The Rogue Lady

Chapter Twenty Four

     Check out the map in the external link, and let me know if there are any mistakes.

     **

     Who knew a siren left a poisonous wound? I didn’t. Had I known, I would have had someone take care of it the second the siren turned to foam. But it wasn’t the wound on my stomach that had been filled with poison. No, that would be the claw marks on my left shoulder, the one that had stitched itself back together on its own. It also explained why my arm was slowly going numb. Decidedly people had something against that shoulder. The three marks that had been left slowly turned a bright red. And after a while, the numbing sensation wore off and my entire arm started throbbing. William had been about to make the rebels start moving again when the first cry escaped my lips.

     That was ten minutes ago; I had a hard time containing the cries of pain now. Or at the least keeping the noise down was becoming more difficult. And meanwhile, Eric and William were arguing about whether to keep moving or not. They seemed to be completely oblivious to me so I had Darrick help me take off my long-sleeved shirt again. Together we watched the wounds go from bright red to sickly yellow.

     “Guys, cut it out!” I called, trying to bite back another cry of pain without much luck. “I’m not an expert on poison but isn’t it supposed to be flushed out as soon as possible? You know, to keep from dying,” I added sarcastically. Wow, I might be dying but I could still muster up some sarcasm.

     A particularly strong wave of pain washed over me, causing me to cry out louder than I had before. At least it snapped them into action. Darrick was leading me away from the group, no need to frighten them, and Eric made a quick decision with William before following us. My four archers were suddenly there as well. It was always the same six people around me, which was strange but I had gotten used to it. It had become almost comforting. In between trees, hidden from view, Darrick made me sit down. A bag was handed from Tom to Eric who handed it to Harper. The archer took out a piece of cloth, a small but sharp knife and a leather belt. Bram was holding two vials, both uncorked.

     “Maybe you should lie down, that way it will be easier for Darrick to hold you down,” Harper said while wiping the knife clean.

     I did was he asked, trusting him as blindly as he trusted me. My heart beat faster as I watched Harper kneel down beside me. Darrick sat down on the other side while Alex grabbed my ankles, pinning my legs down. It was like they had done this before, which was in turn reassuring and a bit demoralizing. Darrick put the belt between my teeth for me to bite on and flashed me a quick smile before putting a hand on my right shoulder and one on my lower arm.

     “I’ll count to three, okay,” Harper informed me. One knee was pinning down my left arm, his hand moving the knife to my shoulder. I squeezed my eyes shut at that point. “One…” I heard Harper count before pain ripped through my shoulder. I bit down on the leather so hard that I was afraid I would eat a chunk out of it. In my head, I cursed. My mother would have been so mad if I had said any of it out loud. I cursed the siren for poisoning me. I cursed myself for letting it happen. I cursed Harper for lying to me. I cursed myself for lying to them. I cursed the Queen for so many things. It seemed to last for hours and maybe it did. I didn’t open my eyes until I felt the pain lessen. I opened them slightly at first and then entirely and saw everyone looming over me.

     “Is it done? Is the poison gone?” I asked after I spit out the belt, which amazingly wasn’t missing a chunk.

     “Most of it. Do you want a minute before I clean it out?” Harper held up a flask and I knew what was left to be done.

     “Let’s just get it over with,” I breathed, closing my eyes again.

     The first cool liquid that was poured over my shoulder was just cold; I guessed it must have been water. The second one burned my shoulder and made me hiss in pain once more. I even let out a whispered curse; I didn’t care if anyone heard me at that point. Someone helped me sit up and I let them. When I opened my eyes Harper was still sitting in front of me.