Elora started to run hard enough to make her lungs burn. She needed to reach Axel before he threw the knife. Azura streaked past her in a blur and within seconds collided with Axel. He fell onto his face as he let go of the knife. It whizzed through the air and landed just in front of Cade and the gorgon.
Cade let out an audible breath and dragged the gorgon into the trees. The manticore was still fighting the bandits, providing enough of a distraction that they could sneak away. The only problem was Axel. He was beneath the hulking mass of the snow leopard, twisting about and trying to reach the dagger in his boot.
Drool was dripping off Azura’s teeth and Elora could feel that she was ready to rip him to pieces the minute she gave her the okay. Axel’s honey badger was circling Azura, spitting and chattering in rage. Azura kept her eyes on it wary of its teeth despite their small size.
Elora thought about killing him. he would take his spirit animal with him and they would have no issues. Yet if they did kill him it might draw attention to them. plus he hadn’t killed her or Freya. She swallowed hard as Freya and Rowen ran towards the forest.
“Come on!” Rowan yelled.
Freya was breathless as she pulled on Elora’s arm. Elora didn’t look at her. she watched Axel. He had stopped struggling now and was glaring up at Azura. There was no hint of fear in his dark eyes. His honey badger, Ares was circling closer to Azura while Elora thought. She needed to make a decision soon or all hell would break loose between them and draw the attention of the other men.
Speed walking up to Azura she commanded her to get off Axel, slowly.
She hadn’t noticed that Freya was still with her until the princess squeaked “What?!”
Elora didn’t take her eyes off Axel while she spoke. She wasn’t entirely sure of what she was doing but she knew she wasn’t a killer. She couldn’t kill him and she couldn’t leave him here to gather the others and come after them so there was only one choice, he was coming with them.
Azura stayed close to him, crouched into a hunting stance and ready to pounce at the first sign of trouble. Elora silently told her to remain calm.
Axel studied her a moment, his hand hovering close to his boot and the knife there. As he got to his feet Freya moved to beside Elora and drew her sword.
“Slowly,” Elora warned him.
Axel looked between the three of them and Elora was willing to bet he was calculating his chances of besting them. Elora met his eyes and shook her head.
He cast a look back at his camp but before he could utter a sound Freya moved forward and grabbed him from behind, putting her sword to his throat. he raised his hands and laughed.
“I take it this means I am coming with you.”
Freya glanced at Elora. Her eyes were wide and pleading. She wanted to leave him behind but Elora knew bandits. They never let go of their prize. He would follow them to the ends of the earth to get revenge for what happened here today.
“Yes, you are. Who knows when we might need a human shield.” Elora put all the confidence she could muster into her voice.
***
Cade was sweating all over as he pulled the gorgon through the trees. He was shaking and his eyes kept falling shut. He was sure that it must be close to night-time but the forest of Cwealming was so thick that it was eternally dark. The leaves looked black in the dimness and the trees went on for as far as he could see.
Huffing, he helped the gorgon navigate over a fallen log. She was getting heavier with each step and there was something thick and sticky over her back. Cade knew he should stop and deal with her wound but he wanted to be as far away from the bandit camp as he could get. The others had fallen into step behind him. his sister had disarmed the bandit leader and was keeping an eye on him with every step. Cade couldn’t understand why they hadn’t just killed him. It is a cruel world and there is no room for bringing along the enemy.
“You are going to collapse pretty boy,” the gorgon suddenly hissed.
Cade jumped when she spoke. He had thought that she was unconscious or at least very close to it. “I am fine. I am stronger than I look.”
“It is time for sleep. If I go any further without medical help I will….” She didn’t need to finished the sentence, Cade knew what she meant. His stomach turned at the thought of medical care. Did any of them even know what they were doing? He was almost sure Freya didn’t, even without asking her. they had doctors in the palace after all. He and his sister could stich a small wound but nothing like what was the gorgon had sustained in battle. Rowan cleaned clothes for a living, so Cade was pretty sure he hadn’t seen many knife wounds before.
He had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice the tree root until he fell over it. he hit the ground face first. A stone smacked into his eye socket and he grit his teeth against the pulsing pain. He did his best to keep the gorgon against him to break her fall.
She held her breath and Cade had to focus to feel her heartbeat. For a horrible minute he thought she might have died.
“You… you fell…” she sounded distant and Cade noticed that her mouth was hanging open. He couldn’t see her eyes so she was hard to read.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. You protected me…” she whispered the last part and Cade was going to ask her if she was sure she was okay but someone was pulling him up to his feet. Tiny hands gripped under his shoulders and yanked him up with surprising strength. he was forced to let go of the gorgon as he was dragged away and turned to complain. That was when he came face to face with two bright blue slightly slanted eyes. He became lost in the luminous color and his face heated up when he realized he had been staring. All he needed was to get distracted by her eyes. He was here for one reason. It took him longer than it should have to remember that reason was the dragon.
Freya smiled at him and his heart did a flip. God he needed to pull himself together.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He nodded and then remembered the gorgon. He picked her up off the ground. His hand slipped through the growing patch of blood on her back.
“You are so flushed,” Freya said. She scanned the area around them. “We need to find a spot to rest.”
Sure, Cade thought, he could blame all the walking and carrying for his red face.
Rowan trekked through some nearby trees. “I would rather not camp here, there are rumored to be a lot of monsters nearby.”
The gorgon snickered and her snakes hissed frantically.
Rowan turned to face them, his pale face visible in the darkness. “Oh I mean other monsters, not that you are a monster, I would never..”
“No wonder we caught you if you spend this long standing around babbling to each other,” Axel said, rolling his eyes.
Cade glared at him. “Criminals don’t get to have an opinion.”
“Right, because none of you have ever broken the law?” Axel raised an eyebrow.
Cade ground his teeth. Rowan had started walking again and Elora was rubbing the bridge of her nose.
“We haven’t actually,” Freya bragged. When none of them jumped to back her up she tilted her head at Cade. He had never felt so ashamed to have been a pickpocket in his lift.
“Only once or twice,” he lied. It was better than claiming to have never done it.
“Told you.” Axel smirked at each of them in turn.
“We do not have time for this,” the gorgon hissed. Cade felt her cringe every time she breathed too heavily.
“This way,” Elora grabbed the back of Axel’s coat collar and yanked him into the trees. Ares and Azura followed behind them, growling at each other with every step.
Cade started to pull the gorgon along again but she screamed in pain. He let go of her like she was on fire. She started to fall but Freya caught her.
Freya met his eyes. “I will help you to get her to a camp.”
Cade’s palms started to sweat at the thought of being so close to her. maybe they would fall and he would end up next to her and… no, he needed to get a grip. God this had never happened to him before.
“Thanks.” He went to the other side of the gorgon and they carried her after Elora.
***
Freya’s heart was hammering being this close to a monster. She knew that if the gorgon opened her eyes then she and Cade would be stone before they knew it. Buddy was on her shoulder and was she was aware that if she died then she would take him with her. She hated to put him at risk like that but she knew Cade wouldn’t leave her behind. He had almost died to help this monster for some reason. Freya didn’t know why but whatever the reason she wouldn’t leave him behind for it.
They staggered to where Elora had picked for camp. it was a narrow break in the trees but Freya didn’t comment on it. she knew nothing about making camp or travelling so she assumed that this was a good enough spot. Rowan was running around gathering firewood and building a fire. Elora was standing over Axel who was seated on a stone with Ares on his lap. He was talking to Elora but by the look on her face it wasn’t a conversation she was enjoying. Azura was curled up on her feet with her feline eyes trained on Axel.
Freya and Cade set the gorgon down against a tree. The smell of tree sap was everywhere and Freya would have just sat and enjoyed it but they needed to get food. Her stomach was composing a symphony. She turned to go and ask the others about getting a meal when Cade reached out and grabbed her arm. She was acutely aware of where he touched and had the impulse to giggle. She swallowed the inappropriate laugh and met his eyes.
“We need..” he cleared his throat and licked his lips. “I mean she, the gorgon, she needs medical help.”
Freya started at him for a full minute before she realised that he was asking her to help. “I know nothing about that. I’m sorry.”
He let go of her arm and rubbed his hands together. “No I know that.”
Freya tried not to take offense at this. it was true but there was no reason for him to assume.
“But we have to find someone.” He nodded towards the others.
Rowan was stacking up the sticks into a kind of pyramid and Elora was arguing with Axel about something. Freya’s heart dropped as she watched them. the likelihood was that Axel was the only one who knew how to tend to a wound.
“I don’t suppose your sister knows how to help?” Freya scratched the back of her neck. She needed something to do with her hands or she would wring them together. She didn’t want to be the person to tell him that he needed to convince Axel to help.
He didn’t get a chance to answer before the gorgon sighed and cringed. “I am going to die.”
Cade whirled on her. “No you are not.”
Freya was stunned by the determined edge to his voice and eyes. He spoke as if he was certain that there had to be a way to help. A heaviness settled in her chest. She was fairly sure that Axel would not help.
***
“You are after something if you don’t work for her,” Axel remarked, petting Ares on his lap.
Elora clenched her hands into fists. If he kept implying that she and Cade were after something then the princess might figure out that they were planning to steal the dragon from her. they would never make it to the dragon and back that way. She would kill them both. Not that she imagined that they were going to succeed. Then again, if she figured it out she might just get them to leave. Maybe Elora could still convince Axel to get that gig as royal servants. Cade would never forgive her if she told Freya the truth but she couldn’t help it if Axel did.
“We need your pets help.”
Elora looked up to see Cade standing before her. he was covered in sweat and there were heavy bags under his eyes. She hated that he was putting himself through the strain of helping the gorgon. He needed a good meal and some sleep. She would hunt and get him something soon.
Axel raised and eyebrow and leaned back to get a better look at Cade. “Excuse me?”
Cade sighed. “Do you know how to fix a wound?”
“Fix it? its not a bag strap.”
“Just answer the question.”
Axel smirked and scratched Ares’s ear. “Of course I do.”
“Then help us,” Freya asked in a voice Elora knew the nobles used when speaking to each other. It was polite and respectful in a way that she had never earned.
“None of you are injured,” he said in mock confusion.
Elora could see Cade’s shoulders tensing.
“Help the gorgon,” she looked into his eyes. He didn’t waver under her stare in fact his smile got wider the longer she looked. There was something in his eyes that she couldn’t figure out. Like he was hiding something in them that he had become an expert at keeping hidden. She found that she wanted to see it.
“You don’t have a choice,” Rowan uttered while standing behind Cade.
“Don’t I?” Axel looked at the princess.
Freya shuffled from one foot to the other. “Help her or,” she glanced between the gorgon and Cade then drew her sword, “or we have no further use for you.”
Axel peeked at Elora sideways. She stared him down but when he looked at her that intently her skin felt hot. She swallowed hard.
Axel threw up his hands. “I guess I have no choice then do I.” Ares opened his eyes to glare at his master for not petting him anymore.
Freya opened and closed her mouth without speaking. Rowan blinked.
“Good.” Cade motioned towards the gorgon.
Axel set Ares on the ground and rose slowly and gracefully. He stood up at the side of the stone that Elora was standing at, his scent of ashes and forest tickled her senses. He remained next to her a second longer than he should have, gazing down at her with his endlessly dark eyes. Then he sidestepped and made for the gorgon.
Elora hadn’t realized she had been holding her breathe but she let it out all at once. Cade was watching her with narrowed eyes.
“El?”
“I’m fine,” she said. She started to follow Axel across the camp to keep an eye on him while he worked. She needed to remember that he was a dangerous enemy, and he would do everything to manipulate her to get free. Just as she had tried to do to him.
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