Page 14 of Rebel Fae
Ronnie gave a shrug and a nod. “I learned first aid in Boy Scouts.”
Vaughn looked relieved. “The rest of you, get your packs and start walking. We need to get to the camp before the sun goes down. C’mon!”
“But what if Regina goes crazy again?” She was still sitting on the ground, looking dazed, but I wasn’t letting my guard down.
“Forget all that, Tally. We have bigger problems. That fight cost us precious time and it’s getting close to dark. We have to get to the camp as soon as possible. You won’t like what will happen if we’re late. Trust me on this one.”
Chapter Six
The moodin the group had changed.
In the beginning, the new campers appeared cautiously optimistic about their time at New Starts, but after what had just happened, both Ronnie and Becca seemed completely traumatized. Ronnie jumped at every sound and began shooting little protective fire spells at anything that moved, once setting a thicket of dry bushes on fire, which Vaughn had to put out. Becca went quiet, which, for her, seemed like a bad sign.
After further probing, Vaughn revealed that Antonio was dead. Everyone had been in shock, and the news hadn’t helped the already-somber mood.
Apparently, he’d been too weak to heal himself from the injury.
Worry gnawed at my gut. I’d failed my mission of keeping all the campers alive. What would happen to Arryn? Had Adaline hurt her already? Anger mixed with my worry. They had dumped us into an unfair, unmanageable situation. What did they expect putting hungry vampires in with a bunch of humans? It was like they’d wanted me to fail, like they wanted chaos.
After Ronnie had cleaned up all the blood and patched up our wounds, Vaughn had tied Regina’s hands behind her back. Now, she walked dejectedly through the jungle with her head down. I wondered if she was ashamed of herself or just plotting her next attack.
I ran my fingers over my neck, marveling at the lack of scar. Ronnie’s magic had healed all my wounds miraculously. He was a gestures magician and an adept one at that. It had been no trouble for him to heal everyone with a few hand motions. Amazing for someone so young! We could have used him last time. I was happy to have him along, though he kept murmuring something about patches and what his scout leader would say, none of which I understood.
The major concern on my mind was what would happen when the sun went down. Vaughn had been cryptic about the details, and I wondered if he was manipulating us. I wouldn’t put any lies past him at this point. However, I wanted more information. When we stopped for a brief rest, I found my chance.
“Vaughn, can I talk to you?” I said, walking over to him while he guzzled from his canteen.
He glanced at me and frowned. “We don’t have time.”
I set my jaw and lowered my voice. “I think we need to make time.”
“Tally, I don’t…” His voice trailed off as he realized the rest of the group was watching us.
Vaughn straightened his shoulders and rose to his full height. “Inmate, who do you think you’re talking to?”
I took a moment to respond. I knew what he was doing, but I also had to think of my own role to play.
“I’m here to speak for the group. What happened back there was crazy. This isn’t what we were told. No one said we might die.”
“Yeah, we already lost Antonio,” Becca added as she stood beside me, looking terrified. “Why didn’t anyone save us? I mean, other than that guy.” She pointed at Baeleath who watched it all with a quiet but observant expression.
Becca’s question was the one we’d asked the first time around. Why would the powers that be allow such terrible things to happen? Unfortunately, I knew why. They were dividing the strong from the weak. I wondered how many of these campers were alone in the world with no powerful parents or guardians to care if they returned. Those would be the ones at a higher risk of dying.
Vaughn lowered his gaze, clearly simmering in anger. He was in an impossible situation as well.
“The people in charge have magic, right?” Ronnie hugged his knees as he sat on the ground. “Couldn’t they have spelled us out of there or something? A transportation spell isn’t hard for advanced wizards. Couldn’t they have saved Antonio?”
Vaughn gave him a look. “Yes, but what they do with their magic is their business, isn’t it? You shouldn’t expect to be saved at every turn.”
“It is our business, too,” I shot back. “Our lives are our business.”
Vaughn glanced around, seeing every set of eyes glaring back at him, even Regina who sat dejectedly on a rock and, up to now, had seemed out of it. I wondered what he would do about this insubordination.
“You,” he said, grabbing my arm. “Come with me.”
Before I could protest, he began dragging me away from the group and toward a patch of thick trees.
“Let me go,” I protested, trying to wriggle out of his grip, but his hands were too strong.
