Just as we approach, Dathid pulls an arrow from Qince's neck. Blood shoots three feet in the air, and Solara puts a rag over the hole. Dathid rips open a small brown packet and nods. Solara pulls her hand away, and blood spurts out again. He dumps blue powder into the wound. The bleeding stops, and they both fall back in relief.
Dathid rolls Qince over. "Kyrbast, do you have anything for the leg?"
"I could use the wand, but it's going to leave an ugly scar."
"Well, at least he'll be alive to hate it."
Kyrbast kneels by Qince's leg while Dathid lifts Qince's kilt and tears the fabric of his legging. Tiny clicking sparks fly off the tip of Kyrbast's wand as if he's striking a flint. He waits until the crackling flashes flicker in a rapid rhythm. Then he opens Qince's wound and drives the wand deep into the nine-inch gash. The sparks sound as if they're hammering into his leg.
It must be painful because Qince wakes up screaming. Dathid jumps on his chest and holds him down while tiny Solara fights to get his arms under control. Fortunately, Goutadge had the foresight to hold his legs before they started.
Qince is incoherently screaming until Dathid seals his palm over his mouth and nose. Qince thrashes violently, but Dathid doesn't let go, nor does Kyrbast remove the wand from his leg. Qince's terrified eyes focus on his new attacker. Dathid stares back until Qince's head rolls to the side as he loses consciousness. Dathid releases his face but doesn't check to make sure he's still breathing.
I suck in a sharp breath. I stopped breathing when Quince passed out, and the shock at Dathid's behavior started it again. How can Dathid struggle to save Qince's life while killing him?
Qince's eyes flutter back to life and gaze fearfully at Dathid. "If you scream again, I will not let go," Dathid says.
Qince closes his eyes tight and takes rapid breaths while everyone holds him down. The inside stuff is finished, so Kyrbast seals the wounds to the skin, leaving a thick black jagged line down his thigh.
Everyone lets go, and Qince doesn't move. Dathid jumps to check his pulse and relaxes when he finds one. Dathid isn't making sense. He's obviously very concerned for Qince, but he also thought he just killed him.
Now that the emergency is over, I'm ashamed I did nothing to help. I just stood there, gapping. I want to be treated like I'm part of the team, but I'm never given any tasks because no one expects me to do anything. I don't know how to get them to take me seriously. Or at least not treat me like I'm still thirteen.
My leg complains when I kneel beside Quince and start pulling thorns. I'm getting good at it.
Dathid sits across from me. "I should've done your clever armor pulling trick, but I was so panicked when I saw him. I just ripped it off."
I'm stunned. He just admitted he was scared and gave me a compliment all in one sentence. "You saving his life outweighs a little more time picking thorns," I mutter because I have no idea what to say.
Solara gets Kyrbast settled with some water, food, and a comfortable place to rest before she joins us. If the amount of thorns is any indication, Qince was on the ground for a while before Jonah found him.
"Is he going to have problems with the poison?" I ask. "I mean, I feel like I'm covered in ant bites, and he's got way more than me." I probably should keep my big mouth shut. I'm sure Dathid has already thought about it.
"That's probably why he's unconscious," Solara answers. "There's nothing we can do except pull the thorns and wait."
We chat about nothing while we work, which surprises me, given what just happened. But I guess everyone's tired, and no one wants to think about it. When the conversation switches to Solara's upcoming wedding, it's news to me. I stop pulling. "We've been friends for like, two, possibly three years. How could you not share something like that with me?" I ask.
