He started to shiver, and he was still crying.
“I think I’ve done all I can,” the doctor said.
Perian blinked and tried to focus. He realized that Molun’s leg was carefully bandaged with nice white bandages. He was a lot cleaner, still too pale, but he looked so, so much better. Actually, all that was bloody now was the hand that was holding Perian’s, because Perian was the one who was a mess.
He let go—he didn’t want to make Molun dirty—and then he wavered, and thankfully, someone caught him, because he would definitely have fallen over, even sitting in the chair.
“We’re going to get you to bed,” the doctor said.
“Have t’ stay with Molun,” Perian said, though his tongue felt thick and like it didn’t fit in his mouth right.
“We’re going to get you cleaned up,” the doctor said.
“With Molun,” he insisted.
“Yes, don’t worry,” she soothed. “With Molun.”
And that was apparently the last thing that Perian had been waiting to hear, because then the world dissolved around him, and he knew no more.
Chapter Seventeen
When Perian woke up, he was a bit cold but also cozy, which was nice. He just lay there for a moment, trying to figure out why hewouldn’tfeel cozy when he woke up. Why did he feel a bit weird?
Memories rushed back, and he snapped upright, groaning as that made the world tilt and whirl.
“Careful.”
Renny was sitting by the bed? Perian peered at her in confusion, then looked to his left and let out a sigh of relief. There was Molun, just like the doctor had promised, bundled up in bed with Perian.
With a hand that trembled a little, he reached out and felt Molun’s forehead.
He was a little cool to the touch, but Perian could see the rise and fall of his chest, and he could feel the slight hush of breath against his hand when he held it out over Molun’s mouth. It was all right. It was all right. It was all right.
He flopped back onto the bed like he was a puppet whose strings had been cut.
“He’s all right, Perian,” Renny assuredhim.
This felt like a major role reversal, but Perian supposed he was the one in the bed at the moment, even if he wasn’t injured.
“What time is it?” he asked, throat thick and scratchy.
She handed him a glass of water, and he sat up enough that he could actually drink it. Oh, that felt good.
“You’ve been asleep for almost eight hours.”
“The others!” Perian said with alarm.
“No one else was hurt. Cormal went out with other Mage Warriors and Warriors as reinforcement, and he sent a runner back to update us. There were more lesser demons and wraiths and nightmares, too, apparently, and they’re all being hunted down. They’ll be back just as soon as they can.”
Perian couldn’t blame them for wanting to make sure that the threat was eliminated, especially when it was so close to the city and castle. He was relieved to know they were all right, or at least had been when the runner left them. But there were lots more of them now, so they were surely still all fine. Right?
He could already feel sleep pulling at him again, like it was reaching out and grabbing at him.
“Wasn’t I just sleeping?”
“Rest,” Renny said gently. “You’ve been through a lot.”
Perian took up Molun’s hand again, and it was still lax, but he reminded himself that it was with sleep now, and that was so much better than unconsciousness. It was nice and warm, because they were tucked up in bed, and that was so much better than in a forest or even on the best horse in the world.
