Part 6 (1/2)

Kyra wiped the blood from her eyes and glared at the three goblins that were back on their feet. ”Come on,” she said, waving the club.

Shrieking, one leaped at her and she batted it aside. It tumbled to the ground and lay unmoving.

The remaining two looked at each other and then sprinted away, leaving their companions. For one second, the club raised over her head, Kyra almost chased after them.

She stopped herself.

There was no real danger that they would spread tales about the human girl who beat them-no one listened to goblins.

Except Arlo.

There had been goblins at Arlo's. Had he sent these to ambush her? But why would he do that? For once, Kyra's goal and Arlo's were the same.

As long as she'd known of him, Arlo had been plotting to destroy the kingdom. When Kyra was little, he'd even managed to get bear trolls into the palace. They'd killed three people before the guards managed to contain them. And he was rumored to be behind even worse attempts on the royals.

But Arlo never got punished for his crimes against the kingdom because no one could ever prove he was responsible. He always got someone else to do his dirty deeds. Someone else to take the blame while he walked free.

Someone like Kyra.

Kyra tore a strip of cloth from the hem of her s.h.i.+rt. She wiped the blood off her face and tentatively touched the holes the greck's claws had made. They stung, but she could tell the wounds weren't deep. She couldn't quite shake the sensation of it up there, feeling like it was about to suck her life away.

Kyra tied the cloth around her forehead to stanch the blood.

She had to get Fred out of there before the goblins regained consciousness.

Lowering herself to her knees, Kyra pulled Fred and his pack across her shoulders. Carefully, she stood up.

”Oof,” she said. Fred was not a small person. He was at least a head taller than she was, and a good half a person wider.

She caught Rosie watching her from the top of the hill. At least she'd stayed put. ”Come on, Rosie. Langley.”

The animals fell in line behind her as she staggered out of the clearing and into the forest, putting as much distance between themselves and the goblins as possible.

A half hour later, when she could carry him no farther and hoped they were a safe distance, Kyra collapsed and dropped Fred to the ground. She shrugged off his pack and her own, and propped him up against a tree. For a pretty young man, he sure weighed a lot.

”Fred,” she wheezed. ”Wake up.”

He had to regain consciousness soon. She couldn't carry him any farther, and she didn't have any healing potions.

She sat back on her heels, considering. There was water in her canteen. She could at least try to clean his wound.

Before she could do that, Langley began licking Fred's face.

His striking green-gold eyes fluttered open. ”Kitty?”

”h.e.l.lo, Fred.” Kyra set down her canteen.

”What happened? The last thing I remember was a pack of goblins coming at me.” He reached up to touch his head, winced, and came away with blood on his fingertips. ”Ouch.”

”I think the goblins. .h.i.t you on the head.” She sat back on her heels and thought quickly. ”By the time I got there, they'd been chased away.”

”By what?” He blinked beautifully. ”Do you know you have blood all down your face? You look awful.”

”Gee, thanks.” She wet a corner of her s.h.i.+rt and scrubbed at her face. One of the tricks to lying was to keep the story close to the truth. ”A pack of grecks went after the goblins, but one got me before he took off after the rest.”

That sounded more believable than that she'd single-handedly taken on a pack of goblins and a greck.

”So you tried to save me.” Fred's smile lit up his face.

”I thought they were all gone when I found you. Don't get any ideas.”

”But you must have moved me.”

”Just in case they came back.”

”So you tried to save me.” He just kept smiling at her.

”You're insufferable. How can you keep smiling with that giant gash on your head?”

He reached for his pack and pulled out a small jar. ”Very special super healing balm,” he said as he unscrewed the lid. ”It takes the sting out of any sc.r.a.pe or cut without so much as a whisper of a scar left behind.”

Fred dabbed some onto his head wound, wincing with every tap.

He handed the jar to Kyra.

It smelled like suns.h.i.+ne. Kyra unwound the strip of cloth around her head and patted the mixture lightly on her own injuries. She tried to conjure up pages from her medical potions textbook to pinpoint what had gone into the mixture, but the only image that came to mind was her crabby medical potions instructor glaring at her as he pulled out a copy of Effective Coatings for Blade Metals and Alloys from where she'd been covertly reading it behind her textbook.

”Can you walk?” Kyra said, taking the bandage Fred handed her. ”We should keep moving. We're not that far away from where they attacked you.”

He smoothed a bandage on his own head and stood up slowly. ”Yeah, I think so.” He wobbled a little bit. ”Whoa.”

Kyra stepped beside him and let him put his arm around her shoulder. They started walking, Fred leaning on her. ”You'd better not be faking.”

Fred chuckled. ”So, how did you happen to be so close by?”

”I was going to ask you the same question.”

”Langley. He was following a trail, pulling me along all day. I a.s.sumed he was hunting a rabbit or something.” Fred looked down and started shaking with laughter. ”I'm so stupid.”

She followed his gaze and saw Rosie and Langley avidly sniffing each other. ”You have got to be kidding me.”

”Love,” Fred said. ”It does the strangest things to you, doesn't it?” He reached down and vigorously rubbed the dog's head. ”I had no idea you were such a romantic, Langley.”

When he stood again, he seemed steadier on his feet. ”Good thing we caught some fish before we set out, as that elusive rabbit seems to have turned into a figment of my imagination.”

Fresh fish. Kyra's stomach growled. It was like the clouds had parted and delivered her greatest wish. She was probably drooling. There was his fis.h.i.+ng rod poking straight up out of the top of his pack. ”I didn't think to bring my reel on this trip,” she said.

”I wouldn't leave home without it. Towns are few and far between in this part of the world. Makes it difficult to stock up on supplies without grubbing for some of it yourself. And there's nothing like fresh fish.”

”I wasn't really thinking about that when I left home.”