The Queen's Red Lake

XXV

I don't remember my legs giving up on me—I only remember collapsing to the ground and Sasha barking orders above me. She pulls me up in a sitting position and grabs my face sternly, "This will hurt a lot."

"Thanks for the motivational speech." I reply.

Sasha ignores me but I can see the aggravation in her jaw. She wraps her hand around the arrow and Atlas is handing me a bark to bite down onto. I look up at him and he's looking down at me with something different—he's grateful.

I saved his friend's life.

I shut my eyes waiting for the worse pain in my life.

"Wait." Iris scream. "Don't—"

"—why not?" Sasha asks.

"Dark witchery." Iris mutter. "The arrow is poisonous."

"I can heal her." Sasha pushes wrapping her hand around the arrow again.

"Not if the poison was created with dark witchery or Hal blood. You said so yourself they were experimenting. Your witchery will not heal her, Sasha." Iris pauses. "Hal will survive the poison. She is demonic, however, if you pull out that arrow. She will not survive the blood lost—"

"—you're talking but you are not giving us a fucking solution." Sasha snarls.

Iris chews on her bottom lip and everything around me is becoming blurry. I shut up my eyes but Sasha is tapping my face. "Stay awake." She orders with a hiss.

"Pick her up." Iris demands. "The witch cabin—she had potions, I'm sure she will have the tools to help, Hal."

Sasha doesn't question Iris and she pulls me to my feet. I scream in pain all of my adrenaline gone. She forces me to run but most of my weight is leaning on her. I can hear her screaming at me to keep my eyes open but my body is becoming numb—I fall again and Sasha almost comes down with me. I can't make out anything but I can hear Atlas.

"I will carry her." He bends down and pulls me over his shoulder and then he is sprinting. I shut my eyes only for a second—or it felt like a second—and when I open them, I am being placed on a table and there are things hanging over me and my shirt is being ripped open.

"She's already lost a lot of blood." The woman says testing the arrow.

Sasha pulls her sword, Athene, and connects it to the older woman's neck, "She dies you die."

I inhale and blink, "Sash." I call. "Don't—" I can't complete my sentence but I'm being pulled forward again. I scream when alcohol is being poured over my wound and then something that smells like vodka is passed my way, "Drink." Sasha orders—I guess I don't move quick enough because Sasha is forcing my mouth open and the nasty alcohol is passing my lips and going down my throat.

Before—I can curse her name, the arrow is being snapped and pulled from my chest. I scream and collapsed seconds later into Sasha's arms—I wish I drank more of the damn vodka. The woman lays me back and from there everything is a blur—most of it is Sasha screaming at the woman and the older woman screaming back at Sasha.

I look down and Sasha is pressing towels down on my wound, "She's losing more blood—old woman!' Sasha spats. I blink several times and when I reopen my eyes Sasha's face is near mine—her fingers are all bloody, "Stay alive." She demands. "Stay alive or I'll bring you back and kill you myself—"

I open my mouth to curse her but I can't—fuck. I think to myself. I may not make it. The woman returns and Sasha is looking up with fear, "We will have to burn the wound closed—there's no time to sew her up and her constant moving will rip the stitches open." My eyes widen as I see the glowing red metal tool she is holding up. "Hold her down." She orders.