I only hoped my mother had that much sense.
As we drew near, the horses slowed to a trot and then to a walk as the knights separated into a battle formation. Since my mother and I were concealed by hoods, no one had noticed our presence as of yet. It was simply assumed that we were squires in the surrounding confusion.
Since we were in the back, we couldn’t see what was happening. But we heard grumblings of discord and then the battle bugle was sounded. My heart raced in my chest at an inhuman rate. Lucan was at the front with my father and Arthur. And though he was a skilled warrior, I couldn’t help but feel twinges of worry for him.
The metallic clash of swords echoed throughout the still night and I clutched my mother’s sides tightly as I tried to control myself. I desperately wanted to use immortal talents to fix this situation, to keep Lucan safe…but I could not. I gritted my teeth and waited.
And then my mother jumped from our horse. As she ran in a streak toward the front, her hood fell away and her long chestnut hair streamed behind her.
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The squires in the back froze before they came to their senses and tried to grab her.
They were too slow. She slipped like a lithe shadow in between the foot soldiers until she reached the front. In desperation, I followed closely on her heels, trying to reach her before Arthur or Lucan saw her.
But I was too late.
Just as Guinevere burst from the confines of the crowd of soldiers, Lucan and Arthur spotted her at the same time as one of the deadly marauders they were fighting.
The stranger appraised her with glittering eyes before he reared back and lunged with his long lance. Guinevere wasn’t even watching- she only had eyes for my father. She didn’t see the danger she was in.
Before I could reach my mother to yank her back, a young squire leaped in front of her, protecting her from the flash of the sharp blade. It glittered in the moonlight before it sank deeply into his thin chest, plunging through his back before he crumpled onto the dirt.
My mother gasped and whirled around as I dropped to my knees beside the squire.
Blood was gurgling from his pink, boyish lips and his breathing was raspy. Around me, the fighting continued, but I didn’t pay attention. I could only concentrate on this one boy.
His life, so very fragile, was slipping away. I could feel it, the vibrant cords of it were fraying, disappearing into the night in a very tangible way. And all I could do was to stop myself from grasping at them, from trying to pull him back to me.
"Please, tell my mum that I love her," he begged me and then he coughed, crimson blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Please."
His face was as pale as his blonde hair, growing paler by the moment as he lost more and more blood from his wound. As it was, his blood was pooling around my knees. I could feel the wet warmth against my legs, soaking my heavy skirts. And my resolve broke. I knew I had to help him. He was so young… too young.
"Tell her yourself," I instructed him, placing my hands firmly on his wound.
"Watch me, boy. You’re fine. Keep your eyes on my face."
I pushed against his wound with my hands, all the while feeling my bloodstone throb against my ribcage under my dress. As I poked against the gaping, bloody hole in his body, I felt the crushed bones inside jab sharply against my fingers. He cringed and so did I.
I opened my mind, allowing goddess energy to flow into the boy, into the jagged wound. I blocked out any thought other than channeling my energy into him. The strange portal opened, just as it had when I had saved Hasani in Alexandria and I held it open, waiting for this boy to heal enough to live.
I could feel stares beating down on me from all around, so I prayed that he would heal quickly. And thankfully, he did. His youth and purity helped him heal quicker Courtney Cole 77
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than an older man would and within a few minutes, I was able to pull away. His wound was still there, but it was no longer deadly.
As I sat back, I found my strength depleted and that I barely had the energy to stand. My shoulders slumped and my mother came quickly to my aid, pulling me to her side and letting me lean into her.
"And you told me to behave," she chided into my ear.
If I had the strength, I would have spit out a sharp retort, reminding her that we were only in this situation because of her. But I did not. From the corner of my eye, I saw the boy sit up to gain his bearings and then stand. He kept his hands pressed against his wound, but he was doing well. He would live.
His blood covered me in huge splotches and I allowed my eyes flutter closed. It no longer mattered to me who we were fighting. I didn’t have the strength to care. I didn’t even have the strength to be angry with myself for interfering. I sagged into Guinevere, attempting to stay upright.
And then suddenly Lucan was with me, scooping me into his strong arms. I nestled against his armored chest as he strode quickly with me toward safety, away from the fighting, away from the nervous and probing stares of the witnesses. Guinevere followed closely behind. I could hear her cloak as it dragged on the ground behind her.
When the noise from the battle had faded away, I opened my eyes. We were in a small clearing not too far away. It was quiet here and Lucan stared into my eyes.
"Heleyne, what did you do?"
His face didn’t reflect the fear that I had just seen on some of the other faces, but he was cautious, anxious. They had all just seen me heal a young dying boy with my bare hands. I had no good answer for him.
What the hell had I done?
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Chapter Thirteen
"Yes, Heleyne, what did you do?" Guinevere’s voice was severe and my mouth dropped open in surprise. She leaned over me, her eyebrows pulled together in consternation.
"I told you to stay behind me and keep your eye out for Arthur, not to bound ahead and interfere with the fighting. Helping that young boy was commendable, Heleyne, but you could have gotten us both killed."
I realized that she was trying to help by diverting Lucan’s anger towards herself instead of me. But it had been clear to all who had witnessed it, including Lucan, that she was the one who could have gotten killed. Her statement only seemed ridiculous.
Lucan stared at her in bemusement.
"Your highness, with all due respect, Heleyne was behind you. Although to be honest, my question for her was concerned not with her logistical placement, but with her healing abilities."
"I don’t see why that matters," Guinevere sniffed. "Heleyne disregarded my order.