I felt something pulse from underneath the kidnapper's shirt. I turned and stared at the man trapped in my hand and then looked down. He smiled a blood-stained grin, missing gaps in his teeth and leaking blood onto my skin.

"Too late," he laughed.

Alarms screamed in my head, and I tossed the guy aside. I began to run, but Freki tackled my legs, sending me sprawling across his back as he bolted away.

Less than a second later, the man exploded.

A hail of guts and viscera smashed into my back, where my cloak flared up. Freki tumbled forward but managed to snatch me in his jaws and cushion the fall. We skidded to a stop, and a second explosion rocked the ground.

One of the horses shrieked as another raincloud of blood fell upon the pass. I looked up through the cloud of pink mist and saw one horse spinning in circles, trying to get up. Its side was a mess, and a chunk of flesh was missing from its face. The other horses pulled at their reins and tried to break free.

"Thanks," I sputtered as dust entered my mouth.

Freki whined but still licked the side of my face.

I scrambled off and stood up just as something heavy thudded to the ground beside me. When I turned, I stared at Devon in werewolf form, and he met my eyes with blazing crimson orbs.

When he spoke, it was deep and guttural.

"Are you okay?"

"Peachy… there were kidnappers. They had Krenl—crap. Krenlow, he was next to the explosion!"

I began to scramble forward, but Devon beat me to it. He took a single leap and covered the distance, lifting a blood-soaked body from the ground.

"Alive, apply pressure to his wounds. I'll check the cabin," Devon ordered as he placed Krenlow in front of me.

I set down my axe and inspected the man while Devon leaped away. In the distance, the sound of clinking metal and rushing feet echoed between the stone walls.

Krenlow was a mess.

His arm looked broken, and several long cuts on his cheek freely bled. His body had miraculously survived with little damage, but there was a nasty shard of bone sticking out. It pierced the thick coat he wore and penetrated into the side of his stomach.

Okay, not a werewolf. Can't just remove the thing.

I reached into my satchel and rummaged around until I found the bandages. I began unspooling them, bunching a large wad together. Snapping the bandages off the roll, I wrapped it around the shard, pressing down firmly.

Blood coated the white gauze, but it did not soak through.

Good.

"Cain. Where's Devon?" Alice asked as she came to a stop beside me.

She looked down and then at the still-screaming horse. Without a word, she grabbed my axe and walked over. As she knelt, one of the horse's legs hit her arm, but she quickly pushed it aside and grabbed the horse's snout.

It still panicked, but she covered its eyes and whispered something to it that I couldn't hear over all the noise. It paused just long enough for her to lay its head onto the dirt. In a quick chop, the axe bit deep and the horse spasmed and then stopped.

The cries faded, and more metal boots filled the space.

The first mounted guard, the one with a stick up his ass, came rushing over. He switched from looking at me applying pressure to the noble's body and then to the dead horse beneath Alice. He snarled but ignored us both and walked over to the three horses, quickly beginning to calm them down. Alice walked back over, and I motioned my chin toward the cabin. She flicked off the blood on my axe and placed it beside me before running over.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Yadalee came into view and stopped to stare, but the one guard pointed toward her.

"Yadalee!" he barked. "Where's Captain Volk?"

"I don't know," she glanced toward me, her face paling at the sight of the downed noble. "I couldn't find him."

The one guard growled and turned back toward the horses while another pair of boots came into view. It was the second mounted guard. This time, I wasn't ignored, and he started marching toward me, but my wolf rose to his full height and snarled.

The guard froze as Alice returned.

"The cabin is empty. The girl and woman are missing," she stated out loud.

The guards froze, and the second mounted guard rushed inside the noble cabin. He emerged a moment later and grabbed one of the horses from the first guard. The man had just enough time to back off before the second guard hopped up and spurred the beast down the caravan.

This has all gone to crap.

I worried for the little girl and her mother, but Devon was out somewhere; he'd return with news.

Thankfully, another pair of guards sprinted into view. Another thud rang out from something heavy hitting the ground behind me. At once, the guards backed up, and more than a few reached for their weapons.

Bones snapped, and clothes reformed as Devon shifted back into his human form.

"The child?" I asked, hopeful.

"Gone. I tracked their scent to a crevice that opened into a hidden tunnel. The tunnel led me nearly a mile away, and then the scent scattered," he replied.

Damn.

"Hey, Yadalee!"

"Wh-what?" She jumped.

"Switch positions with me. Apply pressure to his wound; he has a piece of bone sticking out of his stomach."

She glanced around and bit her lip before sprinting over to help.

What's his name… Right, Merrick.

"Merrick, do you guys have any supplies for treating wounds?"

He frowned but yelled at one of the standing guards to grab supplies.

"Grab a bowl, too."

The guardsman rushed off, leaving everyone staring awkwardly.

Alice moved to the cabin and pushed aside one guard who was investigating. She returned before the guardsman did, carrying a fancy-looking bottle of wine.

"To clean out the wound," she explained.

I nodded and waited. When the guardsman returned, he had a small crate and two large wooden cooking bowls.

He dumped it near Yadalee, and I grabbed the bowl while Alice cracked open the box. She started pulling stuff out as I filled the bowl with water from my canteen.

Merrick watched us, as did the others. They looked ready to scream or go to war, I wasn't sure which--possibly both. Devon used his spear to lift the scrap of oil-soaked cloth from the ground. The small thing had somehow made it untouched by the blood rain.

I stuck my hand into the bowl and thought of bright flames, allowing the incantation to draw my mana toward my hand. The water boiled, and I watched it drip down the sides as steam wafted into the air. Alice shifted over and placed her hand above the boiling water as I took my hand out. A wave of cold chilled the water, and the steam stopped.

Okay, feels warm.

She held up a spool of black thread and a funny-shaped needle that curved inward into a crescent. "I can sew him up after we clean out the wound."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Grimm?" Merrick asked as he stepped closer.

Devon moved into place, and the guardsman backed off while glancing our way.

I barely remember some first-aid training, but it'll have to do.

"Do you have a healer amongst you?"

Merrick gritted his teeth. "Only basic aid. Jezzra is the one who handles field medicine."

I wracked my brain to remember who Jezzra was, and then I remembered Yadalee talking about the second mounted guard, the one with a spear.

"Then I guess you'll have to trust Alice."

He didn't like the answer, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

"You ready?" I asked Alice. She nodded, and I turned to Yadalee. "When I say when, you'll stop applying pressure, and I'll pull out the bone. Take these bandages and prepare to apply pressure."

"I'll pull out the bone shard," Devon stated.

I brought the wine bottle toward me and pulled out the cork. Pop! "Okay, stop pushing down."

Yadalee raised her hands and backed up while Devon reached over. In a quick jerk, the bone shard came free, and blood started coming out. Devon helped tip him while blood seeped out.

Surprisingly, the wound wasn't that bad, and it bled a lot less than I thought it would. It still soaked the bandages completely, but once I started washing it out the wound remained clean enough that I began pouring small drops of the wine.

Damn, I don't know if I'm killing the man or not.

I washed the wine out with clean water, then drained it and moved aside as Alice took the thicker thread and began to stitch the noble shut. Once done, she grabbed the bandages from Yadalee and helped tie a fresh coating around his chest, removing the noble's shirt in the process.

The area around his collar reeked heavily of the scented oil, and I held it away as the back of my eyes started to hurt.

"A soporific. Strong enough to block out the pain," Devon explained as he motioned towards Krenlow.

With the noble taken care of, Alice passed him off to the guards. They scrambled with their weapons out while the wagon drivers hitched their horses. Krenlow was secured next to the cabin. The guardsmen formed a defensive ring, their spears poised for any threat.

"What now?" I asked Devon.

"We wait until the other guard returns, the one who charged off with his horse."

"I want those wagons ready at a moment's notice! Tie down the supplies!" Merrick shouted.

Freki licked my hand, and I scratched underneath his chin while staring at Yadalee as she ran towards the front of the caravan.