“Are we, what?” Ristan asked, as the entire camp shook from an explosion. Ryder grabbed me quickly, and pushed me behind his back.
“To me!” he shouted with enough force to bring every guard in the camp to us. They created a shield around me, and the other women that were pushed inside the protective barrier of the men. “Vlad!” he ordered, and I watched through his arms as Vlad, Adrian, Zade, and more men that Vlad had brought with him moved protectively to the front of us.
“On it,” Vlad said, and began shouting out orders rapidly. Smoke rose from the trees where the men had gone to look for traces of the Mage. I looked in the air, and saw some of the tree tops on fire, but rain pelted them now, as if someone had placed a cloud above the fire.
I turned and watched as Darynda moved her fingers in a circular pattern as she made her way to me. She made it rain! I grinned to myself, and kept that it was her to myself as well. The rules of the trial did say we could manifest water. When she reached me, it was to shiver violently before she clasped my hand.
“Are you well?” she asked, and I nodded at her question.
I felt something touch my shoulder through the cloak, and turned to find the Shifter watching me closely, with his hand pressed to my shoulder. He removed it and nodded to me, before he turned and melted into the crowd.
“Are you sure?” Darynda pried.
“Me and bombs are on a first name basis,” was my reply, which caused her to look at me as if I was insane. “We are close, like this,” I crossed my finger and wiggled my eyebrow, trying to reassure her I was fine.
I could smell blood before Aodhan came into sight with it oozing down his face. I felt my fangs pulse in my mouth and brought my hand up to hide them. I smelled the iron that was thick in the air as well, and knew he’d be harmed with the deadly metal. I felt the pull to heal, and pushed at Ryder, who turned and looked at me.
“He’s hurt,” I said.
“Stay there, Synthia. They didn’t come here for Aodhan; they came for you and the child you carry,” Ryder growled.
I didn’t push, though. Instead, I nodded. “Then bring him to me. I need to heal him,” I said quietly, for his ears alone.
“Synthia,” he warned.
“Don’t you Synthia me, Fairy. I have to help him.”
I felt the urge pulling inside of me. It wasn’t a choice; I needed to help him. If I didn’t, I’d be violently ill. It was like something else was inside of me, trying to come out. My hand trembled with the need to touch him, to run over his skin and pull the iron out. As more men came through the wooded area, the need to help them become all consuming.
“Synthia,” Ryder said, his hands framing my face as everything inside of me was set on fire. “Fucking hell! Bring them here, now!”
They were brought one by one and laid at my feet. I dropped to my knees, even as Eliran dropped with me. I closed my eyes, and allowed whatever was inside of me to cure the tainted blood from their system. When I was done, my eyes grew heavy, and Ryder watched me with worry set deep in his eyes.
“Get the horses, there’s a copse a few miles from here. We can secure the area in case the Mages follow us. She needs rest,” Ryder ordered, and everyone ran to obey him. Of course they did, he was the freaking Horde King.
It was an hour on horseback before I was pulled off, and handed off into waiting arms. Ristan, who was now my official bodyguard, and Adam both took turns holding me as camp was set up and secured. They set up enough tents to house half of Spokane easily. I’d wondered why they hadn’t glamoured anything, but then Zahruk telling me how the trial required that outside of basics of food and water, no magic could be used. They might as well be mortal.
I was in Adam’s arms, with my head nuzzled against his shoulder when I felt well enough to stand. I told him, and he placed me back down on my feet. “Thank you,” I said, and watched him smile.
“No problem. Don’t mind holding you, Syn.”
“I know, but I feel better,” and I did.
“They are as mortal as we were when we first met them,” I said with a wide grin. Ryder was efficient, as if this wasn’t his first Trial, but some of the men were scratching their heads, and cussing at the tents as if they’d been built by the devil himself.
I wanted to laugh, but I hurt and I wasn’t sure why. I looked to where Ryder stood talking to his men, and caught the eyes of the Shifter on me. For some reason him staring at me was disturbing, and yet I felt no violent feelings from him. Something was off about him, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Ryder turned and motioned me closer, and I smiled at Adam and kissed his cheek before moving over to Ryder.