Page 86 of Oathborn
Through blurry eyes, he searched for others, survivors, who might help him. Every Crimson was dead. Even the fae warrior had collapsed nearby. The shot, though inaccurate, had done its job. Tobias had killed a fae. Ironic that he’d succeeded in something the Crimsons valued but none of them lived long enough for him to brag to them.
Not that he felt much like bragging about a death. Not now that he knew its heavy weight and bitter taste.
Not now that he was at the end of a battle, afraid and alone. What good would the coveted Iron Kestrel badge do, pinned to his corpse?
Whispering an apology to his mother, Tobias closed his eyes for what felt like the last time.
Chapter thirty-four
Zari
“Daeden!” Hazelle screamed, her hand still on her sword. She’d meant to draw it, to fight against the smoke. Now, she and Zari ran toward where Daeden and the soldier had collapsed in the grass.
Already, the purple smoke receded, its deadly job done. Once more it had sown chaos, bringing the war closer to re-igniting. Everything had happened so fast. Crimson soldiers had charged, only to be halted by a wave of purple smoke that choked them. Those who survived it at first had started shooting and throwing grenades, which exploded uselessly in mid-air.
The fallen soldier was none other than Tobias. That poor kid. How had he gotten mixed up with the Crimsons. A second, more panicked, thought crossed Zari’s mind. If Tobias was here… where was Javen?
One of the two wounded moaned. It was impossible to tell which.
Hazelle stood still, staring down at them both.
Already, Zari had scanned both bodies. Tobias seemed in more stable condition than Daeden. “Go to him!” she commanded Hazelle. “Put pressure on the soldier’s wound!” If the blood flow was staunched, if Tobias carried silverbane, then maybe he’d survive. As for Daeden, if she could find the bullet, if she could perform basic battlefield first aid on a fae…
A thousand ifs, and only hope to carry her through.
“He… he shot Dae!”
“And Daeden nearly killed him.” A simple reminder that her friends had not been on the same side of the war as her. “Pressure on his wound. If you want peace, this is how we keep it.”
Yansin had warned her. If either Tobias or Daeden died, the Accords would end. That smoke, and whoever made it, had once again tried to plunge the country into war.
Her face drawn, Hazelle knelt by Tobias. His labored breathing was the only sign he lived. Flashes of that terrible night in the capital played in Zari’s mind. Still, she calmed herself, taking deep, steadying breaths.
The fae looked to her, determined. “Tell me what I need to do. For his sake, and the Accords.”
Whatever revenge Hazelle might have wanted against Tobias had already faded. Zari’s voice remained steady as she relayed orders to Hazelle. Triage, pure and simple.Get the wounds bandaged. Get the patient’s vitals steady.
As she pressed the ripped fabric to the wound, Hazelle spoke to Tobias in a low whisper, something calming and sweet. Had she already forgiven his act of violence against her cousin? Did she recognize Tobias as the soldier who she’d been so smitten with on the train, when things had all seemed so much less dire?
Zari turned her attention back to Daeden. She told herself this was the hospital, that a doctor would soon be on his way, pretending in order to stay calm. There was no doctor, and Daeden’s wound wouldn’t stop bleeding.
She dug through the first aid kit in her purse, cursing the fact she’d not packed more supplies. Zari called to Hazelle, “In the soldier’s belt pouch, is there anything that looks like a dried plant?” Surely Captain Javen would have ensured his soldiers were prepared.
Searching through his pockets, Hazelle pulled a small bundle out. Before Zari gave her instructions, she yelped and dropped it. “Silverbane? Do you mean to burn me?”
“You can’t touch it?”
“No fae can!”
Zari bit her lip, now understanding just why Javen hadn’t helped her harvest the herb. Turning toward Tobias, Zari reached for the fallen bundle of plants. She carefully placed the leaves on the still bleeding gash.
Proper triage and allotment of priority are important aspects of smooth and efficient medical coverage in the battlefield,her textbook had said, but the textbook hadn’t mentioned silverbane nor how to treat a fae’s injuries. Clearly, there was much it had left out.
If silverbane healed mortals wounded by fae, might a different plant help a fae? Zari scanned the surrounding grassy field, the ruins, the hillside littered with corpses.
Tobias gave a great, shuddering sigh, and his eyes flicked open. He stared up at Hazelle, who gazed back down at him with a confused expression.
“Hold him steady,” Zari told Hazelle. She couldn’t waste any more breath than that, as blood still streamed from Daeden’s wound. Zari cursed, I don’t know anything about magical healing.”
