Chapter 12 Briar #2
I hobbled over to check Quen’s wing. The damage was worse than Vad’s had been from the spear.
Skin was shredded, and the leathery membrane punctured in multiple places, with blood drying in streaks.
She wouldn’t be flying anytime soon. Thalen and Silus were in similar poor condition, but Quen’s was the worst.
Vad dug through the bags we’d managed to keep and took out Elara’s medicine and the vials containing the hair samples. He laid them beside the bandages.
Vyraetos crouched beside him, inspecting the supplies. His brows pinched as he picked up one vial and held it to the light. “What’s this?” He lifted the vial and tilted his head as he studied the one with only half the hairs glowing.
“Physician Morlo was analyzing the samples. He suspected Kaylen had been consuming Elias’s magic. Half her hair confirms it. The rest may still be reacting.”
Quen leaned into Elias as Vyraetos began cleaning her wing. “Didn’t you see who was taking your magic?”
Elias’s voice was quiet. “They siphoned it into vials. I was usually blindfolded. Sometimes I heard a woman in the next room. But I never saw her. She needed more blood than just mine… They talked about taking from other prisoners, too.”
Quen’s jaw tightened. “Kaylen, then. No question.”
Myantha raised her hand slightly. “Is the sample from when your bracer got stuck in her hair?” She tugged at her own locks. “Calla Lily was next to you, remember?”
From across the space, Thalen lifted an eyebrow. “I thought you were focusing on other things when Vad got the hair.”
She blushed but didn’t look away. “I can multitask.” She tilted her head, voice softening. “Besides… it was kind of funny. Her face, when her hair got stuck like that.”
“If Calla Lily mixed her hair in with Kaylen’s…” I bit my lip, piecing it together aloud. “That could explain why some of the strands are glowing while others aren’t.”
Elias sat on Quen’s other side, his hand brushing hers.
I turned to him. “Elias, is there anything else you remember? Anything about who was consuming your magic?”
He shook his head. “No. I’m sorry.”
I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it felt closer to a wince. “Don’t be sorry. None of this is your fault. And it’s not like any of us have magic, so whatever Kaylen or Calla Lily absorbed won’t help her. Not yet, at least.”
“That’s assuming it even was one of the bridal candidates.” Silus sighed. “We have no idea how many traitors are embedded in the court. I wouldn’t put it past them to use others as cover without Kaylen’s knowledge.”
Vad’s voice sliced through the uncertainty. “We’ll figure that out later. Right now, we move. We need to get somewhere secure so that all of us can start healing.”
No one argued.
In the dim light, we worked quickly. Wounds were bound with the remaining supplies. Not wanting to use them up, I shifted the most agonizing shift I’d ever done before. My bones cracked, and the skin stretched around my injury like it wasn’t going to heal.
I whimpered in pain, but somehow, the skin closed enough not to destroy my leg. However, as soon as I inhaled a breath of relief, my wolf began to retreat from me, and I realized that I could be stuck in this form. Shit! I would need to be able to talk to the others soon.
Before she receded too far, I forced another shift back into human form. My body contorted in ways that it never had before, and I cried out.
What’s wrong? Vad appeared beside me, his eyes wide.
I wanted to answer, but I couldn’t. My bones broke and reformed brutally, and fur remained on my arms. I shifted into some weird combination of human and wolf, the magic trying to surge and retreat, warring with itself.
I’d never experienced pain like this, not even during my first shift as a child.
“Vyratoes!” Vad said loudly just as my body completed the transformation.
I shifted into my wolf form again, long enough to heal, and then returned to human. The slip retained some of the wedding dress’s magic and went with me. A small gift from Fate.
I’d have traded it to have Thalira, Yuki, and Velessa back.
“I’m fine,” I gasped. “I just need to let my wolf magic recharge.” That made sense. Shifting back and forth like I’d just done was dangerous, but we had to keep moving.
Quen blew out one of the oil lamps and poured its contents into the remaining one.
Helping me to my feet, Vad surveyed the area. Do you need to rest more now?
I shook my head. No. We've got to keep moving. It would take a day or so for me to recharge, and that kind of delay wasn't an option.
Do you need me to carry you? The concerned light in his eyes cut me, and a warmth spread in my chest at the sincerity in his question.
No. I promise, I'm fine, I linked back to him, smiling despite the pain and exhaustion.
He scoffed slightly, narrowing his eyes. But that gentle affection surged through our bond. We will have to redefine that term.
Later. We've got to get through this first. I straightened my posture, ready to take on the next challenge despite wishing with all my heart this situation could be done and Vad and I could disappear into one another's arms, someplace cozy and warm.
Down below, the wolves were still making noise, determined to find a way up. My foot was still throbbing, making it clear that it wasn’t fully healed. But it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been prior. Luckily, we’d had enough bandages for all of us, and we took off walking.
Darkness swallowed us as we moved forward.
After a bit, I couldn’t keep track of time.
Hours or ten minutes might have passed, and the twisting path seemed endless, every step stretching into eternity.
The glowing hair vials offered faint light in a pinch, but they barely reached a foot ahead.
Not enough if the wolves could appear out of nothing.
The howls started up again intermittently, then steadily, as if the wolves were tracking us. We quickened our pace and changed directions several times, Vad choosing the higher ground and narrow stone paths above ravines. I had no idea how he was navigating, but I followed without question.
Elara was lagging, but her expression never wavered. Whether the medicine was helping or she was driven by pure willpower, I didn’t know. But she kept walking, just like the rest of us.
It felt like we were clawing through a never-ending nightmare.
Eventually, exhaustion weighed me down, every muscle in my body trembling. My foot throbbed in time with my pulse, and even Vad’s steps slowed. He lifted one hand. “Here. We stop. Just for a bit.”
Relief crashed over the group like a wave. No one protested.
We slid down against the tunnel wall, our gear hitting the ground with dull, exhausted thuds.
My body screamed as I lowered myself, grit grinding into every tear in my leggings, but I didn’t care.
Someone passed me a strip of dried meat that was as hard as stone, dry, nearly flavorless, but I chewed anyway.
My lips cracked and bled, the iron tang flooding my mouth, but I ignored it and continued eating.
Our circumstances weren’t sustainable. And we all knew it.
The oil lamp was low, barely a third of the fuel remaining. If it burned like Earth oil, we had four, maybe five hours of light left. And that was being generous.
“How much longer until we reach an exit?” The words scraped my throat like sandpaper.
Everyone stilled. Even Thalen and Silus looked to Vad now, their expressions tight.
Vad surveyed the passage, eyes narrowing. “A couple hours, maybe. We’ll rest for one. The light should hold.”
It wasn’t a guarantee. I was haunted by the thought of being lost down here forever while Aureline assassins attacked my sister.
No one argued. Quen lowered the lamp’s wick to preserve what oil she could, then curled in close beside Elias, her damaged wing draped over her chest. The rest of us followed suit.
There was no room to stretch out, so we pressed in shoulder to shoulder, backs to cold stone, as the shadows swallowed the space around us.
No one talked. The only sound was the occasional shuffle of bandages being changed, the wet rasp of breath pulled through clenched teeth, or a quiet, pained grunt when someone moved wrong.
There was no comfort, no safety. Only silence that seemed to stretch forever.
When Vad roused us, it felt too soon. My body ached, my muscles stiff, and my wolf whimpering inside me. We choked down the last bites of our rations and drained the little water we’d brought with us.
Placing a hand on my shoulder, Vad said, “It’ll be all right. There’s water deeper in this cave.”
I believed him, but it was hard to find hope with what surrounded us.
We continued on, time measured by the slow bleed of the lamp oil and the dull echo of our footsteps. The light weakened, casting ever fuzzier, flickering shadows on the damp walls, while fatigue clung to us like a second skin.
Then I caught a sound and a luxurious scent.
Something low and rushing, with clean moisture in the air.
“Water,” I breathed.
Everyone stilled, and the sounds filled the air around us again.
Vad ‘s eyes glimmered silver in the lamplight. “That’s the river.” His voice was low, weight behind every word. “We’re close.”
Hope stirred like a spark catching dry kindling, fast and fragile.
The group surged forward, a little quicker now despite the bone-deep weariness.
Our shoulders brushed as we crammed through the narrow passage, drawn forward by thirst. The air grew damper with each step, curling cool against my cheeks. I could taste the river on my tongue.
Vad reached the bend ahead of us and rounded it.
Then stopped short. “Feck!”