Dark Gathering by Karlene Cameron

Author:Karlene Cameron [Cameron, Karlene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-09-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Five

Caitriona felt Duncan’s presence almost as if he was standing next to her. Every fiber of her body was attuned to him, the energy around her crackling and moving the air as her energy reached for him. Her body ached for his, the physical need overshadowing the physical injuries she had sustained.

She shook her head and rolled her neck, trying to assuage the pain that coursed from her head in sharp stabs. She brought her hand up to her head and felt the gash that was now wet from her blood. She held her fingers up in front of her face, trembling when she saw how much blood coated her fingers. She closed her eyes and tried to remember what had happened. Think, she chided herself, trying to shake the fear that threatened to consume her.

She shifted uncomfortably and became aware of the hard snow that was stained red with her blood. Slowly pulling herself to her feet, she looked at the twisted, decayed, burnt landscape that stretched as far as she could see. Fifty meters in front of her, she could see smoke from an earlier battle. She knew the destruction that had occurred here was likely not even hours old. Corpses were strewn across the snow packed land, some with their faces turned toward the cold ground, while others stared lifeless at a cloudless sky they no longer saw.

She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the impregnable cold. The wind whistled in her ears and tore through the remnants of the gown she wore. She was missing one slipper and already her foot was growing numb from the cold. She had to find shelter soon.

In the distance, she saw a tall spire and soon realized she was looking at the Washington Monument—or rather, what remained of the monument. The building was nearly shorn in half and the flags that once circled the base were no longer there. Turning, she saw the White House at the end of the Mall, the Order’s flags waving in the wind. Soldiers were circling the building, their weapons drawn. She crouched low, unsure where to go. In the open, snow-packed area, she heard the groans of wounded soldiers, some climbing clumsily to their feet. What soldiers remained after the explosions were now either dead or wounded. While the soldiers were currently preoccupied assisting other soldiers or removing the dead from the battlefield, she knew she didn’t have much time until someone spotted her. What happened here? she thought. Were Duncan’s men responsible for the carnage? If so, where was he?

Her left arm hung limp and useless at her side, a large cut above the shoulder sending rivulets of blood down her exposed arm. Taking the hem of her dress in her teeth, she used her good arm to tear a large swath of fabric and did her best to wrap the makeshift bandage around her head. Tearing another long piece, she clumsily wrapped her foot knowing it would be little protection from the harsh snow and ice that were already turning her foot blue.

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