Why Do You Care?

Run.

That was the only thought my brain seemed capable of producing, so I listened.

Branches slapped against my face as I dragged Amachi deeper into the forest, one hand locked around his wrist while the leather sack bounced painfully against my side with every step.

Another explosion shook the trees behind us.

KRAAAAAK!

Birds scattered from the canopy, and my body immediately tried to turn toward the sound.

Don't.

(Keep going.)

My teeth clenched.

I know.

I didn't look back.

I couldn't.

Because if I did, I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep running.

We'd made it out of the village, which was good.

The problem was that I had absolutely no idea what came next.

The forest stretched in every direction, thick with trees, bushes, and narrow paths that barely deserved to be called paths. I'd been through these woods plenty of times before, but usually I had the luxury of knowing where I was actually trying to go.

Right now, my entire plan consisted of one direction.

Away.

Away from the village, away from the Black Ravens, and away from—

Father...

I tightened my grip around Amachi's wrist.

"Come on!"

"I'm... coming."

His voice barely reached me.

His steps were uneven and slower than they should've been, but at least he was still moving.

For now, that was enough.

We pushed farther between the trees, stepping over roots and shoving through branches until the sounds from the village finally began to fade.

That was when another fairly important problem forced its way through my panic.

Where the hell do we go now?

(Farther.)

Incredible. Truly inspiring.

We couldn't go home or back to the school, so hiding somewhere in the forest seemed like the only option.

A cave, maybe.

An abandoned hunter's shack.

Did we even have an abandoned hunter's shack?

Why was I only now realizing how little I knew about the forest surrounding the place I'd lived my entire life?

Just keep moving.

That was all I had.

"Come on. Deeper in. We'll figure something out once we're farther away."

Amachi didn't answer.

A second later, my arm jerked backward hard enough to nearly pull me off balance.

"What the—"

I turned.

Amachi had stopped.

His wrist was still in my hand, but the rest of him hadn't moved another inch.

"Amachi?"

His head remained lowered.

"Hey."

A distant explosion rolled through the forest.

BOOM!

Amachi flinched so hard his knees nearly gave out.

I stared at him.

His breathing had gone shallow again, and his whole body was trembling as if his legs had suddenly forgotten how standing worked.

"What happened? We have to go."

Amachi tried to move. His foot slid forward, but his knee almost folded beneath him.

"Amachi!"

I caught his arm.

He tried again, but his legs simply wouldn't cooperate.

My stomach tightened.

"Not now."

His hands curled into fists.

"Come on—we don't have time for this!"

I pulled.

He didn't move.

A faint crack of Orka echoed somewhere far behind us, sending my heart straight into my throat.

"Amachi!"

His mouth opened, but nothing came out at first.

Then, finally—

"I..."

I snapped my head toward him.

"What?"

His lips moved again.

"...Leave me."

I blinked.

"What?"

"Go."

For a second, I genuinely thought I'd misunderstood him.

Then he weakly pulled his wrist from my hand.

"Just... leave me."

"What are you talking about?"

"You need to run."

"So do you!"

"My legs..."

He looked down at them, still trembling.

"...won't."

"Then I'll help you."

I reached for him again, but Amachi pulled away.

"Go without me."

"No."

"Fourth—"

"No!"

Why was everyone suddenly obsessed with telling me to leave them behind?

First Zaw.

Now him.

Absolutely not.

"I'm not leaving you here."

Amachi finally looked at me. His crimson eyes were unfocused and exhausted, but underneath all of that was something else.

Something hurt.

"Why?"

I frowned.

"What?"

"Why does it matter?"

"What kind of question is that?"

His jaw tightened.

"I'm not your friend."

...

Oh.

That.

Right now? Seriously?

Of every possible time for this conversation to come back—

"Amachi, this really isn't the time."

"You said you wanted to be my friend because of Hilbert."

My chest tightened.

"I know what I said."

"You lied."

"I—"

"You used me."

My grip around the sack tightened.

"We can argue about this after we don't die."

Amachi looked away.

"Just go."

"No."

"I don't want your help."

"Well, too bad."

"Fourth—"

"STOP IT!"

My voice came out much louder than I intended.

Amachi froze.

So did I.

My chest was rising too fast as everything from the last few minutes crashed together in my head—Zaw covered in blood, the swords tearing into him, his knee hitting the ground, the word Father coming out of my mouth before I could stop it.

And now Amachi was standing here telling me to abandon him.

"I'm trying to get you out of here!"

"I didn't ask you to."

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO!"

My head was starting to hurt.

"You think I'm just going to leave you in the middle of the forest because you're angry at me?!"

Amachi's expression tightened.

"Why not?"

"Because—"

I stopped.

Because you're my friend.

The answer was right there.

I knew it was.

But after everything that had happened between us, the words refused to come out.

Amachi noticed.

Of course he did.

His eyes lowered.

"...Exactly."

Something twisted inside my chest.

"That's not what I—"

"Go."

"Would you STOP SAYING THAT?!"

My voice cracked.

Amachi flinched.

I knew I should calm down. I knew he wasn't doing this on purpose, and I knew exactly why his legs had stopped working. I'd seen what fire, explosions, and screaming did to him.

I knew about his village.

I knew about his parents.

But then Zaw's bloody back flashed through my mind again, standing between us and every blade because neither of us had managed to move.

And one ugly thought slipped through.

If Amachi could've moved...

My teeth clenched.

Maybe we could've left sooner.

Maybe Zaw wouldn't have needed to protect us.

I knew that wasn't fair.

I'd frozen too.

I hadn't gotten my Barrier up.

Zaw had protected both of us.

But anger wasn't particularly interested in being fair.

Amachi looked at me.

"Just leave."

Something inside me snapped.

I grabbed his shoulder.

"Would you just—"

I shoved him.

Hard.

It wasn't an accident.

I hadn't tripped or lost my balance.

For one stupid, angry second, I wanted him away from me.

Amachi stumbled backward, and his trembling legs immediately gave out beneath him.

"Ah—!"

He hit the forest floor.

THUD!

My anger vanished instantly.

"Amachi—"

(FOURTH!)

Something flashed between the trees.

I saw it for less than a second—a concentrated beam of pale blue Orka tearing straight through the forest toward us.

Toward the exact place Amachi had been standing.

My eyes widened.

There was no time to think.

The beam passed over him—

And hit me.

BOOM!

Something slammed into the center of my chest.

For one strange second, my body didn't seem to understand what had happened.

Then the pain arrived.

"AAAAAAAAAGH!"

My feet left the ground. Branches blurred past me before my back crashed into a tree hard enough to shake the trunk.

CRACK!

I dropped onto the forest floor.

I tried to breathe.

Nothing came.

My mouth opened uselessly as my hands flew toward my chest.

Breathe.

I couldn't.

BREATHE.

"AAAGH!"

The instant my fingers touched my ribs, pain ripped through me so violently that my entire body curled inward.

Every heartbeat sent another pulse through my chest.

"Fourth!"

Amachi's voice cut through the haze.

"Fourth!"

I barely managed to look toward him.

He was staring at me from the ground, his eyes wide with panic. Then his gaze shifted toward the place where he'd been standing, following the path the beam had taken before returning to me.

His face drained of what little color it had left.

"No..."

He dug his hands into the dirt and tried to stand.

His legs collapsed immediately.

THUD!

"Fourth!"

Unable to stand, he dragged himself toward me through the leaves.

"I'm sorry."

His voice broke.

"I'm sorry, I—"

I tried to answer, but all that escaped was a strangled breath.

"Ah..."

"Fourth!"

Amachi reached me and hovered his hands over my chest, clearly having no idea where he could touch without making things worse.

"I'm sorry."

His breathing was speeding up again.

"Fourth, I'm sorry."

(Fourth?!)

The voice inside my head nearly screamed.

(Fourth, answer me!)

It... hurts...

(I know. Just listen to me.)

He was talking too quickly.

Way too quickly.

(You're okay. Slow down and breathe.)

I can't breathe.

(Yes, you can. Just take it slowly.)

His voice shook.

(Don't panic.)

YOU'RE PANICKING.

(I KNOW!)

Silence followed for half a second.

(...Sorry. Just listen.)

I squeezed my eyes shut.

(Don't try to get up and don't touch your chest. Just breathe.)

I tried.

A tiny breath entered my lungs, immediately sending another sharp stab through my ribs.

"AGH!"

My fingers dug into the ground.

(Slow. Don't force it.)

I tried again.

Barely anything.

(Good. Again.)

Another shallow breath.

His voice was still trembling, but at least he sounded slightly more controlled.

(Keep doing that. You're going to be okay.)

I wasn't convinced he believed that any more than I did.

"Fourth..."

Amachi was right beside me now, his face twisted with panic.

"I'm sorry."

He kept repeating it as if enough apologies might somehow undo what had happened.

I tried lifting myself.

Bad idea.

"AAAAAGH!"

Pain tore through my chest, and my arm immediately gave out.

"FOURTH!"

Amachi reached toward me before pulling his hand back again.

"Don't move! Please, don't move."

(He's right.)

Great.

Even thinking hurt.

(Stay still. Breathe and stay awake. That's all you have to do.)

I stared at the canopy overhead as it drifted in and out of focus.

(Fourth?)

I'm awake.

A brief pause.

(Good. Stay that way.)

Amachi swallowed beside me.

"Fourth..."

His gaze moved toward the place where he'd been standing before returning to me.

"If you hadn't pushed me... that would've..."

His voice disappeared.

Then he looked directly at me, eyes wet.

"You saved me."

My stomach twisted.

He thought I'd done it on purpose.

I hadn't.

I'd shoved him because I was angry.

(Fourth...)

Not now.

A pause.

(...Okay.)

Just let me breathe.

Leaves rustled somewhere behind us.

Amachi froze.

So did the voice in my head.

Footsteps followed.

Slow and steady.

Getting closer.

My heart started pounding harder, which unfortunately hurt almost as much as everything else.

"Fourth..."

Amachi turned toward the sound, his whole body stiffening.

(Someone's coming.)

A shadow moved between the trees.

Dark fabric.

A torn hood.

And across the figure's back, the black shape of a raven.

My stomach sank.

The man stepped into view.

Blood marked the corner of his mouth, one arm hung awkwardly at his side, and burns covered part of his cloak.

He was injured.

Badly.

But he was still standing.

The Raven leader.

My eyes widened.

And suddenly, the pain in my chest wasn't our biggest problem anymore.