Knowledge is Deadly: Book 1: The Azuran Series

Chapter 19

Earlier that day

      "Kilin. Kilin! Wake up!"
     Her eyes opened groggily. "What?" Kilin asked.
     Kile was leaned over her, panic obvious in his eyes.
     It had been a few hours since Blake had gone out to find Katelyn and he still wasn't back. She feared the worst from the look on Kile's face.
     "Get up. Now." Kile said leaning away from her.
     Kilin pushed the covers off of her and swung her legs off the side of the bed. "What's wrong?" She asked cautiously.
     "The camp is under attack. I just got down here, Aspen is already out there." Kile said.
     Kilin darted up and quickly grabbed her daggers, setting the on the bed to pull her her hair into a high ponytail. "When did this start, who is it, and why are we still down here!" She said grabbing her daggers and starting out the door.
     Kile followed her out quickly. "Started ten minutes ago, maybe, I think it's Carl's men, and we are down here because you would have slept through the whole thing!" Kile said.
    Kilin started up the ladder, followed quickly by Kile.
     "How bad is it?" Kilin asks as Kile closed the trap door after him.
     He looked up at her. "Bad." He said and pushed past her, drawing both his daggers, which Kilin had given back to him a few days ago.
     He pushed open the door and Kilin looked out over his shoulder. The battle had only just started but people she had known for years drizzled the ground along with Carl's men.
     Kile walked out into the street and started by taking out a man in a grey uniform. He looked back at Kilin and nodded at her. She nodded back and joined him, daggers ready, on the newly formed battle field.
     They stood back to back, like in training, fighting against Carl's men.
     Kilin ducked behind Kile as a building exploded into flames near them. "I swear!" Kilin said cutting down another man.
     "Archers, Ki!" Kile said elbowing her.
     "I see them!" She replied as an arrow flew past their head.
     Kile grabbed her arm and pulled her into an alleyway quickly. Kilin wiped her forehead with  the back of her palm.
     "We can't keep this up.. there are so many." Kile panted looking from the street to Kilin.
     "We have to. People are dying, I'm not going to let that stand." Kilin said. "Let's go take out some-"
     Her words were cut off by a scream.
     Both Kile and Kilin looked across the road to the opposite ally way. The scream had come from Mari. She was pinned against the wall by a man.
"Mari!" Kilin yelled and started running towards her.
Kile was running just behind her when the man turned and threw a dagger at her. It flew though the air and landing in Kilin's right leg. She yelled and hit the ground as she took a step on her right leg.
Kile jumped over her and threw a dagger back at the man. It hit his shoulder and he stumbled back. With his other dagger, Kile cut him down quickly.
"Thank you!" Mari exclaimed latching on to Kile's shoulder. He shook her off.
      "Yeah yeah." He said and turned to where Kilin should be behind him.
His blood ran cold as he saw her still on the ground. Something was wrong other than the dagger. She should have been at least moving.
"Oh no.." he said and darted over to her.
She was laying on her back and didn't even seem to notice Kile as her leaned over her.
"Kilin. Kilin!" He called looking down at her leg. The dagger was dripping with a green-purple liquid. It had been poisoned.
"Kilin, look at me!" He said looking back at her.
She blinked trying to clear her vision. The pain from her leg was constant. Her vision was blurring and her hearing fading.
"Kilin!" Kile said, yelling to her now.
Mari stood behind him. "I don't think she is going to live.." she said looking at Kilin.
"Shut up! Your not helping!" Kile snapped angrily.
He looked back at Kilin. Her eyes met his as he picked her up gently.
"Stay with me Kilin." He said.
"It.. hurts.." she mumbled through clenched teeth.
"I know, I know. You have to push though it." Kile said. He started to walk though the fighting, Mari following behind him.
"I- can't.. it-" Kilin started followed by a weak groan. Her head fell against his chest.
He looked down at her. "Kilin."
She didn't answer him.
His breaths quickened as he hurried to find the medic's building.
He couldn't lose her, and especially not like this. He could have done something sooner. He should have helped her when she fell.
As he entered the medic's tent the smell of blood flooded over him and Mari.
"Set them over there." The doctor said not looking over at them as she pointed at an empty bed.
"Thank you." Kile said weakly and set Kilin on the bed at the corner of the room.
Kile knelt down beside Kilin, holding her hand and hoping she would just wake up.
The secondary doctor rushed over to them. "Explain." He said and looked at Kilin's leg.
Kile explained quickly as the doctor took the dagger out of her leg properly.
"She might live, knowing how resilient her family is." The doctor said looking up at Kile.
"Might?!" Kile asked, his voice cracking from panic.
"It's a strong poison." He said. "I will be right back." He said and ran into the other room.
Kile groaned, stood up and started pacing.
"Honestly Kile. It's just Kilin." Mari said as she leaned against the wall.
He stopped and looked over at her. "Just Kilin? Are you serious?" He asked
"Yes! I'm more concerned about you!" Mari said walking over to him.
"Why me?" He asked confused.
She stepped closer to him. "Kile, I care about you. Remember us?" She asked
Kile stepped away from her. "There isn't an-"
Mari grabbed his collar and brought his lips to hers. Kile froze in shock. She let go and looked up at him. "I remember." She whispered and started out of the building.
Kile watched her go, dumbfounded. He wasn't mentally prepared for any of that.
He was thrown back into reality as the doctor started talking.
"This medicine should work." He said. Kile turned and took a bag of the medicine from him, slinging it over his shoulder.
"Thank you." Kile said.
The doctor held one of the syringes and gave Kilin it in her arm.
"I need to get her out of here with her." Kile said.
"Of course, stay safe, Kile." The doctor said and left to tend to another patient.
Kile looked down at Kilin, who looked like she was sleeping, anything but peacefully. He took her in his arms and with the bag over his shoulder started out of the building.
He knew where he was going to go. Somewhere safe and away from camp. A place no one with Carl should know about.