Page 35 of Rising Out of the Darkness
I stared down at the scorched ground underneath me.
Am I alright?
“Elena?”
“I…uh…” The words were stuck in my throat. I swallowed, wetting my dry lips before trying again. “I—think so.”
He eyed me cautiously, probably noticing my wild eyes and trembling hands. “Good, because we need your help.”
It took my brain a moment to catch up on his words. “Oh, no, the horse—d-did I hurt it?” Tightness coiled around my throat as it threatened to close at the thought. My bottom lip stung under my teeth as I balled my hands into fists, as if the action would stop the dynamis from being spewed from them once more.
“No, Elena. The horse is fine, I promise. A guard was bitten by a snake, and he’s not doing so well.” Killian’s brow furrowed.
Clearing my throat, I forced every hint of my own panic down deep inside and replaced it with a mask of tranquility. “Then let’s go help him.”
There wasn’t a Healer among the small group of guards, but they did have a small satchel of cloth wraps and a few elixirs for different purposes, none of which were useful for poison. I had known it was poison from the moment I saw the guard’s bloodshot eyes. When I lifted his pant leg, dark lines had already spread like vines underneath his skin from the bite wound. My greatest fear confirmed. This man didn’t have much time, and I had to work fast.
There was one plant that I knew would work, at least until we reached the nearest town, but I had spotted it a while back alongside the road.
“I need you to take me to a specific plant I saw on our way here.” I said hastily, as I swiped away a bead of sweat as it slipped over my brow.
“I’ll take you.” Declan’s deep voice stirred from behind me. Another guard took the reins of the spooked horse from his hands. Declan must have gone to fetch her when she galloped away. His lips formed into a thin line as he took in his guard lying in agony on the grass behind me.
He extended his hand towards me. When I hesitated to grab it, his eyes thinned into slits. “Elena,” his tone so low it made me shiver. “Take. My. Hand.”
I jumped at his forceful command and took his hand. He tugged me into him, then a gust of wind enveloped us.
When we finally landed, my hand flew to my lips and I tried desperately not to retch.
“Sorry, I should have warned you.” He smirked. I returned it with a glare, removing my hand now that the nausea had dissipated. “Longer bursts of zephyring will have those affects.”
“Noted,” I said tersely.
We’d landed precisely in the area where I had observed the overgrown field of sidra root. To the untrained eye, this would just look like a field of weeds, which indeed it was. However, these weeds had one of the strongest medicinal benefits for removing anything unwanted that poisoned the body. In certain times of the year, they blossomed like white flowers in the shape of a star. Thus, how it had received its name.
Suddenly, I realized I had never mentioned any of that to Declan or where exactly to take me.
“How did you know that this was what I needed?” I rapidly plucked as many green leaves as I could and shoved them into my pockets.
Running a hand behind his neck, he chewed on the inside of his cheek.
“Well?” I raised an eyebrow. My pockets overflowed with enough sidra root to help the guard and keep him comfortable until we could get him a more powerful elixir, or a Healer.
“My cousin is a Healer and my mother…” he breathed, his voice faltering. “She had a fascination with anything flora.”
Adoration for his mother flowed through in each word, and the familiar ache tugged inside my chest. That same feeling that had curled itself around me whenever he was around.
Clearing his throat, the prince wrapped an arm around my waist, shoving me into his chest. In two blinks, a gust of wind and shadows consumed us, and then we were back with everyone else.
Lying on the ground, paler than when we’d left, was the guard. I wobbled over, remnants of nausea from being zephyred still wafting through me. Pulling out all the items, I got to work, determined not to add another name to the list of those I’d lost.
Chapter 13
Elena
As the sun began its descent behind the horizon, the Royal Guards began to pack up once more. Griff, the injured guard, had been making great progress. Before taking a moment to rest against this boulder, I’d told Declan I was positive Griff would be able to make the journey to the next town. It was a few days away, but I had collected enough sidra root to make more poultices to help in the meantime.
Shortly after our conversation, he’d growled at me when my eyelids drooped and ordered me to rest. I’d grumbled right back, but hadn’t argued.
