Page 38 of A Hunt So Wicked
No. I couldn't go there. That idea was sheer madness. Completely unreasonable.
I wondered what my father would think about all of this. I could practically hear his voice saying, 'I told you so,' but there was no point or time for regrets. I'd made my decision to do this, and here I was. I'd be damned if I went through all of this trouble, betraying my father, leaving my village and my school, to die between the jaws of a tiger. That was simply not an option. Too many people were depending on me—my father, to care for him. My students, to teach them and guide them. It would take a lot more than mindless beasts to take me down.
"Oh, let's gather some of these." Isla's voice broke me from my thoughts, and I watched as she knelt beside a bush that was full of blackberries. "I have a small bag here. We'll need food at some point."
"Good eye," Riv praised, dropping down to help her pluck the ripe berries from their stems.
"I'm also keeping a lookout for wood-ear leaves. They’re a dark green plant that looks similar to an ash apple. If any of us happen to get some cuts or scrapes, it has medicinal properties to help fight off infections. None of us need a little cut turning into something much bigger."
"You're so good at this stuff," I said, popping a berry into my mouth and humming at the explosion of the sweet and tart juices on my dry tongue. I was thirsty. Yet another problem to solve.
Isla shrugged. "My grandpa taught me a lot. I might not be a fighter or very outgoing, but this," she waved her hands over the blackberry bush, "this is my happy place. Studying botany and the medicinal properties that are possible, it's fascinating to me."
"And for good reason," Kael declared around a mouthful of fruit. "Had an old chap in training who didn't know the difference between nettles and an oak leaf. Wiped his arse with the wrong one, and I'm telling you, the man didn't walk right for days."
"Dear Goddess," Isla exclaimed, shocked. "But... they look nothing alike. Nettles have a very distinct shape and color..."
"Did I mention he was an idiot?" Kael deadpanned, and I laughed.
"Well, I'm glad we have you on our team," I said to Isla, grinning. "We're a group of misfits, but we all seem to have a distinct strength that, when we come together, just works."
Isla smiled. "I'm the healer. Riv is our strength. You're our brain, and Kael—"
"Is the handsome asshole who is going to keep you lot safe," he finished.
The distinct sound of a twig snapping had all of us freezing in place. I met Riv's eyes. The noise had come from behind me, but she had a direct view. Her blade was drawn within the time it took for Isla to gasp. Spinning around, I stared in disbelief as a group of people filtered through the trees.
"Thank the Goddess," Isla breathed.
A few guards and maybe ten women made up their party. One of the women was being supported by two guards, clearly favoring one leg, and I recognized her. Ayla was one of the women who had been with Belinda last night when I hugged Kael.
"We're glad to see you," one of the guards said as they reached us. Gently, they helped her down onto a rock to rest.
"What happened?" Isla asked, immediately jumping into healer mode.
The girl winced. "When the wolves started attacking, I slipped on that hill at the top of the stream. I think I rolled my ankle, and I know I scraped my leg up pretty bad." She pulled up the skirt of her dress, revealing a horribly swollen ankle that was already a nasty shade of purple, along with a wicked laceration that was probably eight inches long. Even now, blood was slowly trickling from the wound, dripping down her leg and off her shoe.
"By the sun," Kael cursed, grimacing.
Isla nodded. "We need to clean this out and wrap it before you lose more blood. Ideally, a wound like this should be stitched, but I don't have the necessary tools."
Several people stepped up, asking Isla how they could help. She became someone completely different than the quiet girl I'd come to know over the little time we’d spent together. Confidence oozed out of her very being as she calmly directed the guards to remove their undershirts so she could use them as a tourniquet, and before she could even ask, Riv was there.
"You need some of those herbs, right? The ones you were just telling us about?"
"Yes, please.” She glanced around for a moment, scanning the woods. “There should be some just over there, that eastern facing hill, near those bay trees," she directed, pointing her finger.
"You, and you," Riv said, nodding at two of the girls. "Come with me."
The three of them jogged off to where Isla had pointed. Focused completely on her task, Isla got to work.
Kael greeted the guards, formally introducing himself. "Welcome, brothers. Glad to see you're safe."
"Was dicey there for a second. I'm Rion, and this here is Tiro and Girane."
Rion had long, dark hair and a weathered face that wasn't unattractive, which just seemed to symbolize his life experience. He'd seen some stuff. Tiro was the largest of the three, with a shaved head and a wicked scar that slashed over his right eye. Girane was the eldest of the three, with silvery hair, and as he removed his shirt, I saw that his left arm had been amputated. He wore a sleeve at the elbow underneath his uniform, so you wouldn't take note that he was missing the appendage unless you noticed his hand wasn't there. It wasn’t uncommon to see guards that had lost legs, hands, or arms while in service.
"What the devil do you think is going on out here?" Tiro asked Kael as he buttoned his jacket.
