Regal |Fantasy Ryden AU| DISCONTINUED

-21-

"Hold still.  I'm going to see if I can fix you up a bit."

Spencer grimaced, eyes squeezed shut and chest heaving with pained breaths as Ryan kneeled on the ground beside him.  Crimson blood was still oozing out of his stomach at an alarming rate, soaking his entire shirt, and it was only getting worse with every passing moment.

Ryan concentrated with all the strength he had left in him.  He closed his own eyes, took a deep breath to calm his rattled nerves.  He gently hovered his hand over the hideous gash in Spencer's abdomen, and after a few silent moments of strained focus, a soft golden glow began to emanate from his palm.

With each second that Ryan spent centering his disheveled thoughts on healing the wound, his already weakened energy dwindled.  His fingertips prickled.  His arms went numb, and stars shimmered in the corners of his closed eyes.  Still, he kept focusing.  If Spencer lost any more blood, there would be a catastrophe, and Ryan was the only one who could prevent it.

He kept focusing.

He didn't stop until he felt someone grab his arm and shake it violently, startling him out of his hazy trance.  His eyes snapped open and reality came crashing down on him so suddenly that it made him topple backwards for a moment, vision whirling and mind racing.  Thankfully, the same person who shook him was right there to break his fall.

"Whoa there, Ryan!  Are you okay?"  Jon asked with a worried chuckle, helping the young blacksmith back up to his knees.  "You started looking really pale."

Ryan blinked, stomach churning and heart pounding.  He could hardly see.  Everything was just an indistinct blur of shapes and colors.  He tried to remember what had happened, but his brain was nothing but a pile of muddled mush.  All he knew was that he was on the verge of fainting, and that certainly wasn't a pleasant sensation.

"I'm not sure,"  he said slowly, blinking again in hopes to clear his vision.  "I just know that I feel awful."

"That's because you strained yourself, friend,"  Jon replied.  "You almost passed out trying to take a splinter out of my hand, remember?  Jumping from that straight to a massive flesh wound probably wasn't the best idea."

"I was just--"

"I know you were trying to help, and you did a decent job for what little practice you've had, but now you're spent.  It's going to take a long time for your energy to come back.  Moderation is key, right?"

Ryan didn't even have the strength to muster up a nod.  His eyelids fluttered, and with an abrupt exhale, he collapsed backwards into Jon's arms once more.

"Fantastic,"  the mage muttered to himself, struggling to hold the dead weight of the young blacksmith.  Jaw clenched, he turned to the prince, who was merely sitting on the edge of a rock and anxiously chewing on his fingernails.  "Brendon, bring him some water."

The prince snapped to attention, frightened gaze locked on the mage.  "But there's only a few sips left."

"Did I stutter?"  Jon barked, completely unfazed by the prince's jittery reaction to his brusque words.  There was no time for hesitation.  "Bring him some water, now."

Brendon didn't need to be told a third time.  Terrified eyes stretched wide, he scrambled to his feet and dug through the contents of his bag, fingers trembling like a madman's.  He was clearly traumatized by the events on the bridge, but that was over.  There were much more pressing matters at hand now.  Spencer was gravely injured.  Ryan had weakened himself trying to heal the former, and he needed nutrients.  There wasn't room for error.