The Sleeping Girl

Chapter Twenty Three

Oh no. Oh no no no nonononono.

This cannot be happening.

We cannot have gotten this far just for her to be killed in the hour of need.

I stand, rooted to the ground with horror as I watch the writhing, pulsing black crowd circle around Chloe. Or at least what I can see of her, which is not very much. In fact, it looks very much like she is being eaten alive. She might as well already be dead.

Nope. I refuse to let her die. That fact alone is what unfreezes me.

Filled with fresh determination, I start sprinting towards her. I'm approaching, but not fast enough, not fast enough at all. Somehow, she ended up clear on the opposite side of the clearing as me, despite my earlier intentions to keep an eye on her. Somehow, I don't think it's a coincidence. I guess we were cocky when we thought that they would be disorganized with their former leader dead, because it sure doesn't seem like they're struggling right now.

Suddenly, I feel a sharp shooting pain, by far the worst of all of today, perhaps even worse than what I felt in the fight was Ebony yesterday. It's enough to stop me in my tracks as I feel like I'm being consumed with the pain. It's in my left shoulder blade, a fierce, stabbing pain. I wonder if this is what death feels like.

On reflex, I fling both arms out, forcing all the light energy around away, and making a little bubble for myself. I see a couple of dark creatures go flying from the force of my blow and smile to myself. The smile quickly turns to a grimace though, as I muster up the strength to stagger to the nearest edge of the clearing. Once I'm safely concealed behind a tall tree, I collapse to the ground, shaking, and trying my best to hold back the rebellious tears that have sprung to my eyes.

Slowly, steadily, I reach my arm up to touch the spot of pain, and feel something thick, warm, and wet. Pulling my hand away, I see a deep, crimson red liquid has stained my fingers.

Blood.

It take a moment for me to realize that it's my blood, and that the pain hasn't gone anywhere. Blood normally doesn't faze me, for all that I've seen and done, but somehow, this blood that is mine, and shows that I am hurt, am weak, and most of all, am not able to be with Chloe, shakes me. Reaching my hand back up, I feel the solid hilt of a dagger. I've been hit. I was cocky, I thought that it would never happen to me, the all powerful Sleeping Girl, but I was wrong, and not I have to deal with this. Closing my hand around the hilt, I squeeze my eyes shut, clench my teeth together and pull, hard.

I clamp my teeth together and try not to scream, which is possibly the hardest feat in my whole life. I've bitten my cheek, and I taste coppery blood. My teeth grit against each other, grinding each other down, and a rush of tears spring to my eyes, leaking out even through the tightly closed lids. The second it takes for the knife to exit my skin in a slippery whoosh, sliding against my slick skin, is the longest of my life.

After I've done it, I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding and throw the blade to the ground. Something must have snuck up on me and stuck this in my back. Or perhaps they threw it. Either way, I was reckless. I can't let it happen again. I'm lucky that it was only a blade. I think of the dark arrow that hit the tree earlier and shudder to think what might have happened if it had hit me. I let myself get distracted, thinking only of Chloe and wasn't watching out for myself.

Chloe. That's right! Thinking of her quickly brings me back to my senses, back to the battle raging on.

Bringing my right hand up, I cover the stinging wound on my shoulder, trying not to squirm when I feel the slick, sticky blood. It oozes through my fingers, covering a much larger surface area that the actual puncture wound. Trying to focus through the pain, I close my eyes again and concentrate on all the light energy around.