Page 25 of Villains and Vengeance
She opens the flap with one of her legs and I see Axel sitting, reading one of the books I brought. He produces his knife from his sleeve.
‘Take one more step and I promise you I’ll take all your eyes and leave you to die.’
Siggy deposits me on the floor and moves back.
‘What the hell is – Victoria?’
He’s next to me so quickly it’s almost like he cares aboutme, and not just the escape knowledge I possess.
He cuts the sack Siggy carried me in and opens it.
‘Victoria? Victoria!’
‘Stop yelling,’ I complain quietly, my eyes fluttering.
‘Shit, you’re alive. Did she bite y—’
He breaks off and turns me over, touching the arrow still embedded in the soft tissue and drawing a weak groan from me.
‘What happened?’
I don’t answer him. Instead my eyes fall on Siggy. ‘If I don’t make it, don’t eat him, okay? Just let him go.’
Siggy’s unblinking eyes don’t leave me.
‘You’re not going to die,’ Axel says.
‘Gonna be a hero?’ I mumble.
He scoffs as he turns me onto my side.
‘There’s a white moss that grows down here. I’ve seen it. If you want her to survive, bring me some.’
It’s a second before I figure out that he’s talking to Siggy.
‘I can’t believe I’m speaking to an oversized spider like it’s going to understand me,’ he mutters to himself.
He rips my shirt, making the hole made by the arrow bigger.
‘How’s it looking, doctor?’ I ask, tensing as I feel his probing fingers.
He ignores me and it’s a minute before I see that Siggy is gone.
‘I can’t push it through,’ he says. ‘I need to make the entry wound bigger so I can pull the arrowhead out.’
‘Why?’ I ask, feeling confused.
‘Because I can’t leave it in there,’ he answers.
‘No,’ I say. ‘Why help me?’
He’s silent for a moment. ‘You know why,’ he finally says.
Because I’m his clan’s ticket out of here.
‘Yeah, I know why,’ I say quietly, feeling oddly hollow.
‘This is going to hurt.’
