, come here.”

Walking into her embrace, I wrap my arms around both of them. Watching Birdie fall from that parapet was one of the most horrifying moments of my life.

“How did you do it?” Birdie asks. “How did you save me from that fall?”

“I didn’t save you, Birdie. It’s the greatest miracle that you survived, and I couldn’t be happier, but I cannot take the credit.” I tighten my arm around Wren’s back.

She keeps her head down.

“But you caught me. I know you caught me.” Birdie pulls back and looks at me. Her one uninjured eye is wide.

I press my fingers over her battered face and channel enough magic to heal the damage. The swelling immediately reduces, and the black and red flesh fades to a healthy pink.

Birdie’s expression eases as her pain subsides. “Thank you. You wouldn’t have anything for a few broken ribs, would you?”

“That ride must have been torture.” I cringe just thinking about the pain she endured because of me. “Come, I can try to heal it.”

Jadar hands me the blanket from his back.

I place it on the sandy grass for Birdie to lie on.

Her movements are slow, and her face twists with the pain from something so simple as stretching on her back. It’s a testament to her strength that she made no complaints on the long ride. “You didn’t answer my question.”

I close my eyes and place my hands over her ribs. Heat emanates through her blouse.

Her hand covers mine.

Opening my eyes, I meet Birdie’s gaze. “I meant what I told you. Wren used her magic to save you, and the wave that carried us away from the tower was also her magic.”

Wren kneels next to her mother and combs Birdie’s hair off her forehead.

Before Birdie can speak, Wellon trots over, his expression full of concern. “You are injured? What can I do?” He curls his legs under him and leans in, looking for something to do for her.

Patting his cheek, Birdie smiles. “I’ll be fine.

This was not your doing. When that witch realized I wasn’t the one she was looking for, she threw me against a wall with her nasty magic.

The ribs cracked then. Lord knows what Liam will find as far as them being placed as they should. It’s been a hell of a few days.”

She’s right about that. I’m not the greatest healer, but I can visualize the injury, and her bones have begun to heal out of place. “You’re going to need a stick or something to bite down on.”

Several centaurs gather around. Corell says something in their language, and Pallon rushes away. “We are with you, Birdie.”

“Corell. It’s good to see you. Are the children alright? She didn’t hurt them, did she?” Her eyes widen. “The fireball. Oh no.” Tears stream down her face. “The village.”

“It’s alright, Momma.” Wren kisses her mother’s cheek. “Don’t get riled up.”

“The village was empty,” Corell says. “We knew there would be vengeance once Venora saw we had moved against her. Farress leads the rest of the Western Centaurs north.”

Birdie lets out a long breath and winces. “I’m so relieved.” She looks around at so many staring down at her. “I can’t believe all y’all came to save me. Thank you.”

Pallon returns with a stick with a diameter of about an inch. “This is the best I could find. There are few trees in this region.”

Taking it from him, I say, “It will do. Thank you.” I force a smile for Birdie. “Your ribs have begun to heal badly. The process to make them right again will be painful. I’m sorry, but there is no help for it.”

Birdie nods, and when I offer the stick, she puts it between her teeth.

Holding her mother’s shoulders, Wren asks, “Is there no other way?”

“Not out here. We still have five days to journey. These ribs will pain her the entire way if I don’t get them fixed now.” My gut is in knots. “I’m sorry.”

Even with the stick in her mouth, Birdie gives me a smile. “Do it.”

“Wellon, I will use my magic to set the bones properly. Once that is done, you can gently add to my power for the healing.”

Wide eyed, Wellon nods vigorously, and his hands open and close with his distress.

I grip his shoulder. “Gently, Wellon. If we heal her too quickly, we could do more harm than good.”

The centaur takes a deep breath and lets it out. “I will only add what you allow. I understand.” He touches Birdie’s shoulder. “You will be well again.”

“Hold her, Wren. The ribs have to break to be set, and that’s going to be painful, even with my magic to ease the way.

I’m not a natural healer. If my brother Aaran were here, this would be a simple thing.

” My heart and pulse are racing. I’m more of a field dressing kind of healer.

In battle, I can stop bleeding until a true healer can be reached. This is delicate work.

Wren touches my shoulder. “We trust you, Liam.”

The soft tone of her voice, with her clear gaze, calms me.

I press both hands to Birdie’s midsection and close my eyes.

Three ribs have begun the healing process, and all are out of place.

Willing my magic forward, I pray to the old gods for strength in gifts that are not mine.

I send power to the misaligned breaks and feel the pop of each one as it cracks at the healing point.

Birdie’s screams are muted by the stick she’s biting.

I have to push aside my worry over her pain. It can’t be helped, but with my magic flowing through her, I feel the sharpness of it and grit my teeth. I don’t have the strength to use magic to ease pain and still have enough to heal her when the sun is nearly gone from the sky.

The worst is over. I move the bones into place. As I begin the healing, I open my eyes and look at Wellon.

His sharp magic thrusts against mine, hard at first, but then he gentles the flow and boosts my power. One by one, we mend the bones, then heal the bruised tissue around them.

Once I’m sure it’s done, I say, “We’ve done it, Wellon.”

His tail flicks once, but then he lets out the breath he’d been holding and stops the flow of his magic.

I do the same and find a teary-eyed Birdie staring up at me. “How do you feel?”

After lifting herself to sitting, she hugs me and then Wellon. “You are both miraculous. It’s as if they were never broken.” She pokes the spot. “No pain at all.”

Exhausted, I slide from my knees to sit. I wish there were sunlight to reenergize my magic, but it will have to wait for morning.

Birdie stands. “I’m going to want to know more about your magic, baby girl.” She points to Wren for a moment before she walks off with Corell and a few other centaurs.

They recount everything that happened from the time Birdie went to the black tower.

Resting on my elbows, I lean back and watch how full of life and joy she is. What a crime it would have been if she hadn’t survived. A rush of relief fills me, as if I had just snatched her from the waters and tossed her atop Wellon’s back.

Wren lies next to me in a similar position. “You look tired.”

“Don’t you want to listen to the stories?” I point to where the centaurs are building a fire to sit around for the night.

She shakes her head. “Momma is in her element. She must really love the centaurs. I like them too. I wonder what Venora is doing and why she didn’t follow.”

On the long ride to land, I had a lot of time to think about that.

“Magic has a price. She gathers her strength from the demon realm, but there is still a price to pay, and one must recover. I’m in the light, and my magical strength comes from the sun.

Tomorrow, I’ll regain what I’ve lost. How Venora recovers, I don’t know, but that fireball she used to destroy the centaur village will have cost her.

She’s powerful, but not smart enough to conserve her energy for better use.

She might have won that battle had she preserved her resources.

“So, we should be grateful the enemy is unwise.” Wren rests her head on my shoulder.

The fire blazes and then recedes to a warming ember. The centaurs use magic to heat stones. It’s a handy trick.

Birdie tells them about her ordeal and how Venora tried to extract magic from her. The pain she describes is enough to make me want to vomit.

“It’s not your fault, Liam,” Wren whispers.

“My only purpose is to protect you, and as I brought her here, I must protect Birdie. I never wished for her to become a pawn in this war. I don’t want you to be either.

If you asked me to, I would find you a portal back to your world.

I would find a way to get you home.” I’m the worst soldier for offering this, but my heart can’t bear what I’ve asked of these humans. They are too precious for this world.

Her voice is soft and kind. “What would your mother say when you arrived at the castle without the human woman from her prophecy?”

“I don’t care.”

“Of course, you do.” She points to Birdie. “Does that look like a woman who is ready to tuck tail and run?”

Adhar swoops down and lands on the ground just in front of the blanket. She looks at us, cocking her head from one side to the other.

“Where have you been?” Wren asks the bird. “I’m happy to see you’re safe.”

With her little legs, she scratches at the sandy soil until she’s made a little nest, then she lies in it and closes her eyes.

“I’d be willing to bet we’re safe for the night.” I watch the bird go to sleep in the midst of a large party of soldiers and warriors. “I think she’s a familiar.”

“You mean like a black cat for a witch? I’ve never really understood the concept.” Wren wraps her arm around me, and we lie back onto the blanket and the soft ground beneath.

Threading my fingers through hers, I close my eyes. “A familiar is an animal guide of sorts. They often know when danger is coming, and they also can help guide their master to the right decision.”

“Are they always birds?” Her voice is soft and sleepy.

“No. They can be other animals. I’ve never known anyone who’s had a familiar. It’s rare in this time. I only know what I was taught from books.”

“I think Venora lied about your brother.” She yawns.

“What makes you think so?” The idea of one of my brothers being gone is too much to contend with. As a soldier, I can push my emotions aside for long periods. When Wren and Birdie are safe, I’ll let those sorrows out.

She shrugs. “I’m not really sure. It’s more a feeling than a knowing. It felt like she was lying to distract you. Maybe to enrage you since that’s how she responds to adversity.”

What she says makes perfect sense. Still, I push aside hope as well as mourning. What I don’t squander is the wonderful feeling of falling asleep with Wren in my arms.