[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
to lift her head enough to look for Faine and Drake. Drake
had lit on the ground near Faine and was systematically
punching men and shredding them with his claws.
"Get up, you lazy bastard before they finish you off!" he
bellowed, giving Faine a kick. Faine struggled to his feet,
bracing his legs wide to stay on them once he'd managed it
and looking around dazedly.
Satisfied that he'd put the soldiers on the run, Drake
glanced around, studied Faine's wobbly progress for a
moment and searched for Caelin and Gwyneth. Seeing that
Caelin was struggling to mount Darkness with Gwyneth still
slung over one shoulder, and returned his attention to the
battleground. Except for a few stragglers who seemed more
intent on retreat than fighting and the bodies and charred
remains of bodies, he saw they had the canyon to
themselves.
He knees wobbled. He locked them with an effort and
looked down at himself in confusion, searching for the source
of his sudden weakness. Arrows studded his torso and legs,
nigh a dozen all told, although he doubted those in his wings
had anything to do with the weakness. Grasping the hafts, he
plucked the arrows out of his flesh, studied the gashes from
swords and looked around for the rest of the party.
160
Lamentation of Swans
by Goldie McBride
Caelin had finally managed to mount Darkness and was
rapidly diminishing with distance. Faine, he saw, wasn't faring
well at all. He still had his legs under him, but he was
staggering.
He looked around for his stallion but a very little thought
was enough to convince him that it wouldn't be wise to
expend the energy to transform himself and make use of the
horse. Dragging in a shaky breath, struggling to ignore the
pain from his wounds, he followed Faine, hoping against hope
that the screams he remembered were only from fright and
Gwyneth had suffered no lasting harm.
He was in no shape to hurry after them to find out.
Catching up to Faine, he settled an arm along his back, in
part to help guide the unicorn, in part to help keep himself on
his feet.
He lifted his head now and then to search the sky and the
sides of the canyon, watching for a new threat, worrying that
the sun would set before Faine had recovered enough from
his wound. The enchantment would make him change
whether he was strong enough to manage it or not. He
couldn't decide, though, if the darkness that seemed to be
descending very rapidly was the sun setting or unconscious.
He shook his head, trying to shake it off.
They hadn't traveled much more than a mile by his
reckoning when Faine's legs, shaking with every step,
abruptly gave out.
Wavering slightly on his own feet, Drake stared down at
him blankly for several moments, blinking the swarm of black
insects from his eyes. Heaving a deep breath to collect
161
Lamentation of Swans
by Goldie McBride
himself, he bent over, hefted Faine to his feet and then lifted
him to carry him across his shoulders. For a moment, he
wavered, nearly blacking out, but he managed to blink away
the impending darkness, find his bearings, and begin the trek
to join Gwyneth and Caelin.
[Back to Table of Contents]
162
Lamentation of Swans
by Goldie McBride
Chapter Ten
Fear rode Caelin harder than he rode Darkness. Gwyneth
had gone perfectly limp, but he couldn't tell if she had only
fainted or if she was hurt that badly mayhap dying. If he'd
thought it safe to stop to check her, he would have, but a
very little debate over the possibility convinced him getting
her a safe distance from attack was imperative. She might die
anyway, but he didn't think he could fight off another attack.
He stopped as soon as he'd convinced himself he'd put
enough distance between them and King Gerald's men to
allow him to check her. Pulling her from his shoulder to his
lap, he pressed his fingers to the pulse in her neck. Relieved
to feel the steady beat, faint though it was, he looked her
over for wounds. Her skirts were bloodied, but he couldn't tell
if it was his blood or hers.
"Find us some water, Darkness," he ordered the horse,
cradling Gwyneth against his chest. She stirred from time to
time, but never quite attained complete consciousness. He
thought her faint groans indication enough of some injury,
but it wasn't until Darkness finally found his way to a small
stream that he dismounted and settled her carefully on the
ground to check her.
He found that her left shoulder had been dislocated almost
immediately. "This is going to hurt like hell, dearling," he said
grimly, "but it must be done."
His hope that she might be far enough from consciousness
to feel little pain vanished as he caught her arm in a firm grip
163
Lamentation of Swans
by Goldie McBride
and pulled on it until it popped back into join. She sucked in a
sharp breath that bordered a scream as he did, and then
went limp again. Mopping the sweat from his brow, he moved
to her legs and tossed her skirts up. He found the wound
immediately. His belly clenched as he studied the blood, but
he had no idea if she'd lost too much or not. She was as pale
as a ghost, but that could've been from the pain, he told [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
to lift her head enough to look for Faine and Drake. Drake
had lit on the ground near Faine and was systematically
punching men and shredding them with his claws.
"Get up, you lazy bastard before they finish you off!" he
bellowed, giving Faine a kick. Faine struggled to his feet,
bracing his legs wide to stay on them once he'd managed it
and looking around dazedly.
Satisfied that he'd put the soldiers on the run, Drake
glanced around, studied Faine's wobbly progress for a
moment and searched for Caelin and Gwyneth. Seeing that
Caelin was struggling to mount Darkness with Gwyneth still
slung over one shoulder, and returned his attention to the
battleground. Except for a few stragglers who seemed more
intent on retreat than fighting and the bodies and charred
remains of bodies, he saw they had the canyon to
themselves.
He knees wobbled. He locked them with an effort and
looked down at himself in confusion, searching for the source
of his sudden weakness. Arrows studded his torso and legs,
nigh a dozen all told, although he doubted those in his wings
had anything to do with the weakness. Grasping the hafts, he
plucked the arrows out of his flesh, studied the gashes from
swords and looked around for the rest of the party.
160
Lamentation of Swans
by Goldie McBride
Caelin had finally managed to mount Darkness and was
rapidly diminishing with distance. Faine, he saw, wasn't faring
well at all. He still had his legs under him, but he was
staggering.
He looked around for his stallion but a very little thought
was enough to convince him that it wouldn't be wise to
expend the energy to transform himself and make use of the
horse. Dragging in a shaky breath, struggling to ignore the
pain from his wounds, he followed Faine, hoping against hope
that the screams he remembered were only from fright and
Gwyneth had suffered no lasting harm.
He was in no shape to hurry after them to find out.
Catching up to Faine, he settled an arm along his back, in
part to help guide the unicorn, in part to help keep himself on
his feet.
He lifted his head now and then to search the sky and the
sides of the canyon, watching for a new threat, worrying that
the sun would set before Faine had recovered enough from
his wound. The enchantment would make him change
whether he was strong enough to manage it or not. He
couldn't decide, though, if the darkness that seemed to be
descending very rapidly was the sun setting or unconscious.
He shook his head, trying to shake it off.
They hadn't traveled much more than a mile by his
reckoning when Faine's legs, shaking with every step,
abruptly gave out.
Wavering slightly on his own feet, Drake stared down at
him blankly for several moments, blinking the swarm of black
insects from his eyes. Heaving a deep breath to collect
161
Lamentation of Swans
by Goldie McBride
himself, he bent over, hefted Faine to his feet and then lifted
him to carry him across his shoulders. For a moment, he
wavered, nearly blacking out, but he managed to blink away
the impending darkness, find his bearings, and begin the trek
to join Gwyneth and Caelin.
[Back to Table of Contents]
162
Lamentation of Swans
by Goldie McBride
Chapter Ten
Fear rode Caelin harder than he rode Darkness. Gwyneth
had gone perfectly limp, but he couldn't tell if she had only
fainted or if she was hurt that badly mayhap dying. If he'd
thought it safe to stop to check her, he would have, but a
very little debate over the possibility convinced him getting
her a safe distance from attack was imperative. She might die
anyway, but he didn't think he could fight off another attack.
He stopped as soon as he'd convinced himself he'd put
enough distance between them and King Gerald's men to
allow him to check her. Pulling her from his shoulder to his
lap, he pressed his fingers to the pulse in her neck. Relieved
to feel the steady beat, faint though it was, he looked her
over for wounds. Her skirts were bloodied, but he couldn't tell
if it was his blood or hers.
"Find us some water, Darkness," he ordered the horse,
cradling Gwyneth against his chest. She stirred from time to
time, but never quite attained complete consciousness. He
thought her faint groans indication enough of some injury,
but it wasn't until Darkness finally found his way to a small
stream that he dismounted and settled her carefully on the
ground to check her.
He found that her left shoulder had been dislocated almost
immediately. "This is going to hurt like hell, dearling," he said
grimly, "but it must be done."
His hope that she might be far enough from consciousness
to feel little pain vanished as he caught her arm in a firm grip
163
Lamentation of Swans
by Goldie McBride
and pulled on it until it popped back into join. She sucked in a
sharp breath that bordered a scream as he did, and then
went limp again. Mopping the sweat from his brow, he moved
to her legs and tossed her skirts up. He found the wound
immediately. His belly clenched as he studied the blood, but
he had no idea if she'd lost too much or not. She was as pale
as a ghost, but that could've been from the pain, he told [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]