My heart stopped as I rushed to the back of the cart. There, beneath a pile of snow-dusted blankets, lay Alistair. His face was ashen, lips tinged with blue, and blood had soaked through the makeshift bandages wrapped around his arm.
"Alistair!" I gasped, reaching out to touch his cold cheek. No response. His breathing was shallow, each inhale a painful struggle.
I whirled toward the guards who had followed me outside. "Don't just stand there! Get him inside by the fire immediately! And send for Dr. Willis—the best doctor in the region. I don't care what it costs or how far you must go!"
The urgency in my voice spurred them to action. Two guards carefully lifted Alistair from the cart, his limp body looking smaller and more fragile than I'd ever seen.
"And someone must ride to find the Duke," I added, my voice breaking slightly. "He needs to know Alistair has been found."
