ONE (Book 1 in the Amnesia Archives)

Chapter 27

I was frozen in shock for a good thirty seconds before I leaped towards her, helping her sink down to the floor as she stumbled back. Onyx wailed and growled in alarm, nudging her hair with his nose, occasionally shaking her with his paw.

"You-you, what in the shadows have you done?" Sarphi asked with an accusatory tone. Now, I'd support her fully if we weren't facing a deity with a bow in their hands. As it were, I wanted to glue her mouth shut. "Why did you do that?" She took Prin from my arms, slapping my hands away and immediately began looking at the wound.

I resisted the urge to scold her, because she looked like she was about to cry. I glanced between Aknon and Roseo. Aknon looked like he wanted to punch something, he'd always been protective of those like Prin, even if he didn't show it. Roseo looked over at us calmly, as though everything was going to plan.

"She'll wake up in a few hours," Roseo informed us dismissively and began to walk away. The sunlight which brightened their form, began to mould into various kinds of animals. It made them look even more majestic as they walked away from us.

"Prepare yourself Acer, we need you."

I jumped and looked around with a startled expression, blinking rapidly. "What?" I asked aloud, I looked like I was crazy as my eyes moved from person to person and I spun on the spot. "Did they say something?"

"They said she'd wake up; she's not waking up." Sarphi shook Prin's shoulder, which didn't cause any reaction from her. "Aknon, we have to heal her. We have to do something."

"No." Aknon shook his head. "We can't do anything."

Sarphi looked up at him as though he was stupid. "But you know healing spells. There's no bleeding so the wound has to be inside her head, or she must be in shock or something." Now she was actually crying, tears slipping down her face and hitting Prin's hair.

Aknon sighed. "I know that, but we can't do anything." He crouched down beside us and moved her collar out of the way, seeing where the arrow had hit her, which looked like nothing had happened. "They're a deity, I can't go against them or do anything about it."

"Why? Because you don't know how? Or because you're a coward who doesn't want to go against the gods?" Sarphi snapped, eyes full of lightning as she hugged Prin and pulled her up so that the girl was sitting on her knee.

"Sarphi, there's no need for that," I scolded. "You know that Aknon would do whatever it takes to cure Prin if she was injured, and if he was able."

She just turned her glare in my direction, her fingers running through Prin's hair. "We're not moving until she wakes up."

There was no room for arguments, and I wasn't even tempted. I Agreed that we shouldn't be moving anywhere quickly. But I also wished that Roseo had summoned some food for us, after we survived their little hunting trap.

"At least it's cooler now?" Senka said in a meek and quiet voice, looking up at me nervously. I wasn't too sure why she was nervous, even though we had been pretty rough on her. I didn't think that she was waiting for an apology either. She was slightly shaking, which made it rather uncomfortable to keep her where she was, but I ignored it and tried to settle down on the ground.

"That's a positive," I mumbled and put my shirt back on. I wondered when we'd be able to make it to the next town, but I also supposed that there wouldn't be another town. It was clear that we were quite close to the corner of the map, at least we assumed we were. The next city would be Daefocer. I wondered if we'd be able to stop by an inn, but I somehow doubted that. Whenever I wished for something, it didn't happen.