Alliance (24 page)

Ryneq clenched his fists at his sides, wondering which one of them was Nykin, and regretting every harsh word they’d said to each other earlier. Anything could happen to either of them, and Ryneq would never want their last words to each other to be ones said in anger.

The rain of fire seemed to be endless, the dragons sweeping through the camp and setting everything in their path alight. Ryneq felt no remorse. Seran had brought this upon himself, and the deaths of his men were on his own head.

“S
TAY
SAFE
,”
Nykin whispered, and Selene grabbed him and Jaken in a fierce hug before they parted ways in the tunnels.

“You too.” She disappeared around the corner, and Jaken ducked inside the nearest cave, leaving Nykin on his own to run the rest of the way.

Eldin had rushed into the storeroom earlier and told them all it was time to fight and that he expected to see everyone back here in one piece when it was over. “No heroics,” he’d said. “Destroy what you can and return to the Eyrie as soon as I give the word.”

Everyone had scrambled to get to the landing caves after that, a flurry of activity as people ran to get to their dragons.

They set off in two groups just as before, except this time there would be no one shielding the riders once both groups swooped down to attack the encampment below. Nykin clung to Fimor’s back, gloved hands clasping the harness as he led the second team of riders. Eldin sped toward the far end of the camp, leaving Nykin to try to take out the catapults still left standing nearest to them.

They kept their shield in place as long as they could, leaving it until they were virtually on top of the wooden structure before Nykin gave the order to attack.
“Now, Fimor.”
With the command instantly passed to the others, the dragons lined up and sent long plumes of orange flame shooting toward the ground.

Nykin couldn’t see much in the dark, and he relied heavily on Fimor to guide them where they needed to be. But the dragons’ fire coupled with the few lit lamps in the camp below provided more than enough illumination to see the soldiers scatter. Arrows flew toward them, some hitting their targets and others falling harmlessly away, but the damage had already been done, and Nykin hastily urged Fimor to fly back up out of range in search of the next target.

They worked their way through the camp like this, leaving a trail of fire and destruction in their wake before Eldin finally ordered them all back to the Eyrie.

“Can you use the shield again?”
Nykin glanced back over his shoulder, expecting an attack to come from the witch any moment. He knew her powers should be drained, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling.

“I fear not. Some of the others have sustained injuries, and they do not have the energy required for the shield.”

Nykin’s heart rate immediately picked up. Since being made leader of this second group of riders, he was surprised at how protective of them he felt. They were his to lead into battle, and he felt responsible for any of them getting hurt. He strained to see the other dragons in the night sky but couldn’t make out anything other than dark shapes.
“How bad are they hurt?”
Nykin tightened his hands on the harness, the leather creaking under his grip.

Fimor took a moment to answer, and Nykin began to fear the worst until Fimor spoke.
“Calm yourself. No one is near death, but two riders were hit by arrows.”

Nykin cursed under his breath and hoped they wouldn’t be too injured to fly.
“And the dragons?”

“We will have a good collection of arrows after this attack, but the other dragons are more annoyed than badly injured. They should be healed by morning.”

“Thank the Gods.”
If the palace fell, and Nykin felt sick even thinking it, then the dragons would need to make the journey to Alel. They couldn’t leave any behind, and Nykin had no idea what would happen if any of them were too injured to fly. He got a sudden sharp spike of pain through their bond, and panic coursed through him.
“Fimor? Are you injured?”

“One of the arrows lodged itself just under my wing, and the shaft catches as we fly. It is nothing, do not worry.”

“Are you sure?”
Nykin pushed back his panic and concentrated on their bond. It didn’t seem as though Fimor was holding anything back.

“Yes. I will be fine as soon as I get it out.”

Nykin breathed a little easier but wouldn’t be convinced until they were back in the caves and he could see for himself.
“What about the other group?”
Eldin and the other riders were behind them, having been farther from the Eyrie when Eldin ordered them back. Selene and Jaken were with them, and Nykin almost dreaded asking.
“Are they all right?”

Their connection ended as Fimor contacted the others, and Nykin had the urge to rub at his mark. The sudden lack of magic under his skin felt odd after having the connection open for so long. The light of the landing caves appeared before them, and Nykin couldn’t wait to get inside them and behind the safety of the elven barrier.

“They are in much the same shape as us. A few injuries among the riders, and a lot of arrows, but nothing to be too concerned about.”

Nykin knew he should be relieved at hearing that, but he sensed something in Fimor’s tone, and it made him instantly on edge.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
He held tight to Fimor’s harness as they came in to land.
“Fimor?”

Fimor sighed as he settled his body low on the floor of the cave, allowing Nykin to get down easier, and Nykin knew he’d been right.
“One of the injured riders is Selene.”

Nykin froze halfway through unbuckling his thigh straps.
“Why didn’t you say? How bad is
—
”

“She’s fine, Nykin. She took an arrow to the shoulder, but she’s all right. Kalesh would not lie about something like this.”

Nykin’s hands shook a little, but he managed to get the last buckle undone on the second attempt and slid down to the ground. He took off Fimor’s saddle and harness and propped them up on the side wall of the cave. “Let’s get these arrows out of you, then.” Nykin’s voice echoed around the open cave, and it sounded strange after talking in his head. He walked in a circle, inspecting Fimor’s body and checking where he’d been hit by Seran’s archers.

He counted five in total, which wasn’t bad considering how many arrows had been fired at them. Thankfully none of these had been spelled to return to the witch. She must have collected enough dragon’s blood the first time. Nykin walked over to the entrance to the tunnels and retrieved the small leather pouch he’d stashed there since the attacks began.

All the riders had them, and Eldin had instructed them to leave them in the caves for the foreseeable future. They each contained a small piece of cloth, a dagger
—
sharp enough to cut through dragon hide
—
a jar of thick ointment that smelled like mint and ginger and something cloyingly sweet—and three empty vials. Nykin opened the pouch, took out the knife and the ointment, and returned to Fimor’s side.

“Which one should I do first?”

Fimor raised his wing, revealing the arrow embedded in his side, and Nykin set to work cutting out the arrow and liberally applying ointment. It didn’t take too long to get them all out. Apart from the one in Fimor’s side, none of the others had gone too deep, but Nykin’s hands were still covered in blood.

He carefully pulled the cloth out of the pouch and wiped his hands. He couldn’t get them fully clean, but it would do for now. “How do you feel?” He looked up to catch Fimor flexing his wings.

“Much better now those are out.”
He eyed the discarded bloody arrows with distaste.
“I must return to the others up the mountain.”
Fimor shifted around until he faced the mouth of the cave.
“And I think Selene might need your help.”
With that, he leapt out into the darkness, and Nykin turned on his heel and rushed down the tunnels to where he thought Selene would have landed.

Fimor had assured him she was all right, but his heart still beat at an alarming rate as he tried not to think otherwise. He didn’t know the exact cave she’d be in, but as he reached the general area, he heard raised voices and easily recognized Selene’s. He jogged through the entrance to the cave and stopped short at the sight before him.

Selene stood over at the side, hands braced on the wall, with an ashen-faced Jaken behind her. Kalesh sat in the middle of the stone floor, not looking at all happy as she watched them both.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Djilak?” Jaken looked uncertain as he eyed Selene’s back.

“Just do it.” Selene hissed through gritted teeth. “Djilak’s got enough to do.” She had her head bowed, and as Nykin walked a little closer, he saw her eyes were shut tight. “You’ve already done the hard part.”

Nykin’s gaze flicked to Jaken, and he noticed the broken part of the arrow shaft in his hand.

“It’s almost… there anyway,” Selene continued, obviously in pain. “Hold my shoulder… and just… push it through.”

“Yeah,
just push it through
. Easy.” Jaken dropped the broken shaft on the ground and took a step closer. He swallowed thickly, and when he reached out to grab Selene’s shoulder, his hands shook.

“Want me to do it?” Nykin walked up to them and pointed at the arrow protruding from Selene’s back.

They both startled, neither having noticed his arrival. Selene winced as she jarred her shoulder, but Jaken looked beyond relieved to see him.

“Please.” Jaken moved out of the way so Nykin could take his place. “I just can’t seem to….” He paled again, and Nykin gave him a small smile.

“I’ll take care of it, don’t worry.”

“Jaken.” Selene turned her head to look at him, taking a couple of harsh breaths before continuing. “Get the vial and… the knife from my bag… Kalesh will let you get the blood.”

“You’re using her blood?” Nykin asked, placing one hand on her shoulder and positioning his feet squarely behind her.

“No time for normal… healing. Now get this… out so I can… get on with it.” She winced in between the words, and Nykin felt her tense with the pain.

“Turn around. It’ll be easier.”

She paused for a moment before nodding in understanding, then let Nykin guide her around until she stood facing him with her back to the wall.

“On three.” He gripped both of her shoulders this time, his fingers probably bruising her skin, but he only wanted to do this once. It would hurt enough without having to do it again. He understood why Jaken didn’t want to do it. Selene put on a brave face, but Nykin felt the tremors running through her body as she prepared for the pain. His stomach turned at the thought of hurting her, but it needed to come out. “One, two….” He didn’t wait for three.

Selene’s scream filled the cave as Nykin pushed her against the cave wall as hard as he could. The arrowhead pierced her skin, the rest of the shaft sliding through until her back hit the wall with the arrow now sticking out the front of her shoulder. Nykin didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the head, pulled it the rest of the way out, and tossed the bloodied shaft onto the ground, then caught Selene when she began to fall.

She slumped into his arms, out cold, and Nykin gently lowered her to the floor. “Jaken, have you got the blood?”

“Almost there.” Moments later Jaken crouched next to him, a vial of dark red blood clutched in his fist. “How do we do this? I’ve never….”

“I have.” Nykin felt a burst of hysterical laughter bubble in his chest, because this was getting to be a bit of a habit with him. He managed to hold it in and carefully took the vial from Jaken’s hand. “Open up her jacket.”

Jaken quickly undid it. The shirt she wore underneath was already bloody and torn where the arrow had gone through, and Jaken ripped it a little more to expose the wound. He sat back on his heels, and Nykin leaned forward to tip some of the blood into the open wound.

“Selene.” Nykin placed his hand on her cheek and stroked his thumb back and forth. “Selene.” Gradually she opened her eyes, blinking groggily. “You need to drink this.” He moved the vial so she could see it and slipped his hand around to the back of her head to lift it a little.

She eyed the blood a little dubiously, and Nykin didn’t blame her. It wasn’t the nicest thing to drink, but she couldn’t afford to be out of action. When she gave a little nod, Nykin brought the vial to her lips and held it there until she’d drunk all of it.

“Ugh.” Selene coughed a little and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I hope I never have to do that again.” She shuddered a little, wincing as it pulled at her shoulder. “How long does it take to work?” She looked up expectantly at Nykin.

“Um… I’m not exactly s—”

“You should start to feel better in a few hours, if the arrow didn’t do too much damage,” Djilak answered from behind them, and all three riders turned to see the physician enter the cave followed by Eldin. “May I take a look?”

Selene nodded, and Nykin moved out of the way so Djilak could get close.

He leaned down to inspect the wound, prodding along the edges where the arrowhead had torn through her skin. Kalesh’s blood trickled down over Selene’s shirt, making it look much worse than it actually was. “You did a good job. Kalesh’s blood cauterized the wound and stopped the bleeding.” He used the edge of Selene’s shirt to wipe some of the blood away. “See here?” Both Jaken and Nykin leaned forward to get a better look. “The edges are already starting to knit together.”

Nykin couldn’t tell where Djilak meant at first. It didn’t seem any different than it had a moment ago. But when he looked at the top of the wound near Selene’s collarbone, the skin had indeed started to close. Nykin didn’t think he would ever get used to the healing powers of dragon’s blood, even though he’d seen it in action three times now. It amazed him to think that after having an arrow tear through her flesh, Selene would be fully recovered in a few hours.