In however much time I had left, I was sure to never forget those first moments our two sides collided. Our small force was nothing in the face of the might of the Tu'la army, yet we still managed to hold our own for those first ten minutes or so, almighty in the strength bestowed upon us with the desire to protect our home. But that fierce want didn't hold a candle to the intensity of this invading army, these people who wanted our home for no other reason than to claim our lands and resources.
That was when we spilled into the village, forced back with nowhere else to go but through the gate. As Dante had been shouting, it was better they pushed us into the village and destroyed a few things then completely decimating us in front of the wall. So here we were, fighting in the streets, often one guard up against three to five Tulian soldiers.
My back was to Evelyn's, both of us guarding the other against the swarm of eight soldiers, all breathing down our necks as they swung swords and blocked our retaliations with shields. My forearm ached from a jagged cut, new pain splintering through my entire right side everytime my armor shifted and dug into the flesh. Evelyn's breathing was ragged behind me, but we both knew that we couldn't stop for a break. Until this was over or until we lay crooked on the ground, we wouldn't stop fighting these monsters.
If we had fought these soldiers at the beginning of the day, we might have been done with them in a span of a few minutes. As it was, it took us around fifteen minutes to finally dispatch all eight, and we walked away with more than several new wounds. A gash along the crook of my elbow forced me to drop the shield I had been carrying, the burning and weaknesses too much to keep supporting the heavy wood and iron. A wound on Evelyn's forehead dripped blood into her eyes, and I heard her frustrated grunts every time she had to wipe the scarlet dye away.
"How are you holding up?" My voice sounded like sandpaper, and my fingers scrabbled at my hip, my numb limbs struggling to unhook the canteen dangling from my belt. Evelyn stepped closer and swiftly pulled my canteen off, giving me a weary smile with no emotion behind it.
I can keep going, her fingers motioned, and I nodded. I offered her the rest of the leathery water in my canteen, tying the depleted bag back to my belt when she declined. You?
"I've been better." My knee popped in response as I took our brief respite as a chance to stretch. "I hear a lot of commotion by the main square; we should head over and see what we can do to lighten the load. I assume Dante and Garroth are still over there." Evelyn dipped her head, cracking her knuckles and rolling her neck.
Of course with our attention focused on the streets around us, we were completely oblivious to any threat from the roofs above. Well, oblivious until they fired arrows down on us. Until I felt the razor sharp iron tip tear through my flesh and muscle before burying itself deep in my upper thigh. I howled, sinking to the ground as agony ripped through my frame. My heartbeat hammered in my ears, drowning out the fighting that was surely taking place around me. Was time slowing down, or was it speeding up? All I knew was the fire in my veins, the sticky warmth coating my entire left leg.
Someone was shaking my shoulders. I groaned, blinking to clear the haze of pain from my vision. Kneeling above me, sun behind her head and hiding all her features from view, was Evelyn. Her hair trailed against my cheek, the ends of the strands darkened in a manner similar to Emma's. I squinted against the sun, still trying to get my bearings. We were no longer in the street, but in an alley, hidden from view from the main road. I opened my mouth to ask Evelyn what exactly had happened, but my words were stalled as my thigh erupted into pain. Curling up to protect myself, I gasped and groaned and scrabbled at the ground.
Strong hands forced my shoulders down against the cobblestones, a knee in my gut keeping me from twisting and turning. Knowing that this reaction would do nothing for the devastating pain I felt, I ground my teeth, biting my tongue until I tasted blood in my mouth. I gasped again, needing air in my lungs more than I've ever needed something before.
The pain receded slightly, leaving me with enough capacity to focus on the world instead of the demon tearing my leg apart. It hadn't faded, but it had dissipated enough to clear my head. Evelyn removed her knee from my torso, and the pressure keeping my shoulders down faded to a light touch. I squinted, throwing all my concentration into watching her face.
"Talk to me," I rasped, swallowing several times to try and combat the dryness and the lingering taste of iron in my mouth. She leaned back, pulling the canteen from her hip and holding it against my mouth, letting a steady trickle of water fill my mouth. I gulped the refreshing water down gratefully, taking a final mouthful to spit the remaining blood out. Evelyn replaced her canteen before holding her shaking hands in front of her.
You were shot. I killed the three soldiers. I dragged you back here. Lost a lot of blood. Not good. Very bad. Her hair covered her face, and in my moment of clarity I realized that the darkness at the tips of her hair wasn't dye like Emma's. It was blood. Bright in color but drying dark. I gagged, raising myself up on my forearms to take in the sight of my mangled leg.
The shaft of the arrow had been broken close to the thigh, which must have been the cause of the blinding pain I had felt from the moment it had first pierced my skin to the moment Evelyn had shaken me awake. Red blood continued to pour from the wound, leading to a growing pool under me. My armor still dug into my thigh, and as I felt the pulse of my heart in my thigh, the sharp iron dug deeper into the tortured flesh.
Evelyn shifted so her thigh was under my head, her fingers brushing the damp strand of hair from my forehead. I stared up at her, vision beginning to swim once more as the pain built up and threatened to overwhelm me. "Not your fault. I was an idiot who wasn't paying attention." I groaned, letting my head fall to the side as I tried to conserve my rapidly fading strength.
Her hands began to fly before my eyes, and I choked back a sob. "I, I'm sorry Evelyn. I don't... I don't know what you're saying. I don't understand." For my vision was fading to black, swimming and not letting me focus at all.
She groaned, trying to sign her words slower before giving up in an instant. Her mouth moved, a broken sound tearing from her throat as she tried to speak, an ability she had been lacking for years. I took her hand, squeezing tightly as I tried to breathe. Water splashed against my cheek, and I raised my eyes to the sky, looking for the rain cloud. When another drop hit my cracked lip and I tasted the overwhelming salt, I knew the truth. There was no rain cloud. There was only Evelyn, shedding tears for her fallen friend.
YOU ARE READING
Love Can Save {An Aphmau Fanfiction}
Fanfiction"I held on tightly to Garroth, knowing that although there was nothing to fear in the forest around us, it was the demons running loose in my head that scared me." It has been a year since everything happened. A year since Zane Ro'Meave died. A year...
