speed for almost an hour until the horses’ mouths foamed and their sides heaved. As the sun rose, she pulled off into a grove of trees along a creek and dismounted.
Diah slowed down and looked behind him. Cager’s face was ashen and blood dripped down his sleeve. “Oni, help me with Cager.”
She caught his brother as he slid out of the saddle. “When did he get shot?”
“As we were leaving the fort.” He tossed the reins over a branch and hopped down from his horse to help her. “It looks bad.”
“It’s just a scratch,” Cager murmured.
“Then why is it still bleeding?” Diah pulled back the shirt and revealed the oozing wound. The bullet had entered near his shoulder blade and passed though his upper arm. No vital organs in that area, but he didn’t like how much blood he’d lost. “Give me something to stuff it with.”
Oni searched through her bag and pulled out a wad of faded yellow fabric. “Here.”
“That had better not be one of my shirts.” Cager tried to identify it, but Diah shoved his head to the side.
“You’re bleeding like a stuck pig and all you care about is whose shirt we’re using?” He noticed Oni had only grabbed their gear bags. The ones with their clothes were still sitting in Hinkle’s house.
“I happen to have my shirts imported from France.”
Diah rolled his eyes and pressed harder against the wound. His brother hissed through his teeth, but he stopped complaining.
Oni closed up her bag. “Do you have any healing potions, Diah?”
He shook his head. “Hinkle confiscated all of them. The black fire too.”
Oni placed her hand over his. “Let me have a look at it then.”
He removed the shirt and she bent closer to the wound. “I think you’ll live if we can get you someplace where you can have that stitched up.”
“Can you sew, Miss Matthews?” Cager’s normally charming grin appeared to be more of a grimace.
“I might have something better.” She pulled out her dagger.
“Oni, what are you doing?”
“Just trust me.” She pressed the golden blade against the wound and closed her eyes. The dagger began to glow faintly at first, but the light intensified over a few seconds.
Then Cager screamed so loud, the birds flew from the branches overhead with a screech.
Diah shoved her aside. “What the hell are you doing to my brother?”
She blinked a few times. “I…” She tried to stand but ended up back in the mud.
“She was using magic on me.” Cager winced and checked his shoulder. “And you didn’t let her finish.”
“You’re a Wielder?”
She continued to stare past Diah, never registering that he’d asked her a question.
Some of the color returned to Cager’s face and he reached down to pry her dagger from her hand. He held it up in the sunlight. “It seems like I’m not the only who likes to disguise my wand as a weapon. Very clever.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Diah knelt in front of her and waved his hand in front of her face. “Why isn’t she answering my questions?”
Cager placed her dagger back in its sheath. “Being a non-Wielder, I doubt you’d understand how healing spells suck more strength out of you than just about any spell out there. Secondly, it’s rather disorienting when someone interrupts you in the middle of the spell. It’s sort of like getting hit over the head.”
Diah rubbed the knot on the back of his and remembered how groggy he’d been when he first awoke in the jail cell. “That still doesn’t explain why she never told us she was a Wielder.”
“Besides the fact it’s illegal to practice magic without a special license?” Cager looked at him with raised brows as though he was an idiot. “She doesn’t seem to be a very strong one. Probably never had any formal training.”
“Will she be all right?”
“In about an hour or two.” He snatched the bloody shirt from his brother. “You want to help me make some sort of sling out of this thing so we can keep moving? I
Diah slowed down and looked behind him. Cager’s face was ashen and blood dripped down his sleeve. “Oni, help me with Cager.”
She caught his brother as he slid out of the saddle. “When did he get shot?”
“As we were leaving the fort.” He tossed the reins over a branch and hopped down from his horse to help her. “It looks bad.”
“It’s just a scratch,” Cager murmured.
“Then why is it still bleeding?” Diah pulled back the shirt and revealed the oozing wound. The bullet had entered near his shoulder blade and passed though his upper arm. No vital organs in that area, but he didn’t like how much blood he’d lost. “Give me something to stuff it with.”
Oni searched through her bag and pulled out a wad of faded yellow fabric. “Here.”
“That had better not be one of my shirts.” Cager tried to identify it, but Diah shoved his head to the side.
“You’re bleeding like a stuck pig and all you care about is whose shirt we’re using?” He noticed Oni had only grabbed their gear bags. The ones with their clothes were still sitting in Hinkle’s house.
“I happen to have my shirts imported from France.”
Diah rolled his eyes and pressed harder against the wound. His brother hissed through his teeth, but he stopped complaining.
Oni closed up her bag. “Do you have any healing potions, Diah?”
He shook his head. “Hinkle confiscated all of them. The black fire too.”
Oni placed her hand over his. “Let me have a look at it then.”
He removed the shirt and she bent closer to the wound. “I think you’ll live if we can get you someplace where you can have that stitched up.”
“Can you sew, Miss Matthews?” Cager’s normally charming grin appeared to be more of a grimace.
“I might have something better.” She pulled out her dagger.
“Oni, what are you doing?”
“Just trust me.” She pressed the golden blade against the wound and closed her eyes. The dagger began to glow faintly at first, but the light intensified over a few seconds.
Then Cager screamed so loud, the birds flew from the branches overhead with a screech.
Diah shoved her aside. “What the hell are you doing to my brother?”
She blinked a few times. “I…” She tried to stand but ended up back in the mud.
“She was using magic on me.” Cager winced and checked his shoulder. “And you didn’t let her finish.”
“You’re a Wielder?”
She continued to stare past Diah, never registering that he’d asked her a question.
Some of the color returned to Cager’s face and he reached down to pry her dagger from her hand. He held it up in the sunlight. “It seems like I’m not the only who likes to disguise my wand as a weapon. Very clever.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Diah knelt in front of her and waved his hand in front of her face. “Why isn’t she answering my questions?”
Cager placed her dagger back in its sheath. “Being a non-Wielder, I doubt you’d understand how healing spells suck more strength out of you than just about any spell out there. Secondly, it’s rather disorienting when someone interrupts you in the middle of the spell. It’s sort of like getting hit over the head.”
Diah rubbed the knot on the back of his and remembered how groggy he’d been when he first awoke in the jail cell. “That still doesn’t explain why she never told us she was a Wielder.”
“Besides the fact it’s illegal to practice magic without a special license?” Cager looked at him with raised brows as though he was an idiot. “She doesn’t seem to be a very strong one. Probably never had any formal training.”
“Will she be all right?”
“In about an hour or two.” He snatched the bloody shirt from his brother. “You want to help me make some sort of sling out of this thing so we can keep moving? I
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