Sword of Darkness by Keri Arthur

Author:Keri Arthur [Arthur, Keri]
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter

Nine

I hit the ground with a pain-filled grunt and slid down the hill for several yards before spotting the looming thicket of brambles. I grabbed desperately at nearby tree roots, breaking several before I found one sturdy enough to hold my weight and stop the slide.

I drew in a shuddering breath and winced as pain slithered down my left side. It wasn’t bad enough to suggest I’d broken anything, but I’d undoubtedly have a colorful array of bruises tomorrow, given the ground was as rough as old boots. Fragmented spell threads rained all around me, evidence to the strength of the spell Lugh had somehow triggered...

Lugh.

I sat up and looked around, my heart somewhere in my mouth. After a moment, I spotted his crumpled figure half wrapped around a moss-covered rock.

And he wasn’t moving.

I scrambled over, dropped onto my knees behind him, and tentatively reached out to feel for a pulse.

He had one, which was a relief. It didn’t do a whole lot to ease the overall fear pulsing through me, though, as having a pulse didn’t mean he wasn’t seriously injured.

“Lugh?” I said in a slightly quivery voice. “You need to speak to me. Now.”

His eyelids flickered but didn’t open. The fear ramped up a notch. Aside from the fact he’d undoubtedly hit the rock with some force, he’d been far closer to the spell than me and would have caught the explosion’s full force. While I couldn’t see any obvious injuries, I couldn’t discount internal ones.

I grabbed my phone to check for reception. The signal wasn’t great, but it did at least exist. I could call an ambulance, but I’d probably have to go meet them, and I didn’t want to leave him here unconscious and alone. If he did have internal injuries, it was possible he could suffer some sort of medical event while I was gone. But more worrying was the fact that I had no idea if tripping the spell would bring whoever had set it here to investigate. Them finding him defenseless and alone probably wouldn’t be in his best interests.

“Lugh? You need to wake up. I need to know you’re okay. Please.”

He stirred, and this time, his fluttering eyelids opened. The frost-green depths were filled with pain, but his pupils weren’t dilated, and there was no sign of confusion.

“Fuck,” he muttered, “did you catch the number of that bus?”

I half laughed, half sobbed. “Are you hurt?”

“Don’t know.” He shifted and almost immediately hissed. Pain swept across his face, and beads of sweat broke out across his forehead. “It would appear I’ve damaged my arm.”

“Damaged how? Bruised? Broken? There’s a big difference you know, brother.”

“Speaking from previous experience, I would say broken.”

“Then don’t move any more. I’ll call in the medics—”

“I’m not about to leave this area without discovering what the fuck that spell was protecting.”

“You can’t—”

“I can and will. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve broken something on a hunt, and I daresay it won’t be the last. You got anything in

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