Supporting Arin's weight as they travelled further from the healer's cabin, Kael stumbled onto the woodland. The moist night air coated his skin, mingling with his blood and perspiration on his garments. Every step was a struggle; Arin's injury was more severe than it seemed, and Kael could sense his friend's life force ebbing away from him at every moment.
Arin gulped, his words hardly audible. "We cannot stop here." With fingers shaking, his hand clasped Kael's shoulder. They will... discover us.
Kael's jaw locked. "Quiet," he murmured with a sharp gesture. "Save your strength."
They persisted, the dense forest vegetation providing some concealment. The assailants had been ready and almost perfect in their ambush. Replaying the battle in his head, Kael sought hints—how they knew, who sent them. His gut felt that this was not a chance occurrence. Though Shen had numerous foes, this felt focused.
He noticed a weak slink of light ahead. He changed his hold on Arin to point them in that direction. Under the moonlight, the forest broke out into a little clearing with a glistening shallow stream. Kael helped Arin down by the edge of the river, his gaze looking around for any indication of Chase.
"Stay awake," Kael said, bending next to Arin. He pushed a scrap of fabric he had ripped from his sleeve over Arin's side's wound. Blood leaked across the improvised bandage practically right away.
"This mission... was doomed from the start," Arin said, his voice tinged with resentment. "Shen understood."He knows always.
Kael's hands stopped as Arin's words sank in weight. "What are you talking about??"
Arin's lips drew into a thin, cynical smile. "You think... you're his favorite?" asked He coughed, his body wracked with a spasm of pain. For him, we are only tools. Necessary.
Kael's countenance clouded. He had always understood Shen's techniques were brutal and his aspirations were unbounded. However, hearing it spoken out loud in this vulnerable moment brought reality closer. He pushed harder on the bandage; Arin grimaced in agony.
"Stop talking," Kael ordered, his voice cooler than he wanted. "Pay close attention to survival."
Arin's eyelids flickered, his strength swiftly evaporating. "Kael... don't trust him; if you make it back, off. He's going to... His head lolled to the side, and his words stopped.
Kael closed his hands around the bloodstained fabric in his grasp. He couldn't risk losing Arin in this situation. His brain ran back to the hut, remembering the words of the healer. The formula was a burden, a power that might save or destroy, not only a recipe. The healer had spoken with conviction and clarity that shook Kael in ways he couldn't articulate.
"Damn it," Kael said under his breath. His limited healing knowledge could not save Arin; it would take too much time to return him to the Dark Sect. The one he avoided thinking about was the only alternative left.
He turned back toward the hut, the road darkly covered. The healer could save Arin. Returning meant, however, violating the exact laws confining him to the Dark Sect. It implied running all the risk.
Kael's hold on his blade got tighter. From the minute he could hold a weapon, Shen had drilled loyalty into him. But loyalty had restrictions, and tonight those restrictions were on trial.
Kael remarked, his voice firm, "Stay here." Kael supported Arin against a tree to prevent him from sliding into the stream. "I'll be back."
Arin opened his eyes, uncertainty and suffering blending in his view. "Keal... don't..."
But Kael was already moving, his movements stealthy and rapid as he turned back their route. Every rustle of leaves and snap of twigs reminded him of the threats hiding in the shadows; the forest seemed to shut in about him. His head spun with contradicting ideas, each more loud than the next.
The hut of the healer emerged, its outline sharp against the nighttime heavens. Kael went slowly, his blade pulled. Their attackers' bodies still lay scattered on the ground, their blood absorbing into the ground. The hut's entrance was open, the faint glimmer of firelight pouring forth.
Kaels entered, and the healer noticed him right away. The man's face stiffened, and his eyes narrowed as he absorbed Kael's bloodstained figure.
"Back so soon?" the healer questioned, sarcasm tinging his voice. "Did you come to wrap up what you started?
Kael sheathed his weapon, staring steadily. "I could use your assistance."
The healer raised startled eyebrows, but he soon covered them. Assistance? From me? The one you were supposed to murder? He turned his head and laughed bitterly. "You are rather nervous."
"My companion is dying," Kael remarked, his voice steady. "You have time to save him."
The healer watched Kael for a protracted period, his expression opaque. "And why should I help you?"
Kael hesitated, the weight of the inquiry settling on him. "Because you are a healer," he responded at last. What you do is save lives.
Though his caution remained, the healer's eyes softened. He moved deliberately to get his provisions. "Lead the way," he murmured in a subdued voice. If this is a trap, though, you won't live to regret it.
Kael nodded, his chest tight with a mix of relief and anxiety. They exited the cottage together; the healer trailed closely behind. Now the forest appeared even darker, the weight of their decisions hovering large in the air.
Arin was hardly conscious, his breaths shallow, when they arrived at the clearing. The healer knelt next to him, evaluating the damage with hands that moved with trained accuracy.
"He's lost a lot of blood," the grim-toned medic stated. Nonetheless, I can save him.
Kael observed silently while the healer worked; his mind was a swirl of contradictory feelings. He had disobeyed Shen's directions and broken the law. Still, he felt a flutter of something he thought he had lost: hope—the first in years.
Kael felt as the evening wore on that this assignment was simply the beginning. Arin's warnings, the healer's comments, the ambush—all of them pointed to a greater truth that would push Kael to face not only his allegiance to Shen but also the very core of his identity.