Chapter 5 #2
I lay on my back, breath sawing in and out, head cradled by Vad’s arm. Then I saw the three bolts he’d removed. The bitter tang of iron clung to the back of my throat.
Vad’s wing curled tighter around us. “Easy. Deep breaths.”
I forced one in, slow and steady, then rasped, “You need stitches. And Yuki—her bandage came loose.”
His jaw flexed. “Vyraetos is with her. What do you need?”
A fist pounded against the door. “Come out now!”
The next blow cracked the frame.
Veralt stormed back, dragging a heavy couch from a side room and slamming it in front of the entry. “Feck off, all of you!”
“I can move now,” I said, bracing my hand against the floor. “Let’s bind what we can.”
Vad helped me upright, and the movement sent a fresh wave of nausea roiling through me.
Blood was still pouring down his side. With a grunt of pain, he tore the bolt free.
Blood gushed out. I ripped a strip from the ruined hem of my gown and tied it tight around his ribs, anchoring the fabric with shaking fingers.
Then I pushed to my feet and stumbled toward the alcove.
Thalira held Yuki’s hand and rubbed it slowly.
The bandage on Thalira's shoulder had bled through completely, saturating the linen until it clung to her skin. Her dark complexion had taken on a waxy sheen, and her palms, once warm and steady, were now pale and trembling.
But it was Yuki who stole the breath from my lungs.
Her skin had gone nearly gray. Lips tinged blue. Glassy eyes half-lidded and unfocused. “Cold,” she murmured, voice slurring, barely audible.
Panic clutched my throat.
How was she crashing this fast? She hadn’t run. Hadn’t fought. Hadn’t done anything to cause this kind of blood loss.
I reached for Thalira’s hands and recoiled at how cold they were. “Quen,” I called over my shoulder, “bring one of the lamps. Get Thalira warm—avoid her wounds, no rubbing. Just hold the heat close.”
They were both freezing.
A chill settled into my bones, a cold I knew had nothing to do with air temperature. Do we have blankets where we’re going?
Vad plucked the bolt from his wing with a wince and slid it into the pocket of his surcoat. We’ll grab more as we go. Concern bled through the bond, sharp and jagged when his gaze flicked to Yuki and Thalira. He didn’t say what I already felt in my gut.
I turned back to them. I’ll get blankets.
“Oh.” Quen’s voice softened, and her brow furrowed as she knelt beside Thalira. “Yeah, let’s get you warm.” She wrapped her arms around her, pressing Thalira’s head to her chest. She started to rub Thalira’s arms then stopped.
Thalira’s lips trembled. Her gaze never left Yuki.
I grabbed Yuki’s hands. There was barely any warmth left. The bandage at her wrist had stopped pulsing with fresh blood, but it wasn’t enough. Her skin looked like she’d been bleeding out for hours, not mere minutes.
Her eyelashes fluttered weakly as she looked toward me, and something in her expression changed. It wasn’t pain—it was fear.
I inched closer to adjust her position, and that’s when I saw it.
Her right slipper peeked out from beneath her skirt, soaked a deep crimson that had already darkened to near-black. Droplets of blood pattered onto the stone. I lifted the skirt—and bile hit the back of my throat.
Dozens of cuts crisscrossed her calves and shins.
Some were shallow, but most were deep. Shards of glass glinted in the folds of her gown like the fabric had swept them up, trapping them against her skin.
Her shoes had protected her feet, but that hadn’t helped while she was being carried.
The glass had been pressed into her skin. She probably hadn’t even felt it.
I slid my fingers into the silk and removed a sliver… then another. And then even more.
She was bleeding everywhere.
Vyraetos stood silently nearby, his hands folded tight. The look in his eyes shattered me.
She had minutes.
Yuki’s lips parted. Her head barely turned. But her eyes... they found me for a moment. “Sorry,” she breathed. “Didn’t… mean to cut myself. I’m… such a mess.” She inhaled a shallow breath. “Don’t want to die here.”
Tears burned the back of my eyes. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Calla Lily,” she murmured, a shiver racking her. “She hugged me…”
“Calla Lily will pay. I swear it.” My voice shook as I motioned toward the lamp.
Vad brought it over and set it on the table beside us.
Rhielle placed a hand on Yuki’s shoulder, fingers gently curved. “It’s going to be all right, Yuki,” she whispered. “Just breathe. Rest. Think about home—all right? The grasslands. The sun on your face. You and your sisters weaving baskets and carving sigils while the wind smells like wildflowers.”
Yuki’s eyes slid shut.
Myantha approached silently, carrying another lamp. She set it near Yuki’s feet, her gaze locked on our friend’s face. Silent tears slid down her cheeks.
My heart screamed, and I held Yuki tighter. Her pulse fluttered against my fingers, so damn faint. The scent of blood and bitter venom flooded my senses, curdling my stomach.
Yuki tried to smile. “My sisters…”
Her voice broke, barely more than air. Her eyelids fluttered.
Then rolled back.
Her chest lifted with one last breath—and stilled.
It didn’t rise again.
Stillness spread through the room, too sudden and too final.
Quen rocked back on her heels, still holding Thalira. A small, broken sound slipped from her throat—a whimper that cracked at the end. She squeezed her eyes shut, but the tears came anyway, spilling down and soaking into the bloodstained blue fabric of Thalira’s shirt.
Thalira bent forward, shoulders shaking. Her uninjured hand reached up, clutching Quen back with trembling fingers, her cheek pressed into her hair.
I couldn’t move.
Couldn’t breathe.
First Velessa. Now Yuki.
This couldn’t be happening.
My wolf howled within me, but no sound made it past my lips. Rage and grief twisted together until my body trembled and my eyes burned. My hands shook. My knees buckled.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
She was supposed to survive.
I pressed the heel of my palm to my chest, trying to hold myself together. But my breathing came too fast, too shallow.
Vad’s presence slammed through the bond, flooding me with warmth. He dropped beside me, his hands gripping my shoulders.
It wasn’t your fault.
Out loud, his voice was steel. “We need to move. If you’ve got wounds, finish binding them now. We can’t leave a trail.”
My instincts took over, even as my mind drowned in grief. Two had been lost. I couldn’t lose anyone else.
I rose on shaky legs, eyes locked on Yuki's still form. I couldn't process this—two friends dead in less than an hour. My brain refused to accept it, but my body understood.
With trembling hands, I adjusted her on the couch with her hands resting on her green dress as if she were sleeping. Like she might open her eyes and smile again.
A massive thud struck the door, heavy and large. The furniture barrier jolted, wood groaning under impact.
"Briar." Vad's voice was low but urgent. His hand closed around my wrist, pulling me back from the edge of shock. "We need to move. Now."
"They've got a battering ram," Thalen shouted from his position near the door. He stepped away fast. “No one leave a trail.”
We had seconds. Maybe less.
I forced my limbs to move. We needed to get Thalira to safety. She’d been hit by the same bolt—but maybe her dress hadn’t caught the glass like Yuki’s had. Her skirt was shorter. Maybe. Hopefully.
Footsteps rushed around me. While I’d been focused on Yuki, someone had been gathering items. Vad handed me blankets and a box and pulled me farther down the hall and through the corresponding corridors.
The others were already in motion.
A tense silence settled over us, pierced only by the steady thud… thud… of the ram against the door. Each blow reverberated through my body like a countdown.
We moved deeper into the royal chambers. Dimly lit rooms blurred past. Another sitting area, a narrow archway, then another archway that brought us to what looked like a private dining area. Beyond that, a smaller room with a heavy oak door.
Vad stopped in front of a marble panel. His fingers pressed into what seemed like natural cracks and flaws in the stone.
A soft click echoed, and the wall opened diagonally as if seamless magic had carved the passage from stone itself.
“Go,” he ordered, nodding toward the stairwell hidden behind it.
Thalen ducked in first, Myantha and Quen close behind with the lamps. The narrow stairs descended steeply into darkness, but the path was clean.
Silus went next, Elara limp in his arms, her breathing shallow but steady.
Another blow rocked the doors behind us.
This time, something cracked.
My nerves tightened, and I dug my fingers into my arm. Do you have anything like wolves or dogs for tracking? If so, we needed something to mask our scent.
Thalira and Rhielle went down next, Rhielle’s arm steadying Thalira while careful not to jostle the bolt. Many-Greats brought up the rear, pausing long enough to give me a stern look like he expected me to follow him.
No. Vad responded. Only magic. And that’s not working for anyone. Once we’re inside, we’ll lock the door. I mussed the rug in front of my chambers and left a few other clues to lead them to a dead end. He slid an arm around my waist.
I nodded and leaned into his warmth. He grounded me, pushing back the chill of the grief gnawing inside.
We would have our revenge on everyone who’d attacked us, and Calla Lilly would pay.
I’d find one of those venom-coated daggers and show her how much it hurt to bleed out. Then I'd bite her for good measure.
Vad guided me onto the stairs, then pulled the door shut behind us with a firm snick. His arm remained around my waist, anchoring me as we stepped down the narrow stairway.
The walls closed around us. Traces of quartz sparkled in the black stone, catching bits of lamplight.
The rock was coarse, uneven in places, though the floor had been worn smoother from use.
The staircase spiraled in four tight coils, and our breaths echoed on the walls, the sounds of our friends carrying back to us softly.
We passed several simple, sealed wooden doors, and a shiver of unease shot down my spine.
“Keep going to the gathering room,” Vad called out in a low tone. “It’s the most defensible point and closest to the outer passages. If we have to make a run for it, that’s the best spot.”
He looked down at me. Concern furrowed his brow and radiated through our bond. A jagged edge of pain soon followed, probably from his injured side.
But his determination didn’t waver. You need to rest.
There is no rest. We have to get the medicine for Thalira and Elara, I linked back to him. My mind spun with strategies and timelines. We’ll need food, water, and shelter too. I clutched the blankets closer.
There are underground rivers in the caverns here, he answered. We have access to one near the gathering room, and we have some food stores. Enough for a couple of days, but the passages will help us reach the outside.
We rounded the corner to find a single door, soft golden light spilling from the doorway. Inside, the room was lined with shelves that contained boxes, cloth, and supplies.
Rhielle knelt beside Thalira and wrapped a blanket tightly around her trembling shoulders. Quen sat beside them, whispering as she gently pushed the hair back from Thalira’s clammy forehead.
Silus set Elara down on a thick black leather mat. Her breathing was still too shallow. Vyraetos knelt beside her, fingers pressed to her pulse, his jaw tight. Thalen crouched beside her, holding out a dark waterskin, and Myantha hovered behind him, hands braced on her knees.
Many-Greats set out ointments and salves between Thalira and Elara as Vyraetos kept shaking his head.
At the far end, Veralt rifled through the boxes. “There’s dried fruit and salted meat here. Not much else.”
Stepping into the room, I wrapped my arms around myself. Vad squeezed my arm once more, and I managed a small nod and started toward Thalira and Elara.
A flash of movement startled me.
Before I could react, Silus lunged at Vad.
His fist connected with Vad’s jaw in a sickening crunch.