Page 363 of Once Upon a Fable

A vortex of pain, history, and disease.

It ricocheted back on me.

It cracked my mind apart.

I blacked out.

CHAPTER THREE

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I WENT FROM PROTECTING one man to caring for another.

Scrambling away from Jareth’s blood-covered body, I crawled as fast as I could to Kas as he toppled sideways onto the ground. He landed with a heavy thud, loose and unconscious.

“Shit.” I cradled his head on my lap, pushing away his long dark hair while pulling a few leaves from his strands. “It’s okay, Kas. Just breathe.”

I didn’t know if he could hear me.

I didn’t know what to do.

What made him black out?

Would he have any memory of this when he woke?

He lay prone and lifeless in my arms while Jareth slowly pushed himself onto his ass and breathed hard. He slumped forward over his knees, doing his best to shake off the beating he’d just received.

A few moments passed before he groaned, sucked in a tattered breath, and gingerly raised both arms to run though his bloody hair. He winced and groaned again, rolling his shoulders, slowly assessing his damage.

He didn’t look so great.

I was torn in two.

A part of me had loyalty only to Kas. I would fight with everything I had if Jareth decided to pay Kas back for his attack. But the other part of me filled with hope.

When Kas had launched himself at Jareth, he’d been different.

He’d been...alive.

Something had sparked awake inside him, shoving past his pain, his stubbornness, and all the other mess he swam in.

He’d been real—more real and vibrant than I’d seen since arriving in this godforsaken valley. Something had clicked into place inside him as he’d let loose and given in to his rage.

Yes, he’d been hell-bent on killing Jareth. And yes, he’d been absolutely terrifying, but he’d seemed sane. Honest with who he was and what he was capable of.

As he’d swung punch after punch, using his entire body as a weapon against his enemy, it’d seemed as if he’d found a piece of himself that he’d lost. A piece he’d stopped running from and embraced wholeheartedly.

He’d been so fast. So strong. So vicious.

But it’d been more than that.

For the first time since I’d met Kas, he’d looked...whole.

And it was the best thing I’d ever seen. His eyes had been clear of ghosts. His determination had been true, even if it’d been murderous.

He’d seemedfree.

“Is he breathing?” Jareth croaked, spitting a wad of blood onto a bush beside him.