Soulseeker

Lithoniel 9.1

"Liara!" He shouted.

"That idiot...!" Lithoniel cursed when she heard an arrow whistling through the air.

However, probably Aeolis was nervous, and his aim was a bit off. The arrow flew directly toward Liara. She ducked to dodge it but lost her balance and fell. The tip of the arrow brushed against the top of her head, going past her before plunging into the alpha's side. The leader of the pack cried in pain, and the other Vorloks suddenly halted, their huge paws sliding on the snow. Unfortunately, it wasn't a mortal blow. The alpha just staggered a little and then growled, its pack barking at Liara.

The Vorloks fanned out, and they were about to surround her when Lithoniel shouted, "Loose!"

A throng of arrows shot up into the air before crashing down on the Vorloks. The beasts yelped in pain, their blood staining the white carpet under their paws. Four of them laid motionless in the snow, dead on the spot, and another one immediately turned tail and escaped. However, the last one—the Alpha---was still standing, though two arrows were embedded in its body.

All the hunters froze when it gnashed its teeth, snarling at Liara.

"I can't shoot!" One of the hunters shouted, and Lithoniel growled in frustration. The Alpha was too close to Liara.

Aeolis was the first to react. He drew his knife and ran toward the Vorlok like he was possessed, the wind carrying his war cry.

Lithoniel cursed, dropping the bow. Then she unsheathed the sword and followed his example. However, she was much faster than Aeolis and soon overtook him. Faster, but not fast enough.

"Liara! No!" She heard Aeolis screaming from behind her when the Alpha was about to reach Liara.

The small elf was crawling backward when the Vorlok opened its jaw and bit her leg. Liara had no time to dodge and screamed, her blood painting red the beast's muzzle. Maybe it was the pain or the blood loss, but Liara's screams soon died down. The Vorlok was still chewing at her leg when Lithoniel arrived. The beast had just the time to lift its head as Lithoniel blade went through its bloodied jaw, cleanly severing its skull from the rest of its body. The Vorlok's lifeless corpse fell with a loud thud, but Lithoniel wasn't looking at it anymore.

"Liara!" She called as she crouched down close to her, but the small elf was unconscious, her face unnaturally pale. Aeolis was just one step behind her, his childish face alarmed beyond measure. He rushed to help her, but Lithoniel blocked him.

"Stay where you are" She hissed, "You've done enough damage already."

She was trying to stop the bleeding when someone said, "I have to bandage the wound."

It was Jandar, erudite and medicine man of the Asp Ridge's tribe. Lithoniel stiffly nodded and took a step back, watching with apprehension as he wrapped a piece of cloth around Liara's thigh. Jandar was tall, slim and quite handsome, though he looked a bit exotic. His hair was black, and like many cave dwellers, his skin was dark like the ebonwood bark.

"Hold her down." He said while he spread some kind of powder over the wound, "I have to stitch her up."

Lithoniel didn't know how he did it, but even in that situation, the medicine man managed to sound polite and oddly solemn. Still, she hurried to do as he said, using her weight to hold her down. Liara's body seemed to jolt when Jandar plunged the needle in her flesh. Then she opened her eyes, moaning in pain.

"Liara!" Lithoniel said, but Liara just mumbled something.

Her eyes were glassy, her forehead dripping with perspiration. She was delirious and soon passed out again.