Don't Mess With Time

Chapter Thirty-Two

Hort awoke with a strangled gasp and he pushed himself up in his sickbed.

A nymph was on him in moments and tried to push him down.

Hort growled wolfishly.

She backed up with wide eyes and he pushed himself up, limping outside to where all the Evers and Nevers were anxiously watching.

Hort came toward them and suddenly he was the center of attention.

"What happened?" several asked.

"How did you get disqualified?"

"Was it a trap?"

Hort took a seat at the front, grunting in pain.

"There were mistwalkers."

Mutters ensued and everyone assumed he had been taken out by those and went to their own conversations.

"But I stopped them... it hurt a lot."

Hort grimaced in remembrance.

"And then Ravan was taking me through the forest and helping me...," Hort paused, "and then we ran into Beatrix and Reena."

They all stared at him.

"And Ravan fought them... well, just Beatrix really. And then he told me I had to drop my handkerchief because Beatrix hit me with an arrow... I said no... and he... distracted me before stealing mine and dropping it."

Evers and Nevers that he now realized were sitting far closer than they ever had, suddenly eyed each other distrustfully.

As if they couldn't trust each other because of Hort's story.

"Nevers really do just betray each other," one whispered.

Hort shook his head violently.

"No! No, he was worried about me."

He blushed and remembered the way that Ravan had distracted him long enough to get his kerchief.

Nevers and Evers looked at each other in surprise and the gap between them seemed to be bridged once more.

But there was still an injury from the story about how Hort and Ravan had fought the two princesses.

But then he could see he Arabian princess limping over toward him.

She took a seat beside him and grunted in pain.

She gave him a small smile and he met it with surprise.

"Beatrix was just... she was worried. About me."

"So was Ravan."

Everyone stared at them with shock and the two sat in silence.

"You like him, don't you?" she asked.

It was a quiet little whisper that Hort had just barely heard.

He blushed darkly and nodded slowly.

She laughed but then looked like she regretted it, gripping her side with a grimace.

"And you and her...?"

Reena nodded and was about to keep speaking when suddenly there were bright white sparks in the air.

Reena's eyes widened and she was about to take off running (unadvisable when you were as injured as she), but Agatha and Tedros appeared.

She let out a breath of relief upon realizing that Beatrix was still in the blue forest.