When the Pages Came to Life || A KotLC Fanfiction

Chapter 8

  "-nna"

  Through the dark haze, I heard a voice. A familiar voice.

  "Ann-"

  Someone was calling my name. But who was it?

  "Anna"

  I liked that voice, I remembered.

  "Anna!!!"

  My eyes snapped open and everything that had happened came crashing back into my mind.

  The bright light burned my eyes, and I winced as I reached up to cover them.

  My whole head was throbbing, and I felt extremely dizzy...I was pretty sure I had a concussion.

  My arms, legs, and especially my back were stinging from the various cuts and wounds I had gotten from my trip down the rough incline.

  The scent of blood filled my nose, which I figured was part of the aftermath of my fight with the dwarf.

  I probably would've blacked out again if someone hadn't gently lifted my head and told me to open my mouth.

  I obeyed, and a strange thing was placed on my tongue.

  "Try to chew it. It'll help with the pain." A deep voice assured.

  It tasted strange, but I realized it must've been a panakes blossom, from its smooth texture. The flower alleviated some of the pain in my head and body.

  I slowly opened my eyes and saw Tam's concerned face watching mine.

  "You really worried me back there. I thought you were dead," he said with an unreadable expression.

  "S-sorry" I croaked.

  "Don't apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for." He paused and looked at the ground. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you from falling," he added quietly.

  I gently placed my hand on his. He flinched slightly. "It's not your fault Tam. Plus, I'm still alive aren't I?" I said, trying not to acknowledge the aches all over my body. He nodded.

  I felt a warm trickle on the side of my head. I reached up to touch it, and winced when I saw my bloody fingertips.

  "Here" Tam said, grabbing the end of his cape and tearing off a strip of fabric. He carefully wrapped it around my head and tied it.

  "Thanks" I said. He gave a small smile. Aww, his smile is adorable!!, I thought, making sure not to say it out loud.

  "What happened to dwarf who also fell?" I asked, suddenly remembering who shared the wonderful trip down the incline with me.

  Tam looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think it might've gotten away. It's probably injured though. I saw some blood on a rock not too far from here."

  "Do you think we should find our way back to everyone?" I asked. We couldn't exactly hide in the woods all day.

  "Maybe. Are you sure you can handle that right now though? You're pretty banged up at the moment," he pointed out.

  "Yeah, I'll be fine. Right now, this device is more important than I am anyway," I replied, pulling it out of my pocket.

  When I looked at it however, I saw that it had a serious indent in the middle and cracks all over the edges.

  "Oh no..." I breathed.

  Tam took it out of my hand to examine it. "Hopefully Dex can fix it," he murmured, handing it back.

  "Yeah, hopefully," I said, my uncertainty evident in my voice.

  "We should try to find the others." I stated while attempting to stand.

  My legs wobbled as I took a step, and I would've toppled over if Tam hadn't reached out and grabbed my arms.

  He didn't say anything as he leaned down and effortlessly lifted me into his arms. My stomach exploded with butterflies, and I ducked my head to hide my blush.

   Now carrying me, he began walking towards the base of the incline. I looked up at it. It was a miracle I survived a fall from that height.

  "How are we going to get back up there?" I asked, confused as to why he was heading in that direction. It already looked to be difficult to climb by oneself, let alone trying to climb while carrying someone.

  "You'll see," he answered, smirking slightly. "Hang on tight."

  "Tam—" I began.

  My sentence was cut short as we rose in the air. At first I thought Tam had simply jumped, but then we kept rising higher and higher. I can't believe I had forgotten about the elves' ability to levitate.

  I gasped as I looked down and saw how far away the ground had become. Instinctively, I tightened my arms around Tam's neck and squeezed my eyes shut.

  "Don't worry, I've got you." He assured as he also tightened his grip on me.

  When his feet finally touched the dirt on the path, I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

  Tam began walking back down the path in the direction we initially came from, and I looked back to see the area where the dwarves attacked us.

  The path was full of deep cracks in the earth, making it almost impassable. Pools of blood speckled the path as well, but I thought that all of the dwarves Tam fought had escaped with only injuries, since I didn't see a body.

  That is, until I spotted dwarf feet sticking out of the brush, unmoving. They were lying in a particularly dark puddle of blood, and I didn't want to imagine what the rest of the body looked like.

  I was glad that Tam didn't notice it, since elves are sensitive to guilt and violence. But maybe he did notice, and didn't care.

  Turning my head back, my eyelids became heavy and I suddenly felt extremely tired. I guess I've strained my body a lot more today than I had initially thought.

  I closed my eyes and softly leaned my head against Tam's shoulder. In his arms I felt...safe. Despite the fact that Neverseen members were probably looking for me that moment, I wasn't afraid.

  We're going to get through this. We're going to defeat the Neverseen, and we're going to protect the people we love.

  I had almost drifted off to sleep when a voice came from behind us.

  "There you two are! I almost thought you had gotten away." A deep voice said menacingly.

  Tam quickly turned around and we looked to see-

  —no one.

  I looked at the surrounding trees frantically, trying to locate the voice's owner.

  Then in front of us, appeared an elf in a Neverseen cloak, but with the hood pulled back.

  He had dark brown hair, and looked...a lot like Fitz. However he didn't have Fitz's teal eyes. His cobalt eyes were especially cold looking, and his face wore an evil smirk.

  Alvar.

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  Wow this book has gotten over 200 views already!! Thank you so much to all you wonderful people who have been reading the story so far!! As always, I'll probably upload again next week, and *maybe* even again this week if I feel especially productive XD.

  This chapter was mostly fluff, but I figured I should give Tam and Anna some time to bond before they face danger again, you know?

  Also, the 4th of July is coming up, for my fellow USA dwellers!! Is anyone planning/or done (for those reading after the fact) anything fun for the holiday?

    - Alivia
 
  ~Comment your favorite holiday!! Mine is Christmas:D~

  And don't forget to vote and follow if you're enjoying the story!!<3