Burned to Ashes

Chapter Eighteen

I kneeled in the dirt my legs shaky. Allister sat on a rotten log before me, his leg outstretched. It had been a few hours since our near executions with the Blood Guard soldiers and we have managed to get ourselves as far away from the scene as we possibly could in a short amount of time. The forest was aimless, and I wondered if there was even a way out. The thick trees concealed anything that might be coming our way. The thought makes me nervous. I know Bertherium is growing suspicious now. None of his soldiers returned. They are never going to.

My hands worked slowly as I cut a strip of my training shirt off with one of Emery's daggers. I observed Allisters leg. The gash is pretty horrible and he will have trouble walking for a while. It will leave a nasty scar, but that is nothing Allister is new to. He still had a scar in his shoulder from the arrow shot at him during our escape from the Blood Guard base. That seems like forever ago. A lifetime.

I push the memory away as I press the strip of tunic to his leg, using it as a bandage. I tie it around, making sure to keep it tight to stop the blood flow. The Blood Guard taught us more than how to fight. I tie the knot harshly but Allister doesn't flinch. He merely stares at his hands, caked with dirt and dried blood. The blood of his friends, the people he has known for years. Once I finish with his leg I stand, being unable to see him like this, his face was twisted into something between sadness and anger. I assume anger at himself for what he had to do.

"All done," I say, snapping him out of his thoughts. He looks up with far away brown eyes before wiping his hand on his red uniform.

"Thank you." He says, admiring the work I've done.

I offer him a weak smile, as I turn to spot the others. Emery leans against a tree, picking her fingernails with a dagger. She looked unamused considering she had just burned twelve people alive. The memory of it makes me shiver, their dying faces the only thing I see when I close my eyes. Emery is more powerful than any of us could have imagined. The realization of that scares me, considering we haven't always been on the best terms. Desmond sat on the ground next to her, his dark head poised up looking into the sky through a break in the trees. Unlike us, they both don't have a single scratch of them. A ring of bruises was forming around my neck from where the soldier had grabbed me, crushing my windpipe with immense strength. If it wasn't for Natura I would be dead. I look over to her as she lays propped against the wooden log. She was getting stronger and was now able to walk again, but her movements were weak and sluggish. Rest will definitely help all of us.

Xavier stands further away from the rest of us, his hand placed protectively on the hilt of his brothers sword. He hasn't spoken much since we escaped the courtyard, his bright eyes always deep in thought. He had wiped his mouth free of blood but the memory of his fangs tearing into the soldier still plays through my head. The gash in Xavier's cheek has stopped bleeding but was still ever so prevalent on his pale face. It needs to be cleaned.

"Xavier let me take care of that cut." I say gesturing for him to take a seat on the log.

He gives me a sideways glance, his blond curls moving slightly in the breeze. "I am fine." He says.

"Come on, it will only take a minute." I pester, hoping he will listen to reason.

"I said, I am fine Kalea." The prince barks, turning his back on me.

I sigh in defeat as Natura lifts her head, her emerald gaze finding mine.

"He is upset," she says, her voice low. "Give him time."

From beside me Allister grunts. "We are all upset. Do you see anyone else pouting?"

"He just lost his brother." Natura hisses the words and Allister raises his light eyebrows. "Have some sympathy." I know Xavier is listening, his head turned slightly to the side, the muscle in his cheek twitching.