A ringing sounded in my ears as I collided with the ground, the impact jarring my teeth. The hand that had accompanied the shout no longer pressed against my cooling skin. A shiver broke out over my body from the warmth slowly spreading from my front, spreading across my skin and dying my clothes a new colour as I lay on my side awkwardly.
Though I knew all I was surrounded by was chaos, a numbing nothingness accompanied the ringing. A sharp twig stabbed at my cheek as I looked over the darkened ground before searching for my target. It only became clear who I was looking for when I found him.
My eyes met with slits of lavender and silver. The sliver outweighed the lavender for the first time. Opening them the fraction he had managed seemed to have taken too much out of Zev. A bead of sweat at his temple rolled down towards his eye, forcing him to shut it against the sting and to end the odd moment of tranquillity before death.
I didn't notice the harsh breathing above me and only got to take note of it briefly before pain rushed in to replace every sensation in my body. I shut my eyes against the pain and tried not to breathe deeply. The movement made it worse.
My eyes snapped open at a new inferno that engulfed my body. My body arched off the dead forest floor- or tried to. The hand firmly place over my gaping wound kept me on the ground while also explaining how I had ended up on my back. It made me miss the buttery smooth slice of Stephen's blade. At least it offered a quicker and less painful death than whatever had reached me.
"That's it, sweetheart, stay with me." Ryder's strained voice eased its way past the pain. It was a soothing balm. One that wasn't very effective.
My mouth opened in a silent cry as the burn in the deepest parts of my injury flared harshly. I didn't need to worry about controlling my breathing if I couldn't breathe.
Just as soon as it began, it ended.
My harsh breaths filled my ears as I felt sweat trickle to the back of my neck, soaking into the fabric and mingling with blood. They were my own wheezing breaths. Except now the laboured motion didn't carry the burn of pain and fresh flow of warmth.
Movement near me had a whimper escaping as my arm flopped to the side, seeking something out. My brain was still too muddled to pinpoint what.
"I'm still here," Ryder's soft voice tried to soothe me, but the hint of concern that caused it to crack at his next words rendered the efforts useless. "I have to make sure Ezra's alright. I'm not going far."
Ezra? What's wrong with Ezra? I tried to speak but all that came out was a strangled croak.
Red flashed when Ryder shifted to focus his attention to my side, his hand immediately busying themselves as they disappeared from my view. I couldn't see what he was doing, just his tensed back. It took me a moment to process that it was my blood that was covering his hands and arms.
I cautiously pulled myself up while looking down at myself. Where I expected to be sliced in half, only smooth skin was revealed in the tracks I created in the blood coating my skin. Not even a scar remained. Though exhaustion weighed me down, there was no longer blinding pain to accompany it. When I was done assessing my healed skin, my attention shifted to Zev.
Crawling, I went to his side as he remained face down, only half his unconscious face visible. Grabbing his wrist gently, I turned it to get a look at the injuries. I grimaced at the twigs and leaves that stuck to this blood but I didn't shy away in my attempt to clear them away. Though his skin wasn't as perfectly healed as mine, the scabbing scars I revealed had me breathing in relief. He was going to be fine. The strong thrumb of his heart as I pressed my finger to his neck helped reassures me and my lack of medical knowledge. The strong pulse was a good sign, that much I knew.
