Chapter 31
31 Chapter 31 The Cost Of Compassion Fresh chapters posted on.net
Faye’s POV
“Heal them all. Leave the rest to me,” Hardy commanded, his voice cutting through the stale air before he disappeared into the shadows beyond the
cave entrance.
I didn’t waste time questioning his orders. My hands were already moving, reaching through the first set of rusted bars to touch the nearest child’s fevered skin.
The healing energy flowed from my fingertips like warm honey, seeping into broken bones and torn flesh. These children responded differently than Hardy’s battle-hardened warriors had. Their bodies welcomed my power eagerly, wounds sealing with remarkable speed. Maybe their youth made them more receptive, or perhaps their spirits hadn’t been crushed by years of violence.
“I’m Kim,” the first boy announced as soon as his eyes
cleared. He pushed himself upright with surprising strength, completely transformed from the half-dead waif I’d found moments before. “You should know something important. The two of you can’t win this fight. There are too many of them p>
I studied his face, noting how alertness had replaced the glazed stare of pain. “Hardy isn’t like most people,” I murmured, more to convince myself than him.
But there wasn’t time for doubt. Too many small faces still peered at me through iron bars, waiting for salvation.
“You don’t have a wolf spirit, do you?” Kim asked suddenly.
My hand stilled against another child’s wounded arm. “How could you possibly know that p>
He shrugged with the casual indifference of youth. “I just can. But that doesn’t matter right now. I can help break these locks p>
I decided not to question his strange intuition. Help was help, regardless of its source.
Working together, we developed an efficient system. I would pour my healing into the strongest-looking children first, bringing them back to consciousness and mobility. Kim would then grab the heaviest stone he could find and smash it against the corroded locks until the metal gave way. The freed children, once stabilized, could help comfort the others still trapped.
The cave filled with the sounds of breaking metal and whispered reassurances as cage after cage swung
open.
Then I heard it.
The distant symphony of battle erupted from somewhere deeper in the underground complex. Metal rang against metal in violent harmony. Bodies hit stone with sickening thuds. Growls and snarls echoed off the walls, punctuated by the sharp crack of breaking bones.
My blood turned to ice. This wasn’t a quick skirmish or simple ambush. Hardy was facing an army.
“Hey, healer!” Kim’s voice cracked with urgency. “That boy in the corner. He’s dying. You need to get to him
01:46
317
now p>
“Faye,” I corrected absently, following his pointing finger to the cave’s darkest corner. “My name is Faye p>
The cage tucked away in the shadows was smaller
than the others, so corroded it looked like it hadn’t
been opened in years. Inside, a boy no older than nine lay curled against the bars. Sweat soaked his pale skin despite the cave’s chill. Blood trickled from his mouth, and the ground beneath him was painted with dark vomit flecked with red.
My stomach lurched at the sight.
I dropped beside the cage and thrust my hand through the bars, pressing my palm against his burning chest. His heartbeat fluttered like a dying bird’s wings. As my power flowed into him, I realized his injuries went far beyond simple beatings. Burns covered his torso and back, hidden beneath shredded clothing and dried blood. These wounds spoke of deliberate torture, not casual cruelty.
I channeled more energy into him than I’d used on all the others combined, targeting the burns, repairing
now p>
“Faye,” I corrected absently, following his pointing finger to the cave’s darkest corner. “My name is Faye p>
The cage tucked away in the shadows was smaller than the others, so corroded it looked like it hadn’t been opened in years. Inside, a boy no older than nine lay curled against the bars. Sweat soaked his pale skin despite the cave’s chill. Blood trickled from his mouth, and the ground beneath him was painted with dark
vomit flecked with red.
My stomach lurched at the sight.
I dropped beside the cage and thrust my hand through the bars, pressing my palm against his burning chest. His heartbeat fluttered like a dying bird’s wings. As my power flowed into him, I realized his injuries went far beyond simple beatings. Burns covered his torso and back, hidden beneath shredded clothing and dried blood. These wounds spoke of deliberate torture, not casual cruelty.
I channeled more energy into him than I’d used on all the others combined, targeting the burns, repairing
damaged organs, neutralizing whatever poison was destroying his stomach lining. Unlike the hardened warriors I’d healed before, his young body didn’t fight my power. It absorbed it gratefully.
His breathing steadied. Color crept back into his ashen
cheeks.
Then his eyes snapped open.
They locked onto mine with startling intensity. Not the confused gaze of someone waking from unconsciousness, but the sharp, calculating stare of a predator. Something wild and untamed blazed in those amber depths.
Power rolled off him in waves, even in his weakened
state. The unmistakable pressure of natural
dominance.
This child carried Alpha blood.
“Break the lock,” I commanded without looking away
from those extraordinary eyes.
Kim’s stone shattered the rusted metal in one powerful blow.
I forced myself to move on. Several more children still needed healing, and my hands were already beginning to shake from the constant drain on my energy. The last boy had suffered a badly fractured leg and several cracked ribs. I pressed my palms against his injuries and pushed the final reserves of my power into his
broken bones.
A low, menacing growl suddenly cut through the cave’s relative quiet.
I spun around to find Zeke standing just yards away, his chest heaving with rage. Beta Nick’s son looked like he’d been running, but there was nothing tired about the fury burning in his eyes. His fists clenched at his sides, claws already extending from his fingertips.
“You,” he snarled, lips pulling back to reveal lengthening fangs. “I knew it. I knew you’d betray us eventually p>
His gaze swept over the open cages, the freed
children, the evidence of my defiance written across every surface.
“You traitor!” The words exploded from his throat. “I’m
going to rip you apart p>
He launched himself at me before I could even think to
dodge.
His full weight slammed into my chest, driving me backward onto the unforgiving stone floor. Pain exploded through my spine as my back connected with the cave wall. Zeke’s claws flashed toward my throat, death gleaming in his wild eyes.
Morh Lucia
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.