Chapter 164: When the light fades

"You’re slowing down." Kael gave Qingyue a worried look. His own bones were aching and screaming for rest. "Stop being so stubborn, let’s find a place to pass the night."

"I’m not," she replied, but her voice came out thinner with fatigue. "If we get to the foot of the mountains, we’ll have only a day left to reach Ashen Fortress."

"What’s there that you’re willing to risk your life for?" Kael asked. "Do you have a family there?"

Could she consider her mother’s former army family? It was far-fetched but she needed an answer that would get Kael off her back.

"Yes," she kept her gaze forward. "I need to get to them as fast as possible."

"You’ll need to get to them in one piece," Kael sighed. "It will do no good if it’s your dead body that turns up on their front door."

Qingyue scoffed. "This is not enough to kill me."

Kael did not argue, but he didn’t look convinced either that she was doing alright. His eyes kept drifting to her side, to where the dark stain had spread through her clothes.

"It looks like it’s getting worse," he said quietly, afraid that he might upset her.

"It’s just blood."

They moved through the uneven ground, the forest thinning into harsher terrain, roots giving way to stone and loose gravel.

It was a hassle traveling without their horses, but they’d gone too far to go back to Emberfall. The only option was to keep going.

Every step jarred through her body, sending sharp bright pain through her ribs and down her side. She kept walking anyway.

She had to.

The wind shifted, colder now, carrying the faint scent of something metallic. Blood. Her blood.

She pressed a hand tighter to her side, feeling the warmth seep between her fingers. It was too much. It had been too much for a while now. But she was already so close—

A sharp sound cut through the air.

Kael’s head snapped up. "Did you—"

The arrow came from nowhere. It struck the ground near Qingyue’s feet with a dull thud. Her body reacted before her mind could catch up.

She moved, grabbing Kael and dragging him down behind the nearest rock as another arrow sliced through the air where they had been standing.

"Stay down," she whispered.

Kael’s eyes were wide. "But, you’re injured."

"I said stay down," Qingyue hissed.

"I think they’re aiming for you," Kael whispered.

Usually he never encountered this much trouble when he used this route. He’d taken many travelers down his path, and had never once been attacked.

Kael took a closer look at Qingyue and thought, just who is he?

Another arrow struck, closer this time.

Qingyue gritted her teeth and pushed herself up despite the protest from her body. The world tilted slightly as she moved, her vision blurring at the edges. But she forced it back into focus.

She could not afford to falter now.

Not here.

Not like this.

"Lin Jian..."

"Run when I tell you to," she said.

"What? I’m not leaving you here all alone."

Qingyue didn’t even spare him a glance as she spoke. "You are if you want to live. I’m the target, not you. There’s no need to stay and play the hero."

"I should be the one saying that to you," Kael mumbled.

The third arrow was too close.

Qingyue moved again, faster than she should have been able to in her condition. She intercepted the trajectory before it could reach Karl.

Pain flared sharply through her side as she twisted, something tearing deeper inside of her. Her breath hitched, it was all too much.

She steadied herself, but the ground felt less solid than it had before.

"Lin Jian—" Kael’s eyes were wide with panic. "There’s so much blood."

"I know." Her voice was harsher than she intended.

They could hear footsteps. Closer.

Good. That meant Qingyue could end this faster. She stepped out from behind the rock, ignoring Kael’s protest, her blade already in hand.

The world sharpened into something narrow and focused, every movement calculated, every breath measured.

One another.

Then another.

They were all wearing masks that completely hid their faces. She moved through them with precision, but each motion cost her more than it should have.

Her strength was slipping, draining out of her along with the blood that would not stop flowing. She was becoming too slow, every strike sluggish.

Qingyue misstepped and a blade came too close.

She barely deflected it, but the impact sent a shock through her already weakened body. Her grip faltered.

The world around her tilted again and she staggered.

No...Not now...this couldn’t be happening.

Another strike came and she blocked it, but her arm shook with the effort. Her breath was already uneven, each inhale shallow, and exhale weaker than the last.

This was getting really bad.

For a second her vision shifted. But in that little time everything shifted. The sounds around her dulled, her movement became slow.

Suddenly, she wasn’t thinking about the fight anymore. She was thinking of her sisters—

Lieyin’s voice that was usually sharp and unyielding. Yexue’s quiet presence, steady and constant... the three of them together.

Always together.

A memory surfaced, unbidden. There was laughter, soft, fleeting and rare. She had not realized how much she missed it until now.

Her chest tightened.

If she did not make it back—

No.

Qingyue forced the thought away. She was going to stick to the plan no matter what. She was already halfway there.

All she needed was to gather the troops in Ashen Fortress and take them back to the capital to fight for the throne. Then she would bring her sisters back safely...if they wanted it.

Her footing slipped and her knee hit the ground.

The impact sent a shock through her body. This time she could not suppress the reaction. A sharp breath left her lips as pain flared, bright and consuming.

Her hand pressed against the ground to steady herself.

Stay focused. Get up. Fight.

But her body did not respond the way it should have. It felt heavier. All the strength was already bled out of her. It felt like something was pulling her down, dragging her into the ground beneath her.

The edges of her vision darkened, a grainy image surfacing through it. Unexpected and unwanted.

Ru Yi.

She wasn’t speaking or smiling. Only looking at her with worry in her eyes.

The expression was so clear it startled her. So vivid it almost did not feel like a memory. Her lips parted, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

"...Am I dreaming of you now?"