The thick forest made passage difficult, as did the exhaustion that had already drained my arms, and the black sorrow that threatened to overwhelm my heart.I couldn’t think about what had happened, and I couldn’t think of anything else. When my mind tried to speculate on what might be happening back at the clearing, I focused on the sound of my feet instead, falling heavy and crashing through the woods like an injured monster. So intense was my focus on our return to camp that I didn’t hear the hoofsteps behind me.“Let me help.” Florizel’s soft voice pulled me from my stupor. She lowered her forequarters and held her wings aside, and I used the strength that remained in my arms to shove Ulric over her back, arms hanging over one side, legs dangling down the other. I held onto one boot to keep him from falling, but Florizel bore his weight as we moved on.“Where’s Aren?” she asked.“Back with Kel.” My voice sounded far away, and unconnected to me. Even my body felt distant, though it did everything I asked of it.
