As I carried the boy to the camp, I wondered what was going to become of the town of Galen. Where had everyone gone? Why didn’t I see anyone on my way through the village? It was like a ghost town. The citizens would’ve evacuated when they first saw the otherworldly forces approaching, but the soldiers should have been here, fighting the Faded.

That is, if the Faded were here. I hadn’t seen a single one of the corrupted beings, besides the one I had fought. If they weren’t here, then where....? I drew in a quick gasp and began sprinting, as fast as I could with the crystal-eyed boy weighing me down. The jostling had woken him from his unconscious state, and he looked up at me in clear confusion.

“Why are you still carrying me? You don’t have to do that! I can walk!”

I attempted to laugh, accidentally letting out an annoyed huff. “You can barely stand! How are you going to walk?”

He looked down, sheepish. “I can at least try…” he muttered.

“No. We’re in a hurry. You would slow us down.”

He nodded against my chest and grew quiet, watching the forest fly by as I ran toward our post. I could hear shouts, getting louder as I ran. They had invaded the campground.

“Where… where are we going?” he stuttered. He looked scared, and now that I thought about it, he was shaking.

I faltered, and almost tripped with the realization. Of course he was scared! He had almost died! I didn’t get as scared in that kind of situation, because I had been raised to know how to deal with them. I wasn’t taking his feelings into account. This had to be one of the worst days of his life, even though mortal peril wasn’t a stranger to me, he was probably terrified.

I looked down, trying to smile, and answered his murmured question.

“We’re going somewhere safe, don’t worry. I won’t let anyone harm you ever again.”

I looked up in the direction of the camp, a determined look set on my face, and charged into the fray of battle.

I weaved my way through the fighting, dodging fists and ducking under the arcs of swords. Shouldering my way through the swarmed clearing to the medical tent, I managed to get a look around. It seemed, though the human army was overwhelmed, three to one, we were still doing well. The Faded seemed slow, stumbling around on unsteady legs, and their punches held no force. Even if they had had time to draw life from their opponents, they would probably still be losing. Without the aid of whoever had set the village on fire, they would surely lose.

I made it to the medical tent with only a few mild scratches, and I had been able to shield the boy from harm. I turned my attention to the task at hand, pushing through the heavy flaps into the tent and finding an empty cot in a quiet corner, away from the other injured soldiers. I noted gratefully that no one seemed to be hurt too badly. I found antibiotics and bandages in the first aid bag next to the cot and set them aside. I took my water-flask from my belt and poured some over an old rag, using it to wipe away the blood that had dried on his arms.

“So, what’s your name?”

He focused his unsteady gaze on me and responded. “Jax,” he said, “What’s yours?”

I gave him a wan smile. “I’m Nyx.” He grinned back and I continued to wash away the blood, which was now staining the sheets.

Wait… hadn’t the blood already dried?! So that posed the following question- Why was it gushing out, soaking his shirt and dripping onto the pristine white bedding? My eyes flew wide and I ripped the hem of his shirt up, exposing the gaping wound, a jagged cut running diagonally from his collarbone to his abdomen, blood flowing down the sides.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” I snarled, grabbing his shoulders. He winced at the sudden contact and gave me a timid smile.

“I didn’t want to worry you. You should take care of yourself first,” he said, eying the puncture wound in my shoulder.

I pushed him back down on the bed and stooped next to him, at eye level.

“If you move one inch from this spot, I will finish you off myself,” I growled, glaring at him. He looked startled enough to obey my order, and I nodded, satisfied, before I wandered off to find a medic.