Page 36 of Blood Weaver
I frowned and glanced back at Ronan, who held firm, not giving anything away. I turned back to the prince. “Can you … please just trust me? She’s not—”
“Trust you?” he exclaimed. “Why would I do that? Because you saved my life twice? For all I know, this is part of your plan and you’re working withthem!” He grabbed an arrow from his back and nocked it on his bow, aiming for Ronan.
I climbed off my horse and stood in front of the clan chieftain’s son to block Caelan’s arrow. “I’m not working with them, Your Highness, but I’m telling you—”
“I won’t let Lyanna marry him!” He aimed his arrow at me. “And I don’t care who stands in my way. Iwillget her back. Whether you’re dead or alive, doesn’t matter to me.”
The arrow whistled through the air and embedded deeply into my left thigh. I dropped to one knee as white-hot pain ripped through my leg. I looked down and saw I was bleeding profusely. He may have even struck an artery, but I wouldn’t know until I looked at it. And in this darkness, I could barely see a thing.
“Stop!” Ronan called out. “Don’t hurt her!”
Caelan laughed. “Looks like you care more about this healer than you do Lyanna.”
Ronan dropped to the ground behind me and held my shoulders to keep me steady. “Are you insane?” he growled. “He is not the child you used to know! He will kill you without a second thought,” he whispered in my ear.
“I don’t care,” I muttered.
Ronan shook me. “Get ahold of yourself, Leila! You can’t be this careless. You’re important … Not just to them, but to many. You …”
“I what? What’s so important about me?” I craned my neck to look back at him. “If you know something I don’t, now is the time to tell me, Ronan.”
His forehead creased with worry, but he remained stubbornly quiet.
I turned my attention back to Caelan, who already had another arrow nocked. I stood on wobbly legs. “You will regret this,” I warned. “Please … you don’t want to do this.”
Caelan smirked as he aimed the arrow at me again. “I regret nothing,” he snarled.
A split second later, the arrow plunged into my chest, right above my heart. My eyes widened and blood dribbled from my lips. I stumbled back and Ronan vaulted to his feet to catch me.
“Leila!”
I smiled weakly at him and coughed up more blood. “Please, Ronan … don’t fight him. He doesn’t know … he doesn’t mean to—”
“Stop defending him!” Ronan growled. “You’re only going to make me angrier.”
Caelan laughed wickedly. “Aw, look at you two lovebirds.” He shook his head. “And you claimed you’re not close.” He nocked another arrow and pulled it back until the string creaked, this time aiming for Ronan.
With a sudden burst of energy, I pushed Ronan out of the way when Caelan released it and took the arrow in my right shoulder.
“No!” Ronan screamed and dropped to the ground.
I stumbled backward. When I glanced over my shoulder, I realized I was perilously close to the cliff’s edge. Just a few more steps and I would plummet to the churning river far below.
I turned my attention back to Caelan and smiled weakly, whispering, “I’m sorry.” He frowned and said something I couldn’t hear through my pain-filled haze, but none of thatmattered because with one last faltering step, I tumbled over the edge.
“No!Leila!”
I heard Ronan call my name, but then all I heard was the wind. I spread my arms wide and waited for the sweet release of death. The drop felt slow, as if time stood still. Just before I hit the water, a force fell on top of me and spun me around so I fell face first. I opened my eyes to see Ronan holding me.
“I got you.” Ronan’s voice, a fortress against the cold, biting amalgam of the wind and river, wrapped around me as he held me tightly, pressing my face against his chest, his body ready to take the brunt of our fall.
The jarring impact of the river rattled my teeth, but my discomfort was nothing like what it must have been for Ronan, who took the full impact. We gasped for air before sinking like stones into the frigid waters. The water’s cold embrace enveloped us, a stark contrast to the scorching intensity of the battle we’d just escaped. Each water droplet clung to our chilled skin with icy fingers, pulling us deeper into the silent, ethereal world below. The chaos above was muted, replaced by the tranquil, albeit ominous, silence of the undulating depths.
Ronan was limp in my arms; the fierce warrior was vulnerable and silent, entrapped in the unconscious realm. His features, though pallid from cold and shock, emanated a quiet grace—a visage of peace amidst the storm of violence and treachery. We continued to sink, succumbing to the oppressive force of the water that sought to claim us.
Every attempt to wake him proved futile. The vibrant, unyielding force of Ronan’s spirit was imprisoned within the confines of unconsciousness. Desperation and dread mingled within me, and the icy waters amplified the cold grip of terror that clutched my heart. Even in his unconscious state, his arms still banded my waist in an ironclad grip that only emphasizedthe fact that he was nothing but dead weight, and I was already hurt. I couldn’t save us both.
Gripping his face, I hesitated before pressing my lips to his and blowing air into his lungs. His lips were soft as they pressed against mine, an island of warmth amidst the cold. Each breath was a silent plea for him to wake. My breath flowed into him, a silent testament of connection amidst the encroaching abyss. In the silent, chilling embrace of the water, I felt him begin to move. Knowing our lives depended on it, I pushed through the pain and kicked my feet toward the surface, using every bit of strength I had left.
