Barely Breathing

Chapter Five: Blue

Thorin's POV:

"Thank you," I replied, looking at Eflin. "Now. Let's get you back to the house to say goodbye, and get you back to the infirmary."

"I'm fine," she replied.

"You're bleeding through your dressings, and your clothes. You need to be looked at by a healer, and you need to say good night to Rin."

"Fine," she replied defiantly. "I'll say goodnight to Rin, but I don't need a healer, I can heal myself."

"Are you always this stubborn m'lady?" I joked.

"You should be asking yourself that. I was perfectly content sitting in my spot in the snow before you came by, your majesty," she curtseyed dramatically.

"Excuse me, but if it weren't for me, you would have bled out in the arena," I retorted.

"You really do know nothing about me," she snorted.

"What do you mean?" I asked, stopping to stare at her.

"The venom slowed my ability to regenerate, but didn't stop it. As the venom seeps from my wound, I am healing much quicker. Your healers assumed I was completely human, but I am not. This is why your people hate me. They see me as a foe, a monster. In actuality, I am merely trying to survive, and protect those very same people as I can," she spoke, continuing to walk.

"That doesn't make any sense," I replied.

She turned to me, glaring. Before I could stop her, she withdrew her sword from it's sheath and plunged it into her stomach. She fell to her knees, catching herself.

Her hand returned to the hilt. "Ef DON'T," I called out. Never remove a blade if you aren't prepared to care for the wound. She grunted in pain as she yanked it out just as quickly. Blood sprayed against the snow, coating it in blood.

She stabbed the bloody sword into the ground and used it to pull herself up. "Are you insane?" I yelled out, staring at her.

"Just watch," she spoke painfully, lifting up her shirt just enough to see her wounds. Her old wound still struggled to heal, leaking through the bandages.

The new wound shrank down until it was no longer visible, the only evidence if its existence was the large red stain on her clothes. "So, now that you know what a monster, a beast I am, do you still think I'm the queen your people need?"

I froze in shock, staring at her. I couldn't move. I lowered my hand that had been reaching for her.

"That's what I thought," she laughed sarcastically. "You're all the same, you're either trying to find a way to use me, or you're petrified of me. Find yourself a different queen." She spoke, tossing her sword onto the ground at my feet. "I'm done."

She took off into the woods, but I couldn't bring myself to follow her. I didn't know what to make of her. The worst part of it all was that I assured her I was different, and the moment she tested me, I failed.

"Eflin!" I called out, picking up her sword and running after her. "Ef!"

A dark smoke swirled overhead, just as it had in the arena. Only this smoke was blue. I felt a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. She was out there, unarmed, under attack and it was all my fault.

As I ran toward the source of the smoke, I hit another barrier. She barricaded herself inside with the beast. "Eflin!" I called out as a large smoky beast lunged at me, hitting the barrier.

"Hey! I'm over here!" She yelled out. The beast roared and turned to her, blowing flames in her direction, turning the trees to ash. She raised a small barrier around herself just in time. As the flames dispersed, the inside of the dome became visible again.

Every tree and plant within the dome had turned to ash and the snow had melted, turning to large pools of water along the ground.

"Ef! Let me help you!" I called out, banging on the barrier.

"If I release this barrier, this thing gets out. We do what we do for our people, right?" She grunted as she ducked, dodged and rolled away from a claw strike.

"This is suicide!" I yelled back at her.

"No, this is sacrifice. What else is a beast, a monster, like me good for?" she spat back as the blue dragon lunged at her.

He grabbed her arm in his mouth and swung back, tossing her against the barrier. She grunted as she hit the ground, but quickly made it to her feet again. "Acht bin nacht hasim hasai!" she screamed out, blood pouring from her arm. The dragon cried out in pain as he stumbled backwards. "Sai hasim el nacht bottheim!" she yelled.

He stepped backwards screeching out. He lunged at her again, her hands were up. Ready to attack. "Sai hacieth muk nol an drol!" she screamed one last time as the dragon bit down on her, breaking a fang on her side.

The dragon reared back, collapsing as he shrieked in pain. His body turned to blue smoke and he evaporated.

I looked up at Eflin. She stood frozen in place. She looked down at her side and ripped the fang from it. She looked pale, like the blood had drained from her body. "Ef, open the barrier!" I bellowed, banging against it's walls. "Eflin! Release the barrier!"

She fell to the ground, face first. I pounded on the barrier, screaming to her, but she wouldn't move. After what seemed to be an eternity, the barrier weakened.

I lifted my sword and struck the barrier with it, nothing happened. I looked at my feet and saw her sword, still coated in her blood. Maybe, just maybe it would be enough. I lifted her sword and swung at the barrier. It shattered with a single blow.

I rushed to her side, pulling her into my lap. "This wasn't how this was supposed to go. C'mon Ef, breathe," I yelled, rocking her in my arms. "You agreed to two weeks, don't leave me like this," I called to her. I gathered the fang and stuck it in my pocket and shoved her sword into its sheath before lifting her into my arms and standing. We needed to get to Arwin.