Ember Burning

Part 5

Groggily, you woke to the sound of your name being called.

Fabric had been draped over your torso, softer than the dirt beneath your back. As you opened an eye, you realized you'd shifted to human. This happened occasionally when you went through a great shock.

As soon as you thought this, you remembered the attack. When you attempted to sit upright, a gentle hand gripped your shoulder. Re-focusing through the haze, you realized it was Jungkook who knelt beside you.

His expression remained on your arm. A shudder of pain wracked your body, which had been covered by his cloak, you realized.

Except for your shoulder, that was.

Catching a glimpse of it on the ground, you winced and forced yourself to look away. The lower part of your arm remained unscathed, but the upper portion was in bad shape. All you could see was blood, shredded muscle, and bone peeking through.

"The arrow," you breathed, head spinning. "Where is it?"

"Knocked loose when you landed," Jungkook said, tight-lipped. "Which was lucky, given how large the bolt was. Had you shifted while it was still in your shoulder... I do not know what might have happened. Still..." He paused. "You have lost a lot of blood."

Turning aside, Jungkook began rummaging through a pack on the ground. Dizzily, you glanced around the forest clearing.

"W-where is Nemrys?" you asked, your teeth chattering.

Jungkook looked back with alarm. "I left him in the clearing," he said. "There was not enough room for him to land."

"And this is... your cloak?"

Jungkook nodded but said nothing more. He was dressed in all leather, a broadsword strapped to his back in a pragmatic sheath. When he turned your wrist over, you let out a hiss and his gaze snapped to yours.

A war seemed to wage within him as Jungkook sat back on his heels. "You have lost a lot of blood," he repeated.

"There are healers in Valor," you said, struggling to sit up. "You must bring me to them."

Jungkook gripped your good shoulder again. "You cannot shift in this state, and I fear moving you would aggravate the wound ever further."

You glared at him from the ground. "What do you propose, then?"

Even as you spoke, it occurred to you the situation might be bad. Right now, shock and adrenaline kept the pain at bay, but it would soon wear off.

"I stopped the blood flow as best I could," Jungkook said. "But it continues to bleed. I fear you may lose consciousness before we reach the capital."

Panic rose, choking whatever retort you had to say. If you lost consciousness now, it would only be a matter of time before your organs began to fail. You could not die here. You would not; not on an unknown forest floor, miles away from your home.

You would not be brought down by a single Mor patrol before you even got the chance to face them on the battlefield.

"What are the options," you said, returning to Jungkook. "Do you have a tourniquet with you? Can Nemrys cauterize my wound? I can survive the loss of a limb, Your Majesty, but I will not leave Ashya so poorly defended."

Jungkook stared at you a moment before he slowly exhaled.

"There is another option," he said at last.

"Whatever it is, you best do it quickly. Before I pass out and leave you to wrestle with your conscience alone."

Suppressing a grimace, Jungkook finally nodded and rolled up his sleeves. It exposed sinuous forearms and ink which, in any other circumstance, you might have found appealing. As it was, you merely found them distracting.