Page 20 of Black Wing and Shadows
Three days had gone by, and I hadn’t left her side except to use the restroom. Her chest rose and fell steadily. Sometimes, she would twitch as if her dreams were tormenting her. I would put my hand on hers, and she would settle back into sleep. I didn’t touch her otherwise, not without her consent. It took her a minute to open her eyes and adjust to the room. Her usual emerald eyes had changed to a more bluish shade. They were wide open when she saw me sitting at her bedside.
CHAPTER 9
My eyes flickered, struggling to open, and it was bright as fuck. Where was I? It was hard to keep my eyes open for more than thirty seconds. Every time I tried to look around to see where I was and who was there, my vision blurred. There was a bright window to my right, next to my bed, which made it tough to keep my eyes open. I was in bed, but not in my own, so I had to be in the infirmary. I slowly turned my head to the left, and my eyes opened wide, both eyebrows raised. It was Zane.
“Hey…”
“Hi.” I gave him a small smile. “How long have I been out?”
“Three days, it’s Sunday.”
“I guess I took the whole ‘rest on the weekend’ literally.”
He let out a small laugh. “Yeah, yeah you did.”
“Why are you here?”
“Should I go?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“No, I guess I just don’t understand why you’re here with me. We aren’t friends.”
“I’d like to think since we sparred, we’re friends,” he shrugged.
“How long have you been here?”
“Not too long, in and out.” He dropped his gaze, but something told me that wasn’t the full truth.
“Is the rest of my squad alright?”
“I believe so, other than the two lost on the mountain, I am not really privy to that information.”
“Where did we place, do you know?”
“First.” He gave me a big smile.
“When can I get out of here?”
“You’ve been unconscious for three days, and you’re trying to hit the floor running?”
“I can’t miss much in basic. I don’t want to repeat. What did the Healers say?”
"The arrows that shot out were old and rusty, one pierced your calf. When they removed it, a fragment remained embedded. Cauterization prevented it from draining. Your calf muscle will take some time to heal, but they expect a full recovery. The arrow that went into your back scraped your kidney, but it should be fine. The one that hit your arm also had debris left inside. It went through your bicep, which, like your calf, will need time to heal. The arrow that hit your hip was the least damaging, leaving a puncture wound. Your squad members did what they could with what they had, and for that, you survived."
“Okay, that is a lot to process.”
I figured I was alive, and that was what mattered. I still felt exhausted, like I could sleep more, but I also knew I needed to start moving to heal. I lifted my eyes and locked eyes with Zane. I felt a spark in my chest. He felt like home, yet I didn’t know him. My eyes began to feel heavy, and it became difficult to keep them open. I drifted into sleep again.
“Please don’t die Blackcreek, your father will…” “He didn’t make it…”Callum collapsed, his pain was with me here. My pain unending, pouring through the dream, the arrows whizzing out hitting me, hitting Callum’s heart.
I gasped awake, and it was dark outside. My dreams confused me. What did Pascal mean? I looked around my room, and Zane was no longer there. I saw a note on the table next to me.
Auriella,
I have to report for watch duty in the tower. I’ll be back to check on you soon. With most of the cadets and staff gone for the summer, you might have to yell for someone if you need help. Restup.
Zane
He wrote me a letter. Gods, if his eyes weren’t already so captivating… A knock came at the door, and my stomach fluttered with butterflies. I looked up and saw my squad mates entering. A flicker of disappointment washed over me but elated to see them safe. As I took in all seven of them, it reminded me we had lost Callum and Nadine.
