Page 80 of Light and Shadow
The magical rope pulls taut, and our progress stops.
Lifting his sword, Jax slices off the tentacle, and we fall into the water on our backs.
I rise, and keeping hold of the rope, throw Harper over my shoulder. As I run, Fancor pulls us in, ready to keep anything else from reaching out and grabbing us.
A bulbous black octopus-like head breaches the deep before sinking out of sight. Perhaps four severed tentacles were too much, or maybe Venora’s magic is spent for the moment. When we collapse on the sandy shoreline, nothing comes after us.
Lying on my back with Harper lying against my chest, I hold her tight, as if something else might pull her away. “Are you hurt?”
She turns and her elbow grazes my ribs.
I suck in a sharp breath. My chest hurts almost as much as my ribs.
Touching my ribcage with the tips of her fingers, I can feel her wishing she had healing magic. There is no tingle from her.This is beyond her abilities. “Cara, Aaran needs you.” Harper scrambles back out of the way.
My vision blurs. “It’s hard to breathe.”
Dozens of faces stare at me. I want to reassure them that all will be well, but I can’t catch my breath. Harper’s eyes stare into mine. Our minds open, and she says, “Stay with me, Aaran. I’m here. Just hold on.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Harper
It took most of the day to walk to a place that feels relatively safe, a hillside where a cluster of trees blocks us from sight of the volcano. Jax claims Venora can’t come this far, but I think he’s hoping more than knowing. What good will it do to be terrified or scare the children? Better to watch for trouble and believe none will come.
Aaran has not regained consciousness. We made a pallet from parts of the ship to carry him.
Through Dorian, Cara says that he broke several ribs, and one punctured his lung. She healed him, but the injury is serious enough that he may need several days to recover. The seawater he inhaled could add to the problem.
I get the impression it would be better for him if we remained in one place, but it’s not safe to stay. Venora seems to grow stronger by the day.
The setting sun shines with myriad aqua and pink hues that look as if they were painted there. It’s hard to believe a place so beautiful can contain so much horror. However, human historyand current events show that any place can be ruined by bad people.
Fancor builds a small fire, sits down hard, and grunts. He must have a few aches and pains of his own. Leaning low, he blows the flames higher, making sure the wood catches.
I was too busy being dragged away to see much of the battle. I saw those slime-covered tentacles bleeding in the water. I shake the image away and let the heat of the fire comfort me. “He hasn’t woken.”
Patting my hand, Fancor sighs. “He will, lass.”
“I can’t even hear his mind now.” I’ve tried to communicate with Aaran’s mind directly, but he’s silent there too.
“He needs time to heal. He nearly died to save you and Jax. Most men would have dropped when the beast broke his ribs.” He nods toward Aaran’s prone body. “He kept on until he knew you were safe.”
I don’t know what I’ll do if he doesn’t wake up. I can’t even bear the thought. “We can’t stay here long.”
“Just the night. We’ve agreed that we have to get past the Dá Lock River as soon as possible. After that, we can rest a day or so if needed.” He picks up a stick and digs a little hole in the dirt. His focus on what he’s doing, he asks, “Just before the beasts came, you felt something?”
Even the memory of the chill that comes with Venora’s magic makes me shiver. “I sensed her magic, the witch queen. It was just a nasty twinge, but I knew she was close, or her magic at least.”
“That might be useful. We didn’t listen. You were too concerned with the others when you should have protected yourself.” Before I can correct him, he holds up his hands, palm out. The stick falls to the ground. “I know, Harper. It’s your instinct to protect. I also know you don’t want anyone to die to keep you safe. However, the entire world will perish without you.You have to remember that. Don’t stand and fight, back away and let me or Aaran defend you.”
“I don’t think I can do that.” In a backward way, my earlier argument seems selfish. “It was only a second or two in advance, Fancor. I barely had time to react, and I don’t seem to be a run-and-hide kind of girl anymore.”
He laughs. “Were you ever?”
His laugh is full of joy, and I find myself thinking of the dwarf as a beloved uncle. “The day Aaran jumped through a portal into my world and demanded I come here, I ran away. If time had been on my side, I would have driven as fast and far from him as I could.”
“What changed?” He recovers the stick and draws something in the dark soil.
