Chapter 21: The Second Battle

Karlene:

We were given five days.

I had saved all of my power since Azriel found the band of soldiers marching into Winter, but I was far from replenished. I probably wouldn't be until I got back to Velaris. If I ever got back to Velaris.

Just as the sun was setting in the heat of Summer Court, we assembled to leave. Azriel, having seen what I did after the last battle forced a thin bit of armor over my chest. Just broiled leather, just enough to deflect a blow, but everyone agreed if I was going to help in that manner, I had to dress the part.

The tents were being built as the battle began. The glamor was ripped off, but this time there were no screams of outrage. Only a collective grind as thousands of swords were pulled from their holdings, as arrows were knocked and aimed.

I had been busy all day, and so the tight braid that had served me well last time was forfeited. I braided my hair down the back of my head.

Nesta, Mor, and Feyre stood at the edge of the outlook. It offered a view of the valley below, where so many would die today. Already the bowl of the valley was bringing up the screams and clashing noises. I hurried to the healing tents to check on everything.

The healers currently accepted me as their spokesperson to the High Lords. I knew many by name, and I tried to check with many of them before my own worry brought me back to the edge where my sisters stood.

"They are dying." I breathed when I beheld what was happening.

The injured or the dead fell under foot, some were hauled behind to the back of the lines if they were lucky. But they were still dying. The grass had been green before this began, and now it was another red mud pit.

My eye sought the familiar silhouettes, and armored helms.

No one had bothered to respond to my comment. The soldiers being sent to the back of the lines, some would heal in a few minutes, some needed more help than that. With the current situation, I knew we needed more fighters to win this battle. I stopped watching the fight and started looking for a way down to the valley.

There was a small path.

"Shit, Shit!" Mor cursed, just as I had taken my first step. I immediately saw what was wrong. The lines had broken. Hybern was cleaving our army apart. All the more reason to get down there.

A moment later Feyre pulled Mor a few feet away and they started arguing.

"Are you going to come with me?" I whispered to Nesta.

She shook her head without taking her eyes off of Cassian. "I will watch you too, though."

"Thank you." I whispered again and slipped down the rocky path to small pile of injured waiting to be transported after the battle to the healing tents.

As I ran down the path, I pulled up my magic, so I would ready to feed it into everyone, quickly. I didn't have time to knit the membranes slowly, it meant they would scar more. The faster something healed, the worst it scarred. It was better than being dead, though.

The first few didn't recognize me. I only smiled at them before laying my hands over their injury. They might have muttered thanks before turning away, turning back to the battle, but clashing and screams were too loud for me to focus on anything but flesh.

Soon a line of sorts formed. Depending on the severity, some people were pushed ahead of others. Everyone seemed relieved to have a healer, and to have an objective after being pushed to the back. Once they were healed, at least enough to make it to either the healer tents, or to pick up a sword they slipped away. I wouldn't have healed them in the order they came. Sometimes it's easier to get a rhythm, doing severed arms all in a row, but I wasn't in the tents and didn't have the luxury to choose.

Some I only handed bandages or set their arms. Those ones chose whether to continue fighting or hike up the steep path. I was not a commander and I did not know these males. It was not for me to comment on. Likely they knew themselves better than even Cassian or Keir or Tarquin did.

I only was doing this style of healing for what felt like a short time. It could have been much longer though. Being this close to a battle field, having the adrenaline, made time flow in funny ways. I was using mostly magic, so it made sense that my powers flagged quickly. I wished more healers would come here to help, but I wasn't sure it was safe.

There was a sudden hush, like when Cassian had challenged the general. Then a voice screamed in fear and desperation above the remaining sounds.

"KARLENE!" Nesta was pointing into the middle of the field. I could not see, I didn't have the vantage point to see where she was pointing, and she was too far away for any other information to be conveyed.

I had little doubt who it was that was injured.

Especially as I made to climb up on a rock, abandoning my line of patients to see what had happened.

Mor and Azriel stood back to back. A bubble around them as they pushed soldier after soldier to their death. Between them on the ground lay a collapse of wings that had to be Cassian.

"What's going on out there, missy?" One in line asked.

"The general has been badly injured." I answered. "I have to get to him."

"Which one?" a Summer Court male asked.

"Cassian." I breathed. I searched and searched for some pathway to open or someone who would know who I was.

There was a light push or maybe a knock on my mental shields. I opened them, even though I knew Rhysand could have blasted in easily.

Where are you? Rhysand's voice was urgent, strained.

Behind the lines. I willed him to see the vantage point from where I stood on the rock.

Cassian, Rhysand started.

I cut him off, we were losing time. Get him to me or me to him.

Mor is afraid to move him, his guts are hanging out. You're easier to move, I'll winnow you from the rock, ready? Came his reply. I braced myself to land between Mor and Azriel. It was certainly a good thing I wore the breast plate.

Read- I didn't even have time to finish my reply before darkness swept before me.

I indeed landed between Mor and Azriel. They had moved a bit further apart to give me room to work.

Cassian's guts were hanging everywhere. Like a sadist had not just sliced him open but ripped him apart.

He was still conscious. I shoved magic into him, the membrane of the intestines healing first.

"Karly!" Mor warned and body fell only an inch away, not dead. I swiped one of the many knives from Cassian's person and shoved it through the temple of the male.

"Fine," I answered.

I turned back to Cassian, I had to heal the guts before I sealed him up. Even as they were still healing, I twisted them back into the cavity. Pulling them and pushing them, I had only a small amount of cleaning solution and I used that to clear the mud from inside of his body. He will have to take something to ensure he didn't fall ill from the blood and mud that I couldn't get out.

Cassian let out half of a scream and half a groan as I pooled the last of his intestines into him and patted them down.

"Sorry," I said him as he lost consciousness.

I set to work on the skin. The muscle and inner layers could wait until we were in a different area. Not surrounded by people trying to kill him. I might have to cut the skin back open in a few minutes, but at least he wouldn't bleed open or lose any guts in the transport.

The last inch of skin healed. I turned my face up to tell Az and caught a mouth full of blood.

"Okay, he's ready to be moved." I yelled to Mor and Azriel. Maybe not the best move considering stealth, but I wasn't used to this. I hoped I never be used to this enough to be good at it.

Both parties started backing closer. When Azriel and Mor's back nearly touched, we vanished again. Right into Cassian's war tent. I had been straddling Cassian's legs, and I now did that on his bed.

Mor and Azriel were heaving deep breaths behind me.

I should be able to heal the rest of him from the inside out. I told them that, and then urged them back to the field. Where they were needed.

"Thank you," Azriel said hoarsely.

I laid my hands-on Cassian again. "Make sure there is an army for him command in the morning." I replied with a dip of my head. I wanted to ask him to send for Nesta, but I was terrified of what she might do, I didn't really need help either.

I had only piled the intestine in, I would have to reorder them. Thankfully, it turned out that I could do that without cutting him back open. I could heal his abs quickly and then be done with it, or I could be slower and repair all his muscle mass. The slower I went, the more of it he would retain. Cassian had lost too much blood fight again in this battle anyway.

The battle didn't last long after I started healing again. I was still bent over Cassian when, Mor and Azriel and Rhysand all rushed in.

"He is fine, but unconscious" I answered before they could ask. Mor strode to the side of Cassian and plopped down. She brushed the hair from his face lovingly. I hadn't bothered. My hands were sticky with blood well past my elbows.

"Where is she?" Rhysand asked, death was still laced in his voice.

Mor's attention snapped to that. "Feyre is on the edge of the cliff with Nesta." It might have been my imagination, but I though Cassian jerked at the sound of Nesta's name.

I turned back to the injury.

"She is not there and Nesta will not tell me where she is." Rhysand thundered. "Where is she?" This time the question was broken with fear. I turned again away from Cassian to look at my family. My vision swam slightly. I blinked tightly and turned again to the injury. If they kept distracting me, I might be here all night.

"I have things I have to do. If she comes here first send for me." Rhysand ordered. "Az, are you coming or staying." Mor just blinking, my eyes were blurry enough I couldn't tell if she was crying or some other emotion was causing that.

"I'll come. I think he's in good hands." Azriel clapped me on the back before leaving.

I closed my eyes and healed.

When his guts were arranged and all his membranes were once again intake, I started on the muscle and tendons. He had to have the tendons reunited. The muscle he needed too, but knitting them together could be done with little effort if I didn't try to preserve the muscle mass.

The more I did, the slower and more cumbersome everything became.

Azriel, Feyre and Rhysand were arguing, Mor was hysterical. Cassian was starting to come out of his unresponsive state.

"Excuse me," I'm not sure how that came out, my head was very foggy. "Fight somewhere else or shut up."

"Karlene," Feyre chided.

I shot her a glare that set Rhysand growling, or maybe he already was growling. All of them filed out except Azriel.

I finished knitting the muscles together, really the barest I could have done. I told myself I would take a break and get back to it.

"Karly," He sighed and helped me off the bed. It was large enough for the massive wings, so I had to crawl to get free of it.

Blood soaked my knees and thighs and arms and chest.

It covered Cassian's bed as I slid off it, into Azriel's arms.

"You're bleeding." He said as he sat me into a chair.

I shook my head. I wasn't hurt. There was just a lot of blood on me.

He pressed a bandage to my nose. A trickle had started.

"You used too much magic." He scolded. Then handed me a pitcher of water to guzzle.

Cassian again shifted. "He needs water if he'll take it. He lost a lot of blood." I gestured over myself since it was mostly his blood I had seemingly bathed in.

"Done," Azriel said. "How long until he can do stuff?" He asked badly.

I snorted. "Depends on what stuff he wants to do, how much water he wants to drink, but the day after tomorrow he should be fine to do most anything."

"Let's get you a bath and then into bed then," Azriel ordered. I was inclined to lean back and sleep right here. Azriel seemed to understand because he scooped me up, and I asleep before we made it to my tent.