Chapter 37

Karma and the other three brought Mara and Acelan down from the trees, their mangled bodies and the reek of blood making Karma gasp and shrink back. Naosis, from his position in the tree, winced, "We've got to pull that arrow out…" "Any higher and it would've pierced his lung, any lower would have impaired his leg." He thought.

Mara dove into Ecl with a scream, slamming her body against the trees of the forest. She felt the rough branches against her skin, felt them scrape her and draw blood, but she didn't care as her body sunk to the ground, her mind drowning in Ecl's icy waters.

Acelan…stay conscious…don't fall…

Mara broke the surface of the water, bubbles of her breath coming to meet the air with her. She had to find Acelan if he fell, bring back Iris for him. She and her friends were sure to die, sure to be murdered if they didn't move from this forest...Like Iris had been.

Mara shook the water from her ebony hair and climbed clumsily onto the ice. Her fingers slipped as she tried to get purchase, it took a few tries before she could heave herself up instead of plunging back into the cold, black waters.

"Iris?" "Acelan!" she screamed, her wrists throbbing. Was that the ghost of a pain that Iris had experienced? That Acelan was experiencing? Mara had tied herself to everyone in the group with a vulnerability to Ecl, and would feel it if one of them was hurt. Her chest ached from the cold, her tattered white shift doing nothing to stop the shivers from coursing down her spine and making her wings tremble. Ruffling her wings, she stumbled along on the ice, stretching her awareness across the desolate plains, wishing she could find her friend. Iris and her brother's presence were here, in Ecl, and Mara had a feeling that if she didn't find them soon, it would be too late.

"Where are you?" Her voice echoed, the words bouncing back to her, but no one else answered. She blinked tears from her eyes, determined to stay strong—bitter Mara never cried—and began to run, the sense of urgency bubbling up to her throat, cutting off her air...

That's when she saw it, skidding to a stop on the ice. What looked to be a human figure, sprawled on the ground, surrounded by a dark puddle of red. "No!" Mara shrieked, running faster. She nearly tripped on the slick ice a few times but ignored the marks her bloodied arms left on the frozen surface, terrified that the still girl was Iris.

But when the half-falcon finally reached the spot, there was no girl. No one lay there, on the ice, where Mara could have sworn she'd seen someone seconds before.

Instead, there was a pool of blood, staining the ground, spreading on the ice as if reaching out to Mara's bare feet. Her stomach churned and she retched, the bile making a sour taste in her mouth. Ecl's ice was soaking up the blood, turning itself crimson.

"Iris," she whispered, falling to her knees. Her vision blurred, tears filling her eyes. "I'm too late."

A voice made her jump and she worked to tear her eyes from Iris's deathbed, yanking her head up to stare in front of her. Acelan sat in the darkness, his eyes clear of emotion; side covered in blood the arrow still embedded. "We're both too late." He said, his tone bitter.

Mara felt the urgency in her throat disappear to be replaced by grief. She collapsed to her knees, tears silently turning to sobs. Acelan wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, "It wasn't your fault that she died," he whispered, feeling fresh tears burn in his own eyes, "She's been taken by the Star-dancer and is in peace…"

He crushes me to him

And I'm crying so hard I can't pull away.

I only want to escape to Ecl

Where it is safe.

But I don't.

And that's when she saw where she was. Ecl had warped to change into the forest, and everything was so real; she could even see her own body, resting against a tree, tears streaming down her composed face.

The Mara that had fallen to Ecl stood up, turned around, looked about her. Mara smiled, and ordered herself not to look down at the blood as she took Acelan's hand.

She may not have been able to save Iris, but she could get everyone else out of this mess.

Once out of Ecl, she heard a muffled cry of pain and glanced over at Acelan who lay near the fire, Naosis pinning him down so that Nahun could break the shaft and pull out the arrow. The snap of wood could be heard and the jaguar-boa gestured to Karma, "Hand me a bowl with clean, cold water and a cloth, will you?" "There's a lot of blood I'll have to clear…"

Acelan's face was as white as the moon and his brow was damp with a thin sheen of sweat, and Mara couldn't blame him. Softly, she heard footsteps and turned to see Karma with the requested items. Glancing down at her own cuts, Mara noticed that they were minor and could simply be cleaned and bandaged. She crawled over to their packs—somehow, they had managed to get their packs on the way before leaving— and grabbed a bowl and rag, dragging herself up to get water from the nearby river.

Washing her own cuts, she winced as they stung and a shiver went up her spine as Nahun tried to coach Acelan through the process of pulling out the arrow tip.

"Just take a deep breath and hold it and when I say, let it go—slowly, alright?" Nahun looked as scared as Acelan did as he poised the knife ready to cut the skin. Naosis handed Acelan a clean rag and he put it between his teeth, biting down hard, nodding.

Mara turned away as Nahun cut the skin of Acelan's leg and reached for the tip, wincing as it slipped out, coated in bright red blood. Karma visibly paled and Mara watched as she ran behind a bush and retched. Mara saw Acelan turn a shade of green when Nahun put it aside, sickened by the sight of so much blood—his blood. Mara turned back to Acelan and saw Nahun threading a needle. "Now, I'm not quite done yet, Acelan," he whispered, "I've just got to stitch this up…" He was trying to get his nerves under control, as he pierced the skin again, the silver needle bright against the blood as he quickly stitched up the wound.

Cutting off the thread, he wiped his clammy brow and sighed, standing, "Naosis, get him to somewhere comfortable." He turned as the crow nodded, "Karma," He looked at her sympathetically as she came back from rinsing her mouth, "Upset stomach?" she nodded meekly and bowed her head, "How is he?" she asked.

"He's fine now that I've taken care of that arrow, no broken wings or bones," "emotionally, however, I bet he's scared out of his mind with what I've had to do." Nahun sighed again, "Listen, why don't you go and see him? I'll check Mara and be with you in a few minutes after I get a fire and supper going." When Karma nodded and Nahun had washed his hands, he came towards her and Mara shook her head, "I've already taken care of myself."

Nahun chuckled, "I noticed," he gestured toward the bowl and rag and kneeled to her side, "Could I check your bones and wings, make sure nothing's broken?" Mara reluctantly agreed and watched as he bent her wings carefully making sure they were intact, and worked the muscles of her feet and hands, inspecting them for interior bruising or damage. Finding none, he nodded, "Nothing."

Mara nodded, "Good."

Nahun helped her to her feet, "That was quite a fall you two had, you're even lucky you both survived."

The half-falcon nodded, "He knows now."

"Of what?" Nahun asked, and Mara realized she hadn't told any of the other's of her journey in Ecl.

"Iris is dead," Mara, explained, "She died in Ecl…"

Nahun shook his head, sadly. "He's going to be a wreck isn't he?"

"I know him well enough," Mara, whispered, "That he will be."