Page 82 of Powerless

Stay awake.Stay awake. Stay awake.My traitorous eyelids feel like lead. With each blink, I’m afraid they won’t open again. I’ve been slowly stumbling through the shadowy forest towards the creek for what feels like hours, blindly hoping I’m still headed in the right direction.

I’m tired. So very tired. I want nothing more than to slump against a tree and close my eyes for a minute. Just one blissful moment of peace—

No.

I pinch my arm, hard, causing my drooping eyelids to fly open.

If I fall asleep, I likely won’t wake back up.

I’m in bad shape, and I don’t need to be the daughter of a Healer to realize it. I’ve lost so much blood, making my head swim as I try to keep my footing. I shake my head, trying to ignore my fevered skin and shivering body. Just like I ignore that the strip of cloth I used as a bandage is already soaked with blood, staining the cotton scarlet.

I need to clean the wound and soon. If I don’t, I’m as good as dead.

What I need is water.

Every part of me burns. Burns with pain and thirst and hunger. If I can just get to some water, I can wash out the wound at the very least, cure my dehydration, and come to my senses long enough to create a concoction of herbs to clean the injury.

I hope.

Then I’d worry about eating, seeing that I can barely pull back my bowstring, and the rabbit I shot is long forgotten at the site where Ace ambushed me.

Leaving me defenselessandstarving.

Get to the creek. Get to the creek. Get to the creek.

A faint, orange glow peeks through the trees ahead of me, blurry from my drooping eyes. I squint at it, unsure if I’m hallucinating or not. I tighten my sweaty grip on the bow, already knocked with an arrow, though it’s practically useless if I can’t pull back the damn string to fire it. I continue to creep closer to the fire flickering a few dozen yards away, completely unattended.

The light it casts reflects off something shimmering beside it.

The creek.

A relieved, breathy laugh escapes me as I cautiously continue forward. I’m being reckless, of course, but I don’t particularly care in this state. Someone started this fire, and I may be walking straight towards them. But I’ll die if I don’t get to that water, though I might be killed if I do.

Both options will likely lead to my imminent death. Great.

I’m only a few feet away from the fire now, my eyes searching the shadows for any sign of the human who lit it.

Get to the water. Get to the—

“You just can’t seem to stay away from me, can you, Gray?”

I halt, heart hammering.

I can hear the amusement in his voice, practically picture the dimples peeking out on either side of his smirk. I take a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for the excruciating pain I’m about to endure.

Whipping around, I raise my bow and pull the string taut. I swallow my cry of pain as I feel my wound tearing, stretching with the movement.

I can’t let him see I’m injured. Put on a show. Get to the water.

The tip of my arrow is pointed at his heart, and I just make out his exposed chest in the flickering light. It looks as though I’m not the first opponent he’s encountered, nor am I the first one to aim something at his heart. He’s wrapped a strip of cloth under his arm and around a wound just above his swirling tattoo.

My eyes flick back to his, willing the agony from my features. Willing him to see me as a threat. His gaze sweeps over me with an expression I can’t decipher, but I’m not in the mood or headspace to puzzle him out.

“Leave or I shoot.” My arm is beginning to tremble with the effort and pain of keeping the bow trained on him.

He only chuckles and takes a step towards me. “Good to see you too, Gray.”

“You think I’m kidding. How cute.” I bite out the words, my chest heaving.

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