The School for Good and Evil: Return of the School Masters (fanfic)

Chapter 19

Katrina caught Tedros as he collapsed. He gagged, her hand pressing into his side.

"I'm sorry." She set him down gently, holding his shoulders as she searched the area. "I need to clean the wound so it doesn't get infected. And you're burning hot."

Tedros choked a laugh. "That'd be funny if I wasn't-"

"You're not dying," she interrupted. "Where's the river?"

The prince clenched his eyes, brow furrowed. "Head west. Er, go forward."

Katrina pulled his arm over her shoulder and lifted him. They hobbled west through the burned forest, Tedros groaning the whole way. Katrina held in her joy at seeing the crystal water. She set the prince by a tree and tore part of her cloak. She soaked the material and dabbed his wound. Tedros gritted his teeth and squirmed.

She stopped to remove his cloak and open up the torso of his tunic, exposing the wound so she could work better. He still fidgeted as she cleaned off the blood. "I'm nervous as it is. Please stop moving."

"You're not even doing anything except making it worse."

She glared at him. "What would be worse is if I didn't clean it and you got infected with some kind of disease from the Never's knife."

Tedros froze against the tree, eyes wide. "That's a thing?" She let the thought hang. Tedros held his ground a little better as she finished.

Katrina ripped the hood off her cloak and folded it tight, placing it against his wound. She ripped the rest of the material into strips and used a spell to make them one long piece. She wrapped his side, keeping the folded hood against the wound as it got tighter.

Tedros took a shaky breath when she finished. Bullets of sweat poured down his cheeks and chest. "It hurts to breath."

Katrina helped him closer to the water. "Drink. It should help bring your temperature down."

He scooted closer to the calm river, cupped his hand, and scooped some water into his mouth. He splashed his face, shaking his hair dry. Katrina sat quietly, just watching his every movement. Ready to help if needed.

Tedros felt her stare and wiped his face. "What?"

She rubbed her hands together stiffly. "How'd you find me?"

He sat up with a groan, propped on his elbow. "I was walking along the river when I saw the fire. That Never walked right in and brought down the flames with a counter. Moment he said School Masters, I knew it was you he was after."

Katrina bowed her head. The night air tasted stale. No breeze came through, just a constant chill that settled over everything. She hugged her shoulders, trying to fight the shakes.

Heavy fabric covered her shoulders. Tedros brought her into his chest, rubbing warmth back into her body. "Don't believe a word he said. You're the bravest person I know."

She wrapped her arms around him. "You're just saying that."

"Is it working?"

Katrina giggled. It was strange, being so close to him. Yet, so comforting. Perhaps because he was the first friendly face she'd seen so far. Or the chaos and adrenaline of the night was leaving her loopy. Whatever the case, she didn't want him to let go.

So when he did, she didn't understand. He tied his cloak around her and got up shakily. She rose and held him up. "We should move," he said. "Still a few more hours before daylight." He gave her that sad smile, the one from the night's start.

Tedros hobbled toward the trees, the girl with gray eyes holding his arm. He had to admit, she did a great job on the bandage. And she had a killer swing with that branch earlier. August was lucky.

Her gray eyes sparkled like small stars, cheeks still stained from all her crying. Her matted brown hair fell across her face, ash still clinging to the strands. He clenched his hand, refusing to brush her hair away. She didn't want him, she wanted August. And he wouldn't stand in the way.

Side on fire, Tedros pushed through the pain. Despite the fear and obvious danger, this was the best night of his time at Good. No performance or girls to show off for. Just him and victory. The end of the night would be him fulfilling his father's accomplishment. Winning the Trial by Tale. Yet every obstacle and passing hour made him dread the sunrise. Up to this moment, hand in hand with the girl with gray eyes.

"We should stop." She halted his progress, using her body to block his forward momentum.

So close. But so very far. Tedros turned away from her eye. "Okay." He sat sluggishly, moaning as he adjusted next to a tree.

She knelt beside him, moonlight shining on her pale face. "Why the look?"

"No look." He rubbed his arms, chest exposed to the cold. She took the cloak off and tried to wrap it around him. "No, that's for you."

"It's yours."

"And I'm giving it to you."

"Why?"

He pursed his lips. Her eyes pleaded for an answer. Why was it so hard to hold her gaze? Tedros eyed his shivering arms. "I promised myself that I would keep you safe. For August. He's not here, so someone has to make sure things don't go wrong." The silence of the night resounded through the trees.

A warm breath touched his cheek. Tender lips glanced off his skin. His heart skipped, shocked eyes turned to her.

She tilted her head. "August broke it off. His kiss was nothing. Which seems to be a running theme for me." Her eyes grew somber. "It doesn't seem like I'm worth anything to anyone. My journey here can be chalked up to getting my brothers in their rightful place; I'm nothing in comparison."

Tedros straightened. He took her cheek into his hand, lifting her eyes to him. "I could only dream of having siblings like yours. Not because they're powerful, because they loved you enough to travel so far and try to get you back. Something worth that much sacrifice and risk is more important than any magic in this world." He wiped her tears away, just staring into those glimmering eyes.

He knew what needed to be done. They continued onward, not encountering any obstacles or Nevers in the forest. Sparks would fly into the air, Tedros keeping a head count. All Evers were gone except them and two Nevers were left inside.

They came up to the river by the bridge, the moon hidden from sight. Screams preceded two sets of red sparks flying into the air. Tedros didn't think much about what happened to them, double-checking his count. Only they were left.

The sky brightened. Tedros pulled his handkerchief off his belt. Bloody, but still bright white. He knelt to put it down.

"What are you doing!" She grabbed his hand, holding the fabric away from the ground. "It's almost sunrise. We both win."

He shook his head. "No. I don't deserve this win. If not for you, I wouldn't be here." He gently pulled his hand away. "You're so very special. And everyone will see it now."

Tears streamed down her cheeks. If he was going to give her the win, he had to do it now. The sun was nearly here.

She hugged his neck. "Katrina. My name's Katrina."

Tedros dropped the handkerchief and wrapped his arms around her. They held each other close as the fabric fluttered lightly to the ground. Tedros vanished in a ray of fireworks, but Katrina could still feel his presence in her grasp.