When The Heart Sings

Chapter 35

Serena's POV:

Darien scanned the shore for any potential trouble before turning to the nearest life raft. He untied the bindings on the pulley and it fell to the water below with a splash. Alex vaulted over the railing with a wince as his injuries pained him. He easily landed in the raft.

Darien picked me up and lightly jumped over the railing. I held onto him tighter with the freefall, but I knew he wouldn't drop me or miss the raft. His landing was smooth as his knees bent to absorb the shock of landing. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought that he had merely descended from a rather high step on a staircase.

Alex already had a paddle in his hands, and Darien set me on the floor at his feet before grabbing another paddle. I noticed that a couple of Alex's bandages had fresh blood seeping through them. I felt bad for him. He had only been injured because he had been guarding me. Yet he was still willing to do so even with his current set of wounds.

He was trying not to show it, but his injuries were obviously paining him quite a bit. I knew he healed fast, but it was not fast enough for my tastes. I hated seeing a friend in pain. I counted him as a friend, even after so little time. Could my magic help?

I had never tried to use it on an actual person before. I started humming lightly, focusing on Alex's wounds. A body was far more complex than a plant or a piece of metal. I had no clue where to start and just let the music guide me as I held onto the desire to see his injuries healed.

Within seconds, I realized that this would not rely on just a handful of certain notes repeated over and over. This was as close as a hum could come to a song. The melody rose and fell in a complex pattern as I tried to keep up with the cues that were dictated to me by my magic. Sometimes the magic was a hellish conductor, and this was one of those times.

I didn't dare fall too far into my magic since it would quickly take over and probably turn into a whistle or an actual song. When I didn't give into the music, it made the singing much more difficult as I tried to remain in control.

It only took Darien and Alex a few minutes to reach shore with their strength powering the paddles. The difference in Alex's body posture was quite noticeable by the time the raft bumped onto the shore. I had only been trying to speed up a healing process that was already hard at work, so it must have been effective.

Darien picked me up and easily jumped to the shore without getting his feet wet. Alex wasn't far behind him. Alex scanned the trees suspiciously, "Any idea where we might be?" His voice certainly sounded better now.

Darien growled faintly, "Still on our side of the battle line, but barely. The crew must have found a nearby war camp and they have spread word of my strength. I can hear a group of warriors approaching us as we speak."

Darien's growing irritation was causing the bond to pull. He could hear what the group was talking about and it angered him. That meant that they were likely trying to discuss ways to convince him to join the war. It saddened me that everyone we encountered seemed to want to use Darien's strength for their own end. It wasn't fair.

Movement caught my eye as a dozen people with glowing eyes cautiously exited the forest to approach us. Their eyes were mostly focused on Darien and me. Oddly enough, I didn't see any true anger as they looked at me, it was more calculating than anything else. That worried me more than the open hostility had.

One in fancier armor took the lead, "You must be Darien. I am-"

Darien's snarl cut the man off, "I heard you speaking a few moments ago. The first one to touch my mate dies."