So I moved to the next, then the one after. I didn't pause to give my patient a breather in between. No, the faster it was over, the sooner the pain would recede. In total, I pulled seven arrows from his body. The one by his hip bled profusely, but I wasn't worried about it.

Right now, I needed to get this man's clothes off. Reaching back, I grabbed a large pair of shears and began cutting. I didn't have time to worry about maintaining his leathers or shirt. The infirmary wasn't a place to be shy about removing his pants and underthings. In order to save this man's life, I had to get to his skin so I could put it all back together, and his clothes were in my way.

So I cut. Then I pulled. When the hunter realized what I was doing, he leaned in to help, making it even easier. Bit by bit, I removed everything in my way, leaving my patient as much dignity as possible, but what I reached for next was not the suture.

It was clear and smelled like it could singe hair. The alcohol was meant for wiping down our counters and supplies, but I'd learned it could do more than that. The first time may have been an accident, but this wasn't.

"Hold him," I demanded before pouring the vile stuff across my patient's exposed body.

The man screamed. The hunter struggled to keep him on the bed, but I was already setting the bottle aside and reaching for clamps. Any place that was still bleeding needed to stop. Leaning in close, I looked, trying to find the cut vein so I could crimp it. Not easy on a moving patient.

"Hold him, I said!"

"Yes, ma'am," the hunter panted, struggling to do just that.

One by one, I found the bleeders and stopped them. Bit by bit, I prevented this man's blood from spilling onto the floor. Only when all of that was done did I reach for my suture, intending to sew my patient back together.

But Callah rushed to my side. "Ayla, you're needed at bed three," she said, meeting my eyes.

Hers were light green. A unique color among our people, but not unheard of. Combined with her pale rose-gold hair, it made her one of the pretty ones - which was a dangerous thing around here. But on her cherubic face I could see nothing but fear.

"Three?" I asked.

She nodded. "Three. I'll sew."

So I handed her my suture, grabbed the shears and bottle of ethanol, then jogged across the infirmary. Bed three was on the side furthest from the door. He would've been one of the first brought in. If they were calling for me now...

My feet stuttered to a halt as my eyes saw blue. Bright, vivid, impossible blue. The color was on the feathers which fletched the arrows in this man's body. I didn't need to get closer to be sure that each and every one of them would be stuck in someplace that could kill the man.

"The Wyvern..." the injured man groaned.

"Shh..." I breathed, looking around desperately for someone to help me.

"He was there," the man said, completely ignoring me. "We couldn't get enough because he was there!"

"I know," I lied, daring to look down at his face - and my blood ran cold.

I knew him. His name was Gideon, and he was the man Merienne had agreed to marry next week. Tomorrow, she turned twenty, and while he hadn't officially proposed yet, it was well known that he would.

"Merienne!" I screamed, turning to look behind me at the insanity taking over the infirmary. "I need your hands!"

"Coming!" she called back from the storage cabinet.

"Suture!" I added. "Lots of it, and all the clamps you can spare."

That got her attention. Grabbing frantically, she filled both of her hands and scrambled, but I was already looking for someone else I could conscript. A man. I needed someone big and strong. Someone I could depend on. Someone who might help me save Gideon's life.

"Tobias!" I called next, my eyes landing on the overly large man.

"I need to - "

"No!" I said, cutting him off. "Here. Now."

"Okay, Ayla."

Because while Tobias was big, he wasn't exactly a smart man. Strong, sure, yet this was a good thing for me. Without the brains to be offended, I was hoping he'd merely do what I said - because right now, the only thing keeping Gideon alive were the blue-fletched arrows plugging the wounds he had.

Thankfully, Meri reached me first. Out of habit, she stopped at the supply table beside me and began unloading her haul. I caught her glance at the vivid color of the arrows. I watched as her skin blanched. Then she shifted her eyes to the face of the man whose life was all but forfeit.

"Meri?" I breathed, forcing her to look at me.

Blue. Her eyes were a few shades darker than my own, and they stood out against her nearly silver-blonde hair. They were also too big. Too dry. Her pupils were large, filling the space and proving her fear.

"Ayla..." she whispered. "Please?"

"Are you sure?" I asked just as Tobias reached us.

Her answer was the most subtle nod of her head. Not the sort of thing that would be noticed by anyone who hadn't realized I'd asked her a question. A very important one, because this was her future. Not mine. Not even Gideon's anymore. No, if Meri wanted to change her mind about who she'd spend the rest of her life with, the only chance she had was if Gideon died on this bed.

"You have to save him," she breathed.

"Damn. He found the Wyvern," Tobias muttered even as he pressed his hands down on Gideon's shoulders. "He's dead, huh?"

"Not today," I promised. "Meri, I'm going to need those clamps as soon as the arrow's out, okay? Pour the alcohol - ethanol - into the wound when I tell you."

"Got it," she promised.

And then I wrapped my fist around the shaft, just under those impossibly blue feathers and looked at Tobias. "He cannot move. Do you understand me? If he does, he dies."

"He won't," Tobias promised, just as Gideon groaned.

"It was the Wyvern," he insisted. "I barely even saw him, but it was the Wyvern. His tail was so blue…"

Then I pulled, and his words turned into the sort of scream that made my ears ring. When I tossed the arrow to the floor, I couldn't help but notice the four edges to the point. The shaft was long and thin. The fletching, however, was much too bright.

The blue was a color I'd never forget.

TwoAyla

Iwasn't sure what time we'd started, but the clock in the hall said it was nearly five in the morning when we finished. Exhausted and moving slowly, the women all headed towards the bathing area. There, we washed the blood of countless men from our hands and arms, scrubbed our bodies, and then trickled back towards our hall to find sleep again.

When I slipped into my room, I found Meri sitting on her bed in her nightclothes once more. There were tear streaks on her face and her hands were laced in her lap. From her closed eyes, I could only guess she was praying.

"He's going to be okay now," I promised as I made my way over.

Immediately, her lids lifted and a smile touched her lips. "I know. Oh, Ayla, I know, and I was thanking God for you. Only Mrs. Worthington is as skilled at saving lives, and she was already working on someone."

"Healing is the one thing I'm good at," I said, trying hard not to brag and failing as I claimed a spot on her bed beside her. "But you'll still be able to get married, right?"