SPIRITBORNE | Book 1 of the Spirits' War Trilogy [excerpt]

10: SUNDOWN

Sean listens to my uncle, his eyes widening even more, this time with wonder instead of fear. The sun is beginning to set, sending brilliant hues across the sky as if it's a giant canvas of watercolour in the studio of some famous artist.

Sean moans, and I hope that the pressure of David's hands on his shoulders is sufficiently easing his agony. How long will the painkiller take?

Thirteen covers the wound with another bandage, but the flimsy fabric is not enough to keep the injury sated. I quickly shrug off my sweatshirt and press it hard against Sean's side. He cries out, but I don't relinquish my hold. The fabric grows wet under my palms and tears flood my eyes, blurring my vision.

It'll be fine. He's alive. He'll live. We just need to keep the pressure on till the blood finishes clotting, and get him to a doctor.

"Where did we leave the others?" I ask my uncle.

David grunts, glancing around.

"Got a phone?" I attempt again. I hadn't brought my own; it's back at the clan's campsite, probably dead. I curse myself for my stupidity.

"Yeah," he gasps, extracting the device from his backpack and peering at the screen. "It's Margo." I glance over his shoulder to read the text. 

'You're late! Are you all safe?' she asks. Two more texts ensue. 'David! Answer me!' and 'Did you get out ok? Answer me now!!!!'

David meets my eyes before replying. 'Yes. Eight's injured badly. Unable to reach rendezvous.'

Her answer is almost instantaneous. 'Sejka will find you.'

My blood curdles at her crisp words. No emoji happy faces or hearts today.

David gulps. 'Tell her to hurry!'

'She's already on her way,' is Margo's reply. 

"Why Sejka?" I blurt out. "Is she a doctor?"

"Of a sort. She'd better get here soon, though," David whispers, glancing at Sean with a tenderness that makes my heart sink.

Time passes slowly. It feels like an hour has gone by and my muscles shake violently with the frozen posture. I can't feel my legs anymore, but I continue to hold pressure on the wound.

"David. Hospital?" I ask finally, glancing down at my uncle's leg. He'd hastily addressed his own injury, but darkness has already seeped through the thin bandage. I'd been so caught up in the kid's injury that I'd almost forgotten my uncle had been shot before we'd left the building.

"We...can't." David chokes on his words. He pulls another bandage from the backpack and gingerly replaces his soaked one.

"They wouldn't hurt—"

"The Covenant will be expecting that. If we take him there, he'll be..."

We turn back towards Sean, hoping he doesn't know how bad the injury really is. The boy quivers but doesn't speak. His eyes are closed and his tiny hand clenches and unclenches. His pain seems to have lessened but the ground is wet with blood. The knees of my jeans sit in the midst of the dark pool beneath us but I don't move.

Suddenly the little Lycan speaks for the first time in what seemed like hours. "Th-thank...you," he stammers. Fresh tears form in my eyes as the boy's breaths grow even more ragged. He struggles for air.

"You're okay, Sean," Thirteen tells him firmly. "You're okay."

"Don't talk, Sean. Keep looking at the sky," David says, and the boy does as he's told; his eyes follow the last remnants of the sun as it sets over the western horizon, caressing the tops of the buildings. Its last glow is barely visible over the park's tree line.