Chapter 47
Chapter forty-seven
Annalise
“Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider letting me kill him? I can make it look like an accident,” Tyr says as I pointedly ignore the nasty comments Lucas and his friend Jacob make about me when I pass their table in the library.
It’s been over a month since Tyr and I bonded. Over a month of us meeting every morning on my run to spend some time together. Over a month that I’ve been practicing my magic and we’ve been working on strengthening our communication when we’re not together.
We can now talk constantly when he’s on campus, which is every other day for riding classes, and as much as he can be when he’s not doing hoard alpha things. Close to graduation, he’ll need to train the dragon that will take his place once we move to our next duty station.
I feel terrible that he’s been forced to choose between them and me, but Tyr keeps reminding me that he knew what he was doing when he chose to bond, and that with me is where he wants to be.
Who knew the big, mean dragon that hates almost everyone would be such a softie for the girl he almost killed?
“Maybe another day,” I laugh.
He joined the list of males I have to say, “He’s not worth it,” to regularly after my drink was spiked with a really strong central nervous system depressant a few days ago, the kind of dark tonic I’d only ever heard of used in bars on unsuspecting women.
I don’t know how or when, and of course, I didn’t have any proof it was Lucas, but he’s the only person here who hates me enough to drug me.
Tyr had known something was wrong the second I stepped foot on the riding grounds. And as soon as Matt got one look at me stumbling in late, he had me thrown over his shoulder and was sprinting to the infirmary.
Luckily, the tests came back quickly, and they were able to flush it from my system before it did any lasting damage.
It’s unnerving how easily he switches between little sharp insults and annoying rumors to covering me in pig's blood in my sleep and suppressing my nervous system so he can do only the gods know what. And since I can’t prove anything, I’m stuck counting down the days until he’s gone.
“Did you find the book you were looking for?” Sasha asks when I sit down.
“Yeah, plus two more that might have information I need.”
“What class do you need books on the war for?” James asks, looking over my stack.
Sasha shoots me an apologetic look for drawing attention to me while Antonio pretends not to look at me at all, waiting to hear how I’ll answer.
“Strategy. I’m hoping they’ll be helpful with planning.”
It’s not a complete lie. They probably will help there, too, but I got them for Ghost Walking.
We’ve been talking about the increased number of attacks along the border in class, and since I only know what little information has made it to the South Hollow news, I’m left to sort through books.
I’m hoping to find something that shows which towns and villages were attacked each year, in what order, and how many casualties resulted from each attack.
I’m wondering if there’s a pattern to their escalation, but I haven’t been able to find anything with dates or numbers included.
Everything says, over X amount of bodies found, or the mention of one town listed as decimated, only to find it’s a typo, and that town wasn’t actually hit, and of course equally unhelpful, the general note of “Mass casualties,” listed, as if the final number isn’t important.
“Hmmm,” Josh speaks for the first time since he opened his horror novel. Since he wasn’t required to enroll in a secondary track just to turn around and drop it, he has nothing to study now.
“I don’t think I’ve ever come across anything like that when I was active, but I can check with some buddies that are still on the front line, if you want?”
“Really? That would be amazing!”
Josh pulls out his phone, typing out a message, “Done. I’ll let you know if they’ve seen anything that’ll help.”
“You’re the best!”
He smiles a shit-eating grin, “Definitely telling Aiden and Matt you think so.”
“Please let me be there when you tell them!” Sasha cheers.
I flip through page after page, reading accounts of the aftermath from soldiers and people from neighboring towns, but to date, there hasn’t been a single survivor who’s lived to tell their tale.
Not even the children are spared, and I feel nauseous imagining the kind of monsters who could do that to children and live with themselves.
Another book I look through is filled with logs of enemy weapons and technologies that have been found across the country.
It’s not surprising Clowess would have their own spies running missions, but it is unnerving to see evidence of how widespread their infiltration has been.
Spells cast from great distances or set off by triggers long after they had to have been placed, devices that listen to and record conversations found in public areas of towns, so many weapons I’ve never heard of.
I’m hypnotized by all of the new information I’m reading, and frustrated that I can find all of this, and yet not a single record of the casualties we’ve faced.
When I’m done with this stack, I swap them out for others to check out and read in my room over the next few days.
“We need to plan the beach bonfire night still,” I remind Josh.
“Babe, I think it’s a bit too cold for swimming right now.” He teases, but there is a hint of ‘you’ve lost your mind’ thrown in there.
“Not to swim,” I roll my eyes and smack his arm, “For a bonfire!”
“Oh, hell yeah!”
“I vote we do it next weekend!” Sasha cheers.
“Next weekend works for me! Ah shit, I gotta go! I’m late for my infirmary rotation.”
“Yes, you are,” my moody dragon growls.
“Corvin,” Healer Erin calls from the main desk. “Room Six. First patient evaluation.”
My stomach flips.
I’ve been improving in Combat Medicine so much that Healer Erin just informed me I’ll be solo-handling most of the patients that come in.
It’s the Friday of a long weekend, so I expect to be slammed with drunk students who have either gotten hurt doing something stupid or were bored and put an object in an orifice it shouldn’t be in—something that happens a lot more than you would think!
My last weekend rotation, a girl came in so drunk she could barely stand after she’d coated her dildo in alcohol before putting it to use because she wanted to “get drunk and get fucked.”
And when Matt had his first rotation, two drunk guys came in with bottles up their asses because they had a bet on who could take one deeper.
It’s a good thing civilians don’t know these things are happening, or all the faith in Scion creating “elite” warriors to keep them safe would go down the drain.
A loud groan comes from room six, and I remember they’re waiting on me.
Right.
I can do this.
I inhale—slow and steady.
“On it,” I say, hoping my voice doesn’t betray me.
And step forward into Room Six.
“Hi, I’m Annalise. I’m going to be helping with your treatment tonight. Can you tell me your name and what’s going on?” I ask the brunette sitting on the bed, crying.
“Uhm. Hi. No offense, but can I see the healer?”
I gently smile at her. “Of course. Do you mind if I get a little information from you, and then you can tell her what brings you in tonight?”
She proceeds to give me all of the information I need to get her checked in, other than her reason for her visit.
“Healer Erin will be in shortly, but if there’s anything you need, just holler, and I’ll be back,” I tell her before closing her curtain.
“Room six would like to speak with you directly. I didn’t see anything wrong physically while she gave me her basics for the system, but she’s really upset. I’m putting her information in now, but she’s Bravo company, 22, and her name is Wrenley Plune.”
“Thanks, Corvin. I’ll head in there now. I was about to go see the recruit in three since he’s about due for a bandage change. Would you mind taking care of that for me when you’re done?”
“Not at all,” I tell her as she leaves the desk.
Almost to room three, the main entrance door at the far end of the infirmary slams open, the sound cracking through the quiet like lightning.
I jump, heart lodging somewhere near my throat.
Captain Korr strides in, carrying a recruit over his shoulder like he weighs nothing. His uniform is streaked with dirt and sweat, and a thin line of blood stains his jaw.
“Clear a bed,” he orders, voice low and coiled.
Healer Sara snaps forward, “Bay four!”
Korr doesn’t wait. He moves fast, depositing the unconscious recruit onto the bed with practiced precision.
The recruit’s uniform is shredded across the chest and side. Long, deep claw marks rake across his ribs; the flesh around them is already swollen and mottled with bruising that spreads by the second. The wounds almost vibrate, like whatever caused them left something behind.
“What happened?” Healer Sara demands, already pulling on reinforced gloves.
“He wasn’t in class,” Korr says, voice clipped. “One of his friends found him in the woods and ran to get me.”
The words land like a stone in my stomach.
“He was just lying there?” She presses.
Korr nods once, jaw tight. “Barely conscious. No sign of what attacked him.”
She moves closer to the wound, lifting one of the shredded edges of his uniform. “These look like claw marks, but not from any animal I’ve seen before.” She glances at Korr. “Any ideas?”
He shakes his head immediately, but something cold crawls up my spine. The claw lines are too precise. Too deliberate.
The recruit twitches violently, breath stuttering.
Korr meets Healer Sara’s eyes, “He’s already seized twice on the way over.”
My instructor nods and flicks her gaze to me. “Annalise, I’m going to need you to pass me tools while I examine the wounds.”
I nod and step to the bedside, forcing my hands to stay steady so I can actually be of help.
Before I can reach for the supplies, our patient jerks violently.
His eyes snap open, pupils blown wide and wrong, like he is looking but can’t actually see us.
“Back!” Korr barks. Too late.
The recruit thrashes with feral strength, knocking over the metal medical tool tray and grabbing at the nearest thing—me. His face is inches from mine, eyes rolling back, his fingers pressing into my collarbone, pinning me like prey.
My body reacts before my brain does: My vision narrows. My throat closes. My hands go cold.
Another hand: bigger, heavier…around my throat.
Another breath: hot, spiced…too close to my face.
Another pair of eyes: unhinged, angry…unpredictable.
My father.
I blink, and it’s Healer Sara shouting something, not him. But my body doesn’t know the difference, and I’m frozen to the spot. My knees try to give out, but the recruit’s grip holds me upright as his body convulses again.
Korr is suddenly prying the patient’s hand off me with one brutal twist of his own wrist and shoving the man back onto the bed, pinning him with a forearm across the chest. His calm but firm voice cuts through everything, a strike of clarity right against my panic, “Annalise.”
My gaze snaps to his.
“Breathe,” he tells me quietly. “Breathe with me. Just breathe with me.”
I watch his chest rise and fall, and I force the air going in and out of my lungs to match up with his.
Healer Sara doesn’t even glance at us, too busy activating the binding spells. Blue lights snap into place around the recruit’s limbs, and he thrashes once, twice, then collapses into spasms that fade to shallow convulsions.
Korr doesn’t move until the final rune seals.
Then, only when the danger is gone, he moves over to me again, subtle enough not to draw attention. “You’re okay,” he murmurs, pitched low enough that only I can hear.
I swallow and nod. “I—I’m fine.” I’m not fine, and judging by the look on his face, he knows it too, but he nods anyway, accepting the lie because I need it right now.
Erin straightens. “Good, he’s secure now. Korr, help me stabilize him.”
He turns to go, but as he steps past me, his fingers brush my elbow. Barely there. A touch light enough to pretend it didn’t happen, but it was intentional. An anchor.
I freeze.
My breath catches again—not from fear this time, but from the startling realization that he knew…Not just that I’d been grabbed or that the patient had gone feral.
He knew something was wrong with me.
He didn’t look surprised.
He didn’t look confused.
He didn’t look like he was guessing.
And I have no idea how he could possibly know. He thought it was the pain that made me dissociate in class, but I didn’t get hurt just now.
As Korr moves back to the patient, Sara barking directions that he quickly follows, I can’t help but watch him for a moment longer than I should. My pulse is still uneven, and my hands are still shaking slightly.
Then I turn and leave for room three. Regardless of whatever that just was, I have patients to tend to while I’m stuck here for the next four hours.