The Binding (Chronicles of Azaria #1) (8 page)

I managed to get my head up to check our position. We
’d broken into a maze of rocky hills, surrounded by sheer canyon walls. Here at last Cielo slowed, winding his way around the boulders, before he stopped at a cave mouth. His breaths chugged out in steamy whispers, and he was drenched with sweat. Somehow I seemed to be puffing more than he was; partly because of the adrenaline rush, but mostly because Ryan was holding me as if I’d evaporate.

The moment I gave that thought prominence, my arms trembled. A deep hunger gnawed inside, and it was all I could do not to turn around and lock Ryan into an embrace. By the Goddess, I didn
’t want to deal with this, not now!

Ryan wasn
’t moving. His face was buried in my cloak hood, and his breaths came in short, ragged gasps. I frowned.

“Ryan?” I nudged him with my elbow. A pained croak answered me. “Ryan, say something!”

With difficulty I twisted round, not caring for the heat in my cheeks as my hair mixed with his. Ryan slumped on my shoulder, unable to keep himself upright. His strength had left him. What the heck? He’d been fine a minute ago.

“E…Eliza…” he rasped. Weakly he jabbed his thumb towards himself. “Shot.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. Shot…did he say
shot
?

Freeing my bad foot from the stirrup, I flipped myself around, ignoring the twinge in my ankle. Ryan tried to remain sitting, bracing his arms against the saddle, but the moment I touched him
, he fell forward, almost pushing us both off. With a groan, I grappled to keep us upright. Still the Binding tried to interfere, begging me to draw him close and give in to the taste of his lips.

I shook my head vigorously. No way I
’d let that curse have its way when I needed to focus. Ryan was hurt, and I had to get us off Cielo so I could do something about it.

A cold blast of air whistled through the canyon, and I hissed. My nose and ears were turning raw. It wouldn
’t be long before my teeth started chattering, too. I had to protect myself, else we’d both turn to icicles.

I fumbled on the saddle. Somehow my scarf remained entangled in my lap, so I pulled it free and with one hand wrapped it around my face. Just as well, for in that moment
, something chilly and wet danced onto my forehead. I looked up. Another snowflake spiralled into my eye, and I blinked it away, but soon the air filled with shimmering speckles.

The first snow of winter had arrived.

Cursing, I dug my fingers into Ryan’s arms. Tingles raced towards my neck, and I snarled, crushing the sensation before it took hold. I didn’t have time to play with the spell.

“Ryan, stay awake,” I said. Ryan
’s eyelids flickered, before he wearily looked at me. He seemed confused. “Listen to me. We’ve got to get off Cielo and back to the ground. I can’t do it unless you co-operate.” His eyes began to close again. “Ryan…RYAN!”

I pinched his eyebrow, and he flinched. Good, he wasn
’t totally gone yet. Grateful for the hours I’d spent with Father taking care of his semi-conscious patients, I put one hand on Ryan’s shoulder and the other on his thigh.

“Lift this leg,” I said, my voice echoing. Ryan murmured, then began to move. He managed to raise his right leg and brought it over the saddle. Now came the tricky part; I had to do the same, whilst keeping him upright
and
taking care not to knock my ankle.

The saddle creaked as I bent my good leg to kneel, making it easier to keep my balance. With some clever manoeuvring, I got both my feet to the same side, and without tipping Ryan off, either. I anchored his arm over my shoulder, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.

“Ready?” I asked. Ryan managed a brief nod. “Okay, on three. One, two, three!”

Ryan pushed off the saddle, and we descended to the ground. He couldn
’t stand, though, and he sagged onto me. His sandy locks brushed my cheek, and I wanted so much to run my hand through them…

I bit my lip so hard it almost drew blood.
Cut it out! He was barely conscious. If I delayed much longer, he’d pass out, and there was no way I could carry him anywhere, even without a sprained ankle.

“Sorry,” Ryan whispered. “Cold…cave…” He was getting more drowsy.

“I hear you, stay with me,” I commanded. Grimacing, I stretched out my left foot. I was really going to feel this in the morning, but I’d wrapped my ankle tight, so even without my stick I could hobble along. Ryan tried his best to take his own steps, so I didn’t have to cope with his entire weight, but he dragged his feet, and I was afraid he might twist something as well. Not to mention a certain curse kept trying to put my hands in places definitely not appropriate when helping someone walk.

Why did the Goddess hate me so much?

Cielo followed us into the cavern. Its edges sloped upwards, forming a dome-like roof studded with stalactites. Pillars of rock flanked the entrance, protecting us from the blizzard. I breathed a sigh of relief. Neither the snow nor the wind would penetrate through, so we’d be spared the worst of it. Still, it wasn’t what I’d call toasty. Looking for firewood was out of the question, so I forced Ryan to walk as far away from the entrance as he could.

“Out…take it out…” Ryan started to shake. He dug his heels into the ground and gripped my shoulder. “Please…I can
’t…”

“Take it easy,” I said. “We have to get out of the snow first. I promise I won
’t let you go.”

My
heart burned. He was so scared; as scared as I’d been when escaping the bear in the Galgiza. The Binding crept over me again, and my other arm wrapped around Ryan. Before it would tighten into an embrace, I pushed him against the wall. Ryan’s knees buckled and we both collapsed to the ground. He arched his back, trying to keep his left side away from the icy stone. I leant over to take a look, but it was too dark. I needed a light.

Propping him between a stalagmite and the wall, I limped back to Cielo, holding a hand against the stone to ease the stinging in my foot. When I was near enough, the horse nuzzled my shoulder, seeking reassurance.

“Don’t worry,” I said, stroking his mane. “I’ll look after Ryan. I promise.”

I felt along his neck towards the packs. The first thing I removed was my stick. If I had to put pressure on my ankle any longer
, it would give way and I’d be worse than useless. With that sorted, I snatched the bags and dumped them by the cavern’s entrance. Fortunately, my night vision was at its keenest, so as I rummaged through I could see what I was doing. I found a small medicine pack, and took out the spare shirt. As I yanked out the fabric, a wax stump rolled against my knee.

A candle! Phew. A quick search in the other pack rewarded me with a pair of flints, and soon I had the light I wanted.

Picking up the water skin, I hobbled back to Ryan, my make-shift medical kit in tow. His breathing had deepened.

“Ryan?” No response. Frowning, I pressed my knuckle against his breastbone, the way Father did when he assessed someone unconscious. Ryan groaned, but didn
’t waken. Sighing, I laid him onto his side, so his back faced me. A dark patch of blood stained his coat on the left side. I frowned. Whatever missile had hit him had fallen out. That would make identifying the toxin more difficult. No simple projectile would have turned him so stuperous so quickly.

I reached for his buttons, unable to stop my wry smile, but as my fingers neared I hesitated. I needed to see the wound
, but that meant I’d have to remove his shirt. Just the thought of it made my heart rumble. A momentary glance and the Binding would drown me with its false desire. And I was exhausted. Even if Ryan was so out of it that he’d probably not remember anything, the curse wouldn’t be so lenient with
my
memory.

Maybe I could compromise…

My hands fumbled with Ryan’s coat, pulling his arms from the sleeves. I began to tremble as I loosened his shirt from his trousers. My gaze lingered on his belt for longer than I was comfortable with, before I turned to lift the fabric to his shoulders.

A bloody pinprick at the edge of his shoulder-blade marked the entry point into the skin, and a bluish-purple substance oozed from it. I wiped it with my finger, and the odd hot-cold sensation made my eyes widen.

He’d been hit with tranquilliser serum.

I exhaled slowly. I was expecting poison, or worse. This was simple enough—I
’d dealt with it many times myself. Ryan’s own body would vanquish the toxin, and by morning he would be back to normal, save for this little inconvenience. Lucky for him, I was a healer’s daughter. But I still had to take this seriously.

First, I unbuckled the iasometer and strapped it around the front of his elbow, so the brass pin sat above the major artery. It clicked and whirred, and the dials began to flicker. Moments later
, they settled on their final readings. His pulse was in the amber, but his blood pressure and temperature remained stable.

Relieved, I reached for the hunting knife in Ryan
’s belt, making sure I didn’t look too closely. I grabbed the spare shirt and sliced off the collar and a sleeve. The former I folded into a square, while the latter I ripped the seams, making a long band of fabric. Hoisting up the bloody shirt, I tipped some water onto the wound. Ryan hissed at the cold, but didn’t otherwise move. Once I’d washed out most of the serum, I took the skin balm from the medical pack, and rubbed a generous amount over the cut. Then I placed the folded collar on it, before I bound it tight with the opened sleeves.

Once done, I pulled down his shirt, and checked the iasometer again. His pulse had settled into the green, and I wiped my brow. That had taken a lot out of me. I was shivering, too, and not just because of the Binding. We might
’ve been out of the snow storm, but we may as well have been in an ice cavern. It wasn’t long before Ryan started trembling, too. I had to keep him warm.

I closed my eyes for a long while, gathering my strength,
then unfastened the iasometer and tied it back to my forearm. He didn’t need to see
that
in the morning. Then I staggered to the packs. Cielo had retreated from the entrance as far as he would dare, sheltered between a pair of stalagmites. He was shaking, too. I groaned. I would have to clean the sweat off him, otherwise he’d freeze.

Night owl, indeed.

The saddle was my first priority, and once it was free I threw it to the ground. Next I emptied out the packs. I found a rough sackcloth, and wiped Cielo down. His blanket was also folded amongst the clothes and other assorted items, so I clipped it around him. Cielo brushed his head against my hand, and I stroked his nose. Another satisfied patient.

I yawned, but my work was far from done. Leaning heavily against my stick, I stuffed the items back into the packs, then dragged them back to Ryan. He
’d curled up into a ball, holding himself tight as possible to keep out the cold.

Sighing, I snatched out the fur-lined sleeping bag and blanket. The thought of the night ahead filled me with dread, but I had no choice. I wasn
’t so self-sacrificing I’d let myself freeze so Ryan could survive the night, and I wasn’t so callous to let him frost up for my sake, either. However, that did mean we had to share what little warmth I could dredge up.

I swear the Binding planned this.

Kneeling beside Ryan, I spread the blanket over the ground. That should keep the chill away from our backs. I took Ryan’s shoulder and rolled him onto it, so he was lying flat. His chest rose and fell with his even breathing, his shirt stretched taut over his muscled frame. My hand crept towards him, and I rested my fingertips against his breastbone. Still warm…

Ryan twitched, and I snatched my hand back. Fortunately he didn
’t open his eyes. Frowning, I scooped up his coat and spread that over him, then slipped off my cloak. The intensity of the cold pierced me like an arrow, and I clamped my teeth together as I spread the cloak on him, too. Finally, I unbuttoned the sleeping bag and draped that across the top. I hoped it would be enough to get us through the night.

With a final glance to Cielo, I slipped under the layers and nestled myself against Ryan, pulling the cloak and sleeping bag around me. As I turned to blow the candle out, Ryan grumbled. I looked to him, and he turned, his nose
but an inch from mine.

Goddess save me.

I couldn’t help but pick out the details of his face. The scar on his chin was the only imperfection on his pale skin. With a tan like that, he was definitely a Northerner, like me. His fair locks were tousled, caught between his ear and the blanket, but I knew how perfectly they framed his face. His mouth was slightly parted, letting gentle breaths flow against my eyelashes. Barely realising it, I reached out and caressed his cheek. He didn’t stir. White-blonde stubble tickled my palm, and a shiver caught me that wasn’t because of the cold.

My hand lingered at his chin, when I caught sight of the silver chain I
’d glimpsed in the Galgiza. It bore a ruby pendant, shaped into a round crystal. I’d never had a good look at it, but here its beauty entranced me. There wasn’t a single blemish on the stone, and it reflected every beam of the dim candlelight. I ran a finger along it, feeling it move with Ryan’s breathing, as if it were a part of him.