In Shadows We Rise

Chapter 41

Xander

We stay in place as all the guards run for the hills. Even Atticus has stopped fighting to get to Reia after the show she put on with killing Ianira. Maybe we should run as well. Maybe we're as much in danger as the guards if not more but none of us move. She saved Atticus, didn't she? She could've waited with her attack until he was dead but she chose to save him. That must mean something, right?

I wait for her to turn our way, not sure whether to expect an attack or something else but she keeps her gaze on the fleeing guards. Is she waiting for us to approach? Is she still indecisive about what to do with us?

With each passing second, I get more and more on edge. My instincts yell at me to run away but it's like watching a car crash. I can't get myself to look away from her.

The darkness surrounding her thins. Something's off. Her dark trail of footsteps snakes its way back to her feet until there's no hint of it left. Something's about to happen. Will she attack now? My muscles stiffen in anticipation. She sways on her feet before collapsing completely.

Before anyone else can react, our leader is already running toward her. I yell after him, trying to get him to stop but he seems to have grown wings as he closes the distance between him and Reia. He drops to his knees next to her and turns her on her side. The red ground where she previously lay is now stained darker, wet with her blood . Atticus mutters something under his breath, presumably her name and a couple of curses.

"Layla!" he yells, panic thick in his voice. His sister jumps into motion and the rest of our group follows behind as she makes her way to Atticus. Close up I can see the sheen of sweat on the passed-out girl's forehead. Her skin is an unhealthy shade of grey and her chest is barely rising with the shallow breaths she's taking.

"I can't see where all the blood is coming from, please," Atticus begs his sister. He's just as pale as Reia and I'm sure would he let go of her, his hands would be shaking. "You need to help her."

Layla looks conflicted but slowly sinks to her knees. "The arrows hit her on the back. Lay her on her stomach and open her shirt so I can see the wounds." Atticus follows the orders without a moment of hesitation. Once Reia's back is facing up, he grabs her shirt and tears it open.

I suck in a breath at the sight. Her skin is mostly covered in blood but beneath that, I can see the angry scars running all over her back. Some look older, some deeper than others and it makes me wonder what possibly could have caused them. Who could have caused them. Cuts like that don't happen by accident.

I cast a questioning glance at Atticus but he seems as shocked as the rest of us. The only person that doesn't seem put out is Layla. She's focusing on Rei's fresh wounds.

"I can try to close them up but she's lost a lot of blood," she says without raising her eyes.

"You've healed worse. She'll be fine, right?"

"I'm tired, A. I'll try my best." She starts working on the one wound where Rei must've already ripped the arrow out herself. While she works I tell the others to turn around, Reia wouldn't appreciate us looking at her scars and even though we can't unsee the sight, we don't need to keep doing it. No one protests and once that is done, I crouch down next to Atticus.

He's stroking the side of her face with trembling fingers, reciting prayers under his breath while tears trail down his cheeks. I put a hand on his shoulder so he finally looks at me.

"I can't lose her," he says while shaking his head. I can see the desperation on his face as much as I can feel it. "The way things ended- She thinks it was all a lie. She thinks she has no one. I can't let her die feeling alone." I don't know how to comfort him. Things are not okay and I can't promise him she'll be fine. Instead, I apply more pressure to my grip on him to let him know I got him.

"I shouldn't have let her leave. Gods, I never should have said the shit I did in the first place. It was a lie, Xander. I swear it was a lie!" he says desperately.

"I know. It was a mistake, A, you didn't mean it. You never meant to hurt her. I know it and she will too. She's going to be fine." I can't stop the words he so desperately needs to hear from rolling off my tongue. Not when he looks so damn vulnerable and helpless.

I dare take a look at Layla. She has just finished healing the wound in Rei's shoulder and takes a deep breath.

"Hold her in place," she instructs me. She wraps one hand around the arrow embedded in Rei's back while placing the other on her back. I put one of my hands on her lower back and the other between her shoulder blades and press her down as gently as I can. I nod at Layla and she starts pulling up the arrow. Rei's body tries to flinch away from the pain but I hold her down firmly while Atticus whispers assuring words. Not that I think her brain can process them but it's something for him to do apart from panicking so I'm glad.

Reia sags in relief when the arrow is fully out but her breathing is worryingly light. Out of habit, I reach to stroke the girl's hair but Atticus stops me.

"Don't! Not her hair," he says. I don't argue but touch her uninjured shoulder instead, stroking my thumb over her warm skin.

I agree with Atticus, she can't die. After all the times she helped us when we didn't deserve it I won't accept her dying in our arms. She was my friend, she trusted me, and I never got the chance to apologize and make things right.

Her time hasn't come yet, she deserves to live. Once she opens those beautiful eyes of hers again the rest of us will do whatever we can to make it worth it. We'll make her see what good this world has to offer and she will live. She won't have to fight anymore and I sure as hell won't let anyone hurt her again. She'll get the life she deserves even if I take my last breath ensuring that.

"She's not breathing anymore! Layla, she's stopped breathing. Do something!" Atticus yells.

"I- I'm too weak," she protests softly. Her brother keeps shaking his head.

"No. You can save her! You have to save her, please!" He swears loudly and I'm faintly aware of the other rebels having turned towards us again. "Come on Reia. You're stronger than this, come on!" he mutters as he holds her face in his hands as well as he can.

"Atticus," I say softly but he ignores me. "Atticus, what the hell are you doing?" I ask more forcefully because holy hell, the man is glowing. And no that is not some kind of metaphor but he's literally glowing. His skin is getting brighter and brighter by the second as if he's about to explode.

"You're a fighter, Rei. You're stronger than this," A repeats as if I weren't here at all. All he sees is her. The light coming off of him seems to gather itself in his hands and then- I can't explain it but it seems to flow straight into the unmoving girl.

We all watch as Reia's body moves with a gasp. Her eyes stay closed but her lungs seem to wake back up. She takes breath after breath while Atticus goes back to looking like his usual self.

"Thank the gods," he breaths out. He caresses her cheek gently while repeatedly whispering that she was fine. Layla gapes at her brother openmouthed but seems to shake herself out of it as she gets back to working on Reia's wounds. No one says a damn thing.

-

"That's it. All the wounds are closed up but we should get her to the headquarters as fast as possible. I don't know how long it'll take her to wake up but I think it would be best if it weren't out in the middle of nowhere when it happens."