22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Every instinct I have wails as I run from my bonds. I fight how unnatural it feels, forcing myself to yell at every fae I see. I do not stop to clarify; I do not turn around to answer their questions. I keep running.

Passing Hale and Romial, I whistle to get their attention. "Behind the rib, it kills them!" I point to the location on my body and focus on the next set of fae up ahead.

At least something useful is coming from our magic tonight; well, just the fire wielders, as the rest of us cannot produce light. There's a whizzing approaching me, and I duck, rolling to the ground before resuming my task. If Ender wasn't already dead, I'd kill him myself. The amount of obsidian weapons the other side possesses could not have just been transported recently. He must have been working with Andras for years. I instructed Em and our close guard to go for the fae with the most weapons first, hoping that we stave them from piercing any of the gods.

Sweat runs down my body, completely soaking me as if I was just swimming. I've made it to the end of the field, warning everyone I could. I just hope it's enough to help. The demons are much larger than anticipated and reaching their weak point will be difficult for some.

I cannot think about that now. There's so much to be done.

I make my way back to my bonds, the sick feeling in my abdomen lessening the closer I get. I was not shocked to find how aware I was of them after the bonding, but I didn't realize I'd feel some of their injuries. I had thought the fae I was fighting impaled me when an intense level of pain hit my body; but when I looked down to see no wound, I knew it was one of the others.

We've insisted on trying to spare the lives of the Ceross fae, the horror they feel at hurting us clear in their gazes. But at that moment, I didn't care…I swung my sword through his neck and ran the direction I felt the pain coming from. I didn't once look back or feel regret for the decision. I still don't.

The healers in Anloria distributed as much sleeping tonic as they could. The recipient must breathe it in, so it is difficult to get close enough to wrap a cloth around their noses. But it will keep them asleep for many hours; and the alternative is injuring their heads to render them unconscious. So for the sake of the people, I'm doing my best to not hurt them.

But this is war. Death and injury cannot be avoided.

A strained groan catches my attention, turning my path to the fae who hold swords to each other's chests, attempting to push the other off. I grab my cloth, immediately knowing which fae is not Anlorian, and slide up behind them, cupping their face tightly. They struggle for a moment before going limp. We cannot waste resources relocating the bodies, so we just have to hope they do not get injured.

"Thank you, my prince," the female in front of me murmurs, resting her hands on her knees to breathe heavily. I nod and continue on, determined to reach Em and Nell. My steps slow as the distance between me and them closes. I'm nearly there when the scream of a familiar voice swarms my ears, causing me to wince.

My head whips to the side, the blood completely draining from my face when Ansa falls to her knees with an arrow jutting from her chest. Right where her heart is. I bolt in her direction, sliding through the thick, bloody mud to catch her head before it hits the ground.

"No, no, no." Breaking the head of the arrow from her back, I lay her flat to assess the damage.

There is nothing to assess.

The fae can heal from many things, but even we cannot survive an arrow to the heart. My mouth becomes so dry I cannot even force myself to swallow. The delicate skin of my bottom lip breaks as I bite down to quell the trembling.

I stare into her lifeless eyes for an obscene amount of time, begging anyone that will listen to tell me this isn't real. I run a hand through her crusted, pink hair and lean forward to place a kiss on her forehead. She cannot hear me, but the urge to say something to her is too strong. "I'm sorry. May you find every bit of peace you deserve. You will never be forgotten, Ansa." Tears splatter against her cheeks, streaking the blood and dirt that coats her skin.

With one last look, I gently close her eyes and walk away, hoping that her body stays intact long enough for us to hold a proper funeral for her.

I'm so lost in the ache gripping my heart that it takes me a moment to realize the ground is shaking while the most devastating scream flies through the field. Nell. Her earth-shattering anguish wrings my insides, and I double over for a moment to gather myself before running to my bond.