Chapter 33

WHEN KNOX FINALLY RODEinto the dwarven little stronghold, it was well past dark, and the rain had turned to a steady downpour. He"d cursed himself for racing out of Hartsgrove and forgetting both their cloaks in the kitchen.

He stopped his horse at the large, long wooden building, eight small cottages stretching around it in a semi-circle with four on each side. He knew from past visits that they were connected through tunnels below.

He slid from Ryder"s back and fell to his knees with a grunt, juggling Eirwyn in his arms to keep her from hitting the ground. His legs felt like he"d run the entire way himself, and he was drained. His body shook from the cold front, his clothes wet, his skin tingling. The front door opened, and a short man half his size frowned into the rain.

"Knox, is that you?"

Knox grunted an answer and slowly stood. He carried Eirwyn to the front door to stoop inside. Thankfully, the dwarven homes had taller ceilings in the main lodge.

Krys waved him over to the fire and shut the door behind him. "Set her by the fire before she catches a cold. What seems to be the problem? Who is she?"

Knox laid her down on the dirty, threadbare rug. "Hit her head," he grunted, kneeling on his feet and brushing the hair gently from her forehead. He winced at the knot at her hairline. "She"s my mate," he said softly.

"Bloody hells, did you say mate?" Ashur said, standing in a doorway.

Knox blinked, trying to make sense of his friend. "Ashur? What are you doing here?"

Then Ashur"s eyes narrowed on his head. "Fisica protect us," he whispered.

Knox shook his head, turning away from him. He couldn"t deal with him right now, not when he was so close to saving Eirwyn. "Help her," he asked Krys.

Krys strode to the hallway to the left and yelled, "Flint, Jasper, Mica, get in here."

Footsteps came swiftly, and three more dwarves came into view. They wore various shades of brown pants, green and red shirts, and sturdy but dirty leather boots. When they saw Knox" head without the hood, they began to whisper to each other, but Knox didn"t care. He just wanted them to save Eirwyn.

"She should"ve woken up by now," he said, turning to stare up at Krys. "She hit her head just after lunch. It"s been hours. Why isn"t she waking up?"

Krys was the oldest with white hair that stuck in every direction and a full white beard.

He looped his thumbs in his suspenders and shook his head. "I don"t know, but we"ll figure it out. Flint, bring Knox" horse to the stable and see he"s tended to. Jasper, get the medicine kit. Mica, do you have any of the pain cream left?"

The three nodded and turned to run down the hall while Krys knelt and began to inspect Eirwyn for more injuries. From the other hall came three more dwarves. The youngest, Copper, gasped when he saw Knox" head. He appeared around Knox" age but Knox knew they were actually much, much older.

Copper rubbed his eyes and yawned as he walked over. "What"s wrong with your head?"

The twins, Stone and Slate followed him, tucking in their shirts. Krys looked at them and frowned. "No time for questions. Fetch the bone stick, just to be certain."

The twins turned and went down the third hall toward their workshop just as Jasper came back with the red medical bag.

Ashur sank onto a chair around the fire. "What happened?"

Knox filled them in as they assessed Eirwyn"s injuries. Krys waved a wand over her body, lights dancing along the gems on one side. He was thawing out from the fire, but inside, he was still cold with worry. His voice was monotonous as he told them of Hartsgrove.

Krys finally said, "Her arm"s broken, but it"s not a terrible break. I"m more concerned about the bump on the head combined with her entering the Beyond from overusing her magic."

Knox" blood ran cold at the mention of the Beyond. He looked at Eirwyn, swallowing hard past the knot in his throat as he realized he could lose her. The chances of coming out of the Beyond decreased with every passing hour.

Krys pulled a potion out of his toolkit and opened her mouth. Knox recognized the smell, but it usually only worked on someone who was entering the Edge, not the Beyond. Some dribbled down her cheek, and Knox gently wiped it away.

Krys put his tools back into his bag and sighed. "Let"s put her in the stasis chamber."

The other dwarves looked at Krys in concern, then began to talk over each other.

"Are you certain?"

"Sh, that"s a trade secret. What about the Robin?"

"He"s kept his head a secret for years, and now we"re sharing our secrets with him?"

"Why can"t we just let her wake up on her own?"

"No, he"s right. It will give her the best chance at survival."

Knox looked around as they argued, his eyes fighting against exhaustion, burning and tearing up.

"Please," he croaked, swallowing and trying to get convince them.

None of them even looked at him though, as Krys stood and made a chopping motion with his hand. "Enough. I"ve decided, and that"s that. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Captain," the rest mumbled in unison.

Krys frowned at Knox. "Think you can carry her again?"

Knox nodded, scooping her gently into his arms. He pushed to his feet with a grunt and followed them down the third hallway into the workshop. She looked so delicate and fragile in his arms.

He winced at the dirty, disheveled state of her clothes and hair. She would not be happy about that when she woke.

If she woke.

No, when.

He argued with himself, fear and hope two sides of a coin that kept flipping back and forth. They entered the back of the workshop. Set into the side of the mountain, it opened into a mining shaft. To the right was the stable with several mounts of reindeer inside.

Krys went to the fireplace on the left and pulled on a candelabra. The wall behind the fireplace shifted, and he waved to Knox. "Watch your head. This is meant for only dwarves."

Knox cradled Eirwyn closer and turned sideways to squeeze into the narrow passageway. His heart was heavy and tight with emotion. They walked, the floor sloping downward, until Knox" legs began to cramp from the half-squatting position.

His legs burned and shook, and finally they came to a door. Krys pushed a series of runes on the door, and it slid open as if by magic to disappear into the wall. He stepped inside a cave with metal walls. Eight coffins were laid in a circle, connected by metal tubes to a giant, glowing crystal.

Krys walked to the nearest one and pushed several gems on the side. The glass top flipped up, and he stepped back with a wave. "Set her inside."

Knox held her closer, loathe to let her go. But the dwarves had never treated him wrong. He trusted them, but theirs had always been a business arrangement. He didn"t know what this was going to cost him, but he didn"t really care.

He couldn"t lose her. He looked down at Eirwyn. Was she growing colder?

His chest ached, and he set her in the glass and metal coffin. Krys pushed buttons on the side, and the glass closed over her. A pale blue fog filled the coffin, and Knox put his hand on it with a gasp.

"Don"t worry. It won"t harm her." Krys began to ramble on about the technical details, but Knox was too exhausted to care.

Finally Krys said, "I"ve set it for twelve hours. We"ll reassess and will know more then. That might be all she needs. Come on, Knox. You look like you could use some rest too."

Krys" voice rang with false hope, and Knox" stomach twisted. He shook his head and sat on the floor, his hand never leaving the coffin as he leaned against it. "I can"t leave her," he whispered. "Can you fetch me a healing potion and a salve for my back?"

His vision blurred and his hands shook. This was as close to the Edge as he"d ever gotten, too cautious as a child to overuse his magic.

Krys" voice echoed as if from far away. "Alright, but the salve isn"t going to help your back. Not with all the scales."

His chest ached, and he ignored Krys. There were no scales on his back, but the crazy old dwarf didn"t matter.

He never should"ve taken her into the heart of the forest. He should"ve left her at Olive"s. She would"ve been safer there instead of with him. How could he have been so selfish? He"d failed to protect her.

He"d seen dozens of wounded soldiers stumble into the forest with head injuries, but not even half of those survived their wounds. If something happened to Eirwyn before he could tell her how he felt–

He frowned, his eyes growing heavy. Had he really not told her how much he loved her? How much he admired that she never gave up? She was strong, capable, and no wilting wallflower like those in his books or those he saw strolling through town.

He wanted to know everything about her, and it felt like time was slipping through his hands. If she survived, would she stay with him? He"d begged her to agree to the mate bond, but he hadn"t explained what that was or what he"d learned in the books in his father"s office.

Krys returned with the bottle and ointment then walked away. Knox took both and tossed his head back, the bitter taste making him wince as he chugged it. It burned going down almost as much as the fire on his skin earlier.

She might want to return to Demerel and her life there. If she left him behind in the Feral Forest, alone, yet again... He wouldn"t survive without her. She was like air and water, and he needed her to live now.

Despair swept over him, pressing on his chest and making him slump. He was an utter failure.

He unscrewed the lid and dipped his fingers into the gel, then reached behind his neck. He smoothed it over and frowned. His scales, which had previously just wrapped around the back of his head, now extended down his neck and over his shoulders.

He shivered as the gel turned cold on his skin and he peeled the remnants of his shirt off. He felt his back, unable to reach between his shoulder blades to see how far they extended.

Was it the mating bond that was changing him? Did that mean that Eirwyn might live? Surely he wouldn"t change if the mating rituals hadn"t been completed, and according to the books he"d found, they still had a few more things to do.

He shook his head and dipped his fingers into the ointment, rubbing it around and under the bumps and ridges of his back.