Chapter 2

A/N: This takes place at the same time as the last chapter. However, this comes from Will's POV. It also provides some back-story as to what happened before he gets shot and what happens after he's taken to Thomas. Hope you enjoy! Be sure to comment and let me know if you like it! If you have any questions, DM me here on Wattpad or on Twitter. My handle is @wesley_thacker0. I post story updates there so be sure to follow me! Also, I'm looking for proofreaders so if you want to become one, let me know by DM-ing me. Enjoy!

Ten minutes earlier

Will spun from behind the protection of the shield. Almost automatically, he raised his bow, drew, and released. Within a heartbeat, Will had loaded, drew and shot again. Two Temujai warriors fell off their charging horses, never knowing what hit them. The horses, now without someone commanding them, slowed to a stop and began grazing; they weren't

even the slightest bit concerned. Will didn't see any of this; he had already darted back behind the shield.

"Are you mad?" Horace asked.

"I guess you could say that." Will said, giving Horace a small smile as he slipped out from behind the shield and released two arrows, each of them hitting their mark. He slipped back behind the shield.

"You're going to get yourself shot!" Will shrugged, then looked Horace in the eyes. Horace saw them turn very serious.

"If I do, you'll be the first to know." Horace saw that Will wasn't kidding. He hesitated, searching for the right words. Will saw him hesitate as his name was being called and turned his attention there. Will stepped out from behind the shield again. Four Temujai were heading their way. One had a sword while the other three had bows. He shot the first archer Temujai and already had another arrow on its way when the first Temujai fell from his horse. Will failed to notice that his second arrow missed its mark as the Temujai dodged it. The Temujai had stayed behind and watched a few other times. He knew that the archer would shoot them first before taking on the swordsman. He also knew how accurate the archer was and how fast he could reload. The Temujai knew he had only one chance. But he knew if he took the archer out, they could destroy the rest of the archers and win this battle. It was a risk he knew he would take but it had to be done.

The Temujai, having narrowly dodged Will's second arrow, brought his horse to a sudden stop. He already had his crossbow ready and he notched an arrow in it. He pulled back and released. Will, with his attention turned to the third bowman, didn't notice the arrow that came soaring through the air. He did, however, notice it right as it plunged into his exposed right thigh. He let out a cry of pain and dropped his bow., releasing one last arrow at the oncoming attackers. The arrow hit its mark in the Temujai's chest, causing him to fall backward off his horse. The remaining Temujai, seeing the archer that had been killing all of them was down, turned back to regroup with the rest of his companions; their attention turned at the charging Skandian's. The archers were no longer a problem.

Will was still standing. He knew that if he moved, the arrow would tear more muscle than it already had. Black dots started to surround his vision. The arrow hurt a lot more than it should have. Almost as if... Will didn't finish his thought. His vision was becoming encased in black. He knew he was about to black out. 'Stay standing' he thought although he knew it wouldn't happen. Will let out a sigh as the blackness encased his vision and his limbs went limp.
'At least no one can hurt me here,' Will thought as the blackness surrounded him and everything went dark.

* * *

"Are you sure he'll be fine?" A faint voice in the distance said. It sounded like Halt but he wasn't sure.

"Yes. I'm positive that he will live. It wasn't anything too bad that I couldn't take care of." Someone that he didn't know.

"Are you sure? That arrow seemed a little strange when I picked him up. Something seemed just...off." That voice was definitely Horace's.

"I assure you. Everything is fine. That arrow with leave a nasty scar, though. Nothing that a little exercise couldn't fix. He'll be able to do everything again. Just give him time to recover and everything will be fine." The other, unrecognizable voice.

"I'm still not convinced. And he is, after all, my apprentice. I would like to stay beside him." Halt again.

"If you want to, that's fine with me."

"Well, if Halt is staying beside him, I will too."

"No, Horace. You are exhausted. I can see that. Go sleep for a while and if Will wakes up, I'll come get you. Now go sleep." The last three words were more of a command than anything else.

"Alright, Halt. See you later." Will knew that Horace had left the tent because he scraped against the flap ever-so-gently but Will's keen ears picked the sound up.

"If that's everything, I'm going to rest myself. All of this is very tiring. If he awakes, let me know immediately." That unfamiliar voice again. A simple grunt from Halt was enough and the other person left the tent.

"Will. I don't know if you can hear me or not but..." Wait, was that Halt apologizing? But why? It wasn't his fault that Will had gotten shot and injured. Will wanted to get up and say that but he couldn't. His body was restricting itself from moving so it could heal itself. Before Will could hear the rest of what Halt had to say, he found his mind becoming fuzzy and he no longer could distinguish what Halt was saying. It all became a jumbled mess. Without fighting it, Will let his mind drift back off to where it was before he awoke.

Unaware to anyone, Will's body was fighting off an infection. A nasty one. His body was fighting its hardest but it was a losing battle. The infection was spreading. And if someone didn't stop it fast, no one knew what would happen. Not Halt, not Horace. Not Thomas. Not even Will. But his body was already depriving itself of resources, preventing a lot of blood from circulating and spreading the unknown infection. Will's system knew what would happen. And it wasn't a pretty result.

* * *

Thomas ran. It wasn't a full-on sprint but it was fast. He ran for about three kilometers to the east into the forest, then made a sharp turn to the north. He covered his tracks for about four meters before he began running again. The forest made great cover. He could still see the battle in the distance but unless someone knew he was over here, no one would find him. Two kilometers later, he banked left again, now heading west. Three kilometers after that, he was next to his leader's side.

"Did you take care of them?"

"Of course I did. You'll be fine. We'll retreat and then in a few months, we'll come back and attack them by surprise. No one will be able to withstand us and we'll win. It's as simple as I told you it would be."

"Alright. I believe you." The leader looked out onto the battlefield.

"When should we give up?" Thomas thought about it for a few seconds, looking at the sky in the process.

"Wait until the sun is there." He said, pointing to the top of a tall tree. "When it gets there, we'll turn and head back home."

"Sounds good to me." The leader said. "You know, Thomas, you could be the leader."

Thomas shrugged. "I could be. But I'm more content with what I do now."

The leader shrugged in response. There wasn't much else he could do.

When the sun hit the designated point, everyone simply turned around and galloped out of the battlefield, leaving the area where they were completely bare after two minutes. Thomas smiled to himself.

"That boy is going to be begging to die here in a few weeks." He thought. He shrugged. It wasn't his problem now. All they had to do now was wait.