The Lost Queen (Book 1 of The Lost Queen Series)

Chapter Fifty-Five

"I told him to rest." Lonan shook his head, looking down at the prone prince.

Seraiah crouched next to Kai, feeling for his pulse while Kestrel hovered over them.

"He doesn't know the meaning of rest," Kestrel said.

"Well, he lost a lot of blood. I wasn't sure he was going to make it here, even on a horse." Lonan jerked his thumb to the horse standing behind him.

Seraiah ignored both of them. Please, don't be dead. Please. Please.

Kai's skin was cold, but beneath the surface Seraiah found the slow beat she was looking for. It was weak, but it was there.

"Unconscious," she reported.

"Let's get him inside, and I'll see what I can do," Kestrel said.

Between the two of them, they were able to pull Kai into the shelter of the cave while Lonan brought up the rear, leading their mount.

Once they set him down, Kestrel knelt next to him and removed his bloodstained cloak, revealing an equally bloodstained tunic. Seraiah's head swam at the sight of it.

How could someone lose that much blood and still be alive?

"Oh Kai, what did you do?" Kestrel whispered.

Seraiah startled when he spoke.

"You should see the other elves," Kai murmured, his eyes still closed.

The joke made Seraiah feel slightly better. He couldn't be that bad off if he was still making quips.

He gasped in pain as Kestrel ripped open the tunic over his right shoulder, peeling it off to reveal a stab wound.

"What do you want me to do?" Seraiah asked her. She kept her eyes averted from the wound, stomach churning.

"Heat some water so I can clean this and bring me anything you think could be used as a bandage. You," Kestrel turned her gaze on Lonan, "help her build a fire, but try not to make it too big."

Lonan hurried to do as Kestrel asked, even though he wasn't looking too steady on his feet himself.

Seraiah didn't move. "Still no magic?"

Kestrel glanced up from her inspection of Kai's wound. "No, I don't have anything left. I thought it would come back by now, but it's gone."

Seraiah bit her lip. She hoped it was only because Sterling wasn't here and not that something had happened to her.

It didn't take long for Lonan to get a small fire going on the beach outside their cave while Seraiah ripped a spare tunic into pieces to use for bandages.

Once the water was boiling, Seraiah carefully carried it inside, and Kestrel got to work cleaning the wound. While she worked, Seraiah took a seat on Kai's other side. The scent of his blood, sharp and metallic, filled her nose and made her stomach roll. She shoved the nausea down and breathed through her mouth, determined to help.

Kestrel passed her a piece of cloth dipped in the warm water, and Seraiah gently wiped the blood and dirt from Kai's face. There was a bruise blooming on his cheekbone and a split in his lip that looked like it had scabbed over and then reopened again. She was dabbing at the split when his silver eyes opened and focused on her face.

"Seraiah," he murmured.

"Sorry if that was too much," she said, putting the cloth down.

He didn't say anything, only lifted a hand and cupped her cheek.