But even as I say it, I know I have to. I can’t abandon him here. He needs proper medical attention. He needs to be somewhere safe where whatever or whoever attacked him can’t find him again.
With a determination I didn’t know I possessed, I struggle back to my feet, yanking his unconscious form up with me. We’re almost there. Just a little further.
The music grows louder as we make our way through the woods, back toward the safety of the palace grounds. The lights of the celebration finally come into view through the trees, warm and welcoming after the nightmare of the forest. But my relief is short-lived; my body is growing heavier with each step, my muscles screaming in protest. The injured man’s dead weight seems to have doubled, and I can barely keep us both upright.
“Help!” I call
