FIREFANGED

Chapter 19 (The Road Home)

Lorna was up with the dawn to see us off. Still nursing her wounds from the cave fight, she wanted to give me a message for her distant sister. She also offered us a dozen dark elves as an escort past the demon-infested caves to the south. We had cleared most of that area on our way into Bastian, but no sense in taking a chance during the first day of what was sure to be a challenging trip. The demons had scattered in all directions, and the elves still had plenty of unleashed rogues to eliminate.

Yseria led the way, with zero complaints from the rest of us. Her dark leathers fit her body perfectly, but I was simply admiring the exotic blade strapped across her back. Most of the time, anyway.

We cleared the first mountain pass with little talk and plenty of uphill exertion. The rough terrain pounded incessantly on my cracked ribs, and all my efforts were focused on treading and breathing as carefully as possible.

Our elven escort turned back toward Bastian after about ten miles, and I could feel our small group relax a bit. We had at least four days of hiking ahead of us, and I wanted to build a few bonds on the way. As far as I could tell, the area around us was clear; no Hell-borne hunting parties were waiting in ambush.

I called a brief halt. "By my estimate, we've got about ninety miles to go and most of a long day ahead of us. Any bets on whether we cover another twenty miles before making camp tonight?"

Yseria just scoffed.

Gunner nodded in her direction.

"What she said," said Hicks.

"Perfect, Gunner, the goat, will take point and move out double-time. He'll switch with Hicks this afternoon. The rest of us will follow in a relaxed line. I'll be on overwatch. Yseria will bring up the rear to make sure nobody is left behind. The first one to call a halt gets to sit the first watch tonight."

I had a feeling that that was going to be me.

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Another ten hours and close to thirty miserable miles later, I called a halt just a few miles short of the narrow, wooded valley. Dusk was slipping away. We were all beyond tired, and my jaw was numb from clenching it so long.

I picked a defensible spot near a large boulder at the base of a small hill. Hicks scavenged dead wood while Gunner hunted for a stream to refill our canteens. Having claimed the first watch, I rested with my back against one of the softer rocks. My left arm ached, my left side was on fire, and the calf of my right leg felt wet.

Yseria sat down and began changing the bandage on my leg. We had both noticed the blood miles ago but had continued our fast march through the Everest mountains. The weather was cool and dry, helping us make terrific progress, and I was eager to make it back.

"Thank you for helping me with that." I handed her a clean wrap from my pack. "At this point, I'm not sure I could do it myself."

"Your breathing is uneven. How are your ribs?"

"I'm hoping that if I sit completely still, they'll stop complaining, but so far, no joy."

Yseria finished rewrapping my calf. She leaned in close, her lips only inches from mine. Our noses touched and she hopped to her feet. "Just what I thought, there's a hint of blood on your breath. Stand up for a moment and pull off your armor."

I struggled to my feet, blinking away the dust that was causing my weary eyes to water. "Okay, but I think I'm gonna need some help with that."

After painfully levering layers of leather and mail over my head, I pulled up the left side of my undershirt. My skin was a mottled canvas of purple, yellow, and dark red.