His eyes focused on Selene. “My lady, I have not had a chance to ask if you are hurt.”

Selene swept her braid back over her shoulder and straightened her back. Already she was feeling much better. “No. Not even a bruise.” No one had come near enough to her to even scrape her skin, although the last bandit had come close. Taegis watched her a moment longer, studying her.

Seemingly satisfied with her answer, he turned to the monk. “Cohen?”

Cohen glanced up. “I’m all right.”

Taegis nodded. “Then I will need you to assist me in helping Lord Damien. We cannot remove the arrow in his leg. The arrowhead missed the bone, but it seems to have a hook at the end. We will need a skilled healer to remove it.”

Selene grimaced. She had seen such arrowheads before; their curved sides hooked the head into flesh, making them hard to remove. She couldn’t imagine what it felt like. Then a sudden thought struck her. “The arrowhead isn’t poisoned, is it?”

Taegis shook his head. “Not that I can tell. But the sooner we arrive in Nor Esen, the better.” With that, he gathered Sten and Karl’s mounts and secured them to his and Cohen’s saddles. “All right, let’s go.”

Selene watched as Taegis and Cohen assisted Damien up into his saddle. Damien let out a grunt of pain and his face paled for a moment, then he gripped the reins and straightened.

Her eyebrows drew together. Could Damien really ride for over a day with an arrow in his leg? She turned and mounted her own horse, a whisper of worry shadowing the back of her mind.

8

The four travelers stopped as dusk settled across the forest and only a few more minutes of daylight remained. Taegis gathered what dry wood he could and set about making a fire right there in the middle of the road, the only place where there was no brush or foliage.

Selene pulled a blanket out of her saddlebag and laid it near the small blaze Taegis was coaxing to life, while Cohen helped Damien from his horse.

“Here,” she said, patting the blanket.

Damien groaned and panted as he hobbled over with Cohen’s assistance. “Thank you,” he said and lay down.

Selene looked around. Surely there was something more she could do. She spotted Karl’s saddlebag and proceeded to retrieve the guard’s blanket as well. She rolled the woolen cloth up, then brought it back over to Damien.

“For your head,” she said as she knelt down.

He opened one eye. “Thank you.” He lifted his head, and she pushed the makeshift pillow beneath.

“How are you feeling?” she asked quietly.

“It hurts.”

Her eyes wandered over to his leg. It appeared swollen beneath his pants. Blood crusted around the wound, but the arrow seemed to be stopping any further blood flow. Keeping the arrow in had been a good idea. “Is there anything else I can do?”

He looked up at her. “Water, please.”