And Uma didn’t mind the extra help. Already dressed in a long-sleeve gown with gloves secured over her hands and a cloth mask covering her mouth, she was ready to face anything. She must have heard our conversation through the walls, used the shadows to help her decipher what was needed in order to care for our guests. Soft blue eyes met mine, and the wrinkles lining her forehead deepened.
We worked side by side, pulling back the cots’ stark-white sheets. While she reached for silver trays with medical instruments and bandages, I helped Calem settle a slumbering Kaori onto the first bed and then turned my focus to Gaige. How he was still standing was beyond me. The weeping wound across his abdomen had started to emit a sour odor, and I frowned. Infection. And judging by Kost’s worried look, he knew it too. He stood close by with Felicks cradled in his arms, the purple orb atop his head swirling every two minutes with a new predication for Kost to decipher. I hoped he’d give Kost some relief. Proof that Gaige would be okay, even though Felicks hadn’t been able to seal the gash, and whatever was in that venom was wreaking havoc on Gaige’s insides.
Uma took one look at his laceration and blanched. “On the cot. Now. Take off your shirt.”
He stumbled as he made a move toward the bed, and I instinctively reached out and steadied him. With a wordless grunt, he allowed me to shoulder his weight and ease him onto the cot. Then, we peeled off his tunic. Even though he wasn’t a member of Cruor, he needed help. He wouldn’t be the first Charmer I’d gone out of my way to aid. Cutting a quick glance Leena’s direction, I offered her what I hoped was a reassuring nod. She couldn’t even muster a smile, and my heart tightened at the sight. She stood in the open doorway to the hall, face ashen and tears barely reined in. Beside her, Raven was a statue. Her once-fiery eyes had lost all light, and her faraway stare targeted nothing at all. Exhaustion. Despair. Loss. All emotions I recognized only too well.
The pang in my chest deepened, but I pushed away the thought of him and pulled my gaze back to Gaige, then to Uma. “What now?”
Deft fingers hovered above his wound, and Uma grimaced. “I’ve never seen this before.”
“It’s Yimlet poison.” Gaige’s voice wavered as a tremor claimed his body. With a shaky hand, he wiped beads of sweat away from his damp brow. “You’ll need to douse it with mimko extract. That will stop the spread.”
Without waiting for Uma’s instruction, I turned to the cabinets lining the walls and pulled them open. Scoured the wooden shelves and read label after label until I came across a small, green vial. I snatched the concoction and hurried back to his side. Kost edged closer, and Felicks let out a worried bark.
Kost dipped his chin toward his beast. “Will Felicks be able to seal it up once the venom is stopped?”
“No.” Gaige moaned weakly. “The Yimlet’s poison permanently alters whatever it touches, making it immune to any other beast’s magic.”
“We’ll stitch you up manually, then.” Uma turned to the tray brimming with equipment and picked up an already-threaded needle, then reached for something I didn’t recognized lying in a silver basin covered with a thin layer of water. Gently, she snared what appeared to be a leathery piece of parchment between her forefinger and thumb. “Burdyuk leaf. I’ll graft it to your skin, and it’ll dissolve once you’ve properly healed. First, the mimko extract. Be prepared for it to sting, but it will numb the area afterward.”
She nodded toward me, and I uncorked the vial. I didn’t know much about mimko extract—the herb in question was only ever used among healers—and the pungent, spiced scent that assaulted the air made almost everyone in the room gag, save myself and Uma. Even Leena and Raven, the farthest from the cot, sputtered. Kost visibly retracted, and Felicks buried his face into his chest to hide his snout.
Calem slapped his palm across his nose and mouth. “Get on with it.”
“Best do as he says. Go ahead, Ozias.” Uma gestured to the wound with her needle.
I gave Gaige a weak smile. “Sorry about this.” And without any further warning, I splashed a heavy amount across the laceration, coating it as thick as I could to stop the spread of venom. Gaige cursed so loud, my ears rang, and he white-knuckled the sides of his cot. Steam formed where the extract met his flesh, and a hair-raising hiss punctured the air. Gaige jerked uncontrollably, and Kost pressed a firm hand against his chest to hold him in place. Finally, the sound subsided—along with Gaige’s colorful language and thrashing—and he slackened against the bed. Slowly, Kost studied his face. His fingers lingered a moment too long…until he seemed to realize what he was doing. A blush touched his ears, and he took a definitive step back, giving Uma more room to work. She acted quickly, gently placing the burdyuk leaf over the wound and stitching so fast, I barely had time to register her actions.
Just seeing Gaige’s somewhat-relaxed face lessened the tension, the fear, in the room. Kost sighed and placed Felicks on the floor by his feet. Calem let his hand fall away, only to press it gently against Kaori’s forehead. She moved, ever so slightly, toward his touch, and his shoulders loosened. Satisfied with their well-being for the moment, I turned toward Raven.
A rock formed in my throat. Her physical wounds were minor—she pressed her right arm tight against her chest, a sign she’d likely broken something and was avoiding jostling it too much—and there were a few other minor gashes that Felicks could heal. But the emotional damage…the gaunt look in her eyes and the slight twitch she couldn’t seem to control…
Slowly, I moved to her side and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. To guide her toward the open cot so we could take a look at her injuries. I half-expected her to flinch. Or to scowl and shove me away. There was no telling exactly how grief would rear its ugly head. But instead, she blinked up at me, an expression of sheer confusion clouding her face. As if she’d forgotten where she was to begin with. And then all at once, she cracked. Tears welled along her lashes and she sucked in a sharp breath. Her lips quivered as she tried to keep herself together. To not completely fall apart in the presence of others.
I’d never been any good at talking. The right words always seemed to elude me. Besides, there wasn’t anything I could say to alleviate her pain. That much I knew. And I wasn’t about to belittle her feelings, her anguish, by telling her that it’d be okay. Because even if it would—and I hoped to the gods it would—hearing it would do nothing for her right now. So instead, I acted. Because that’s what I always did. Because that’s the only way I knew how to make things manageable. If I could do anything to ease her burden, then I would. After giving her shoulder a squeeze, I helped her to the open bed and then handed her a blanket. She rolled the lip of fabric between her fingers and then dotted her eyes. Said thank you without saying anything at all.
I heard her loud and clear. Wordlessly, I took her injured arm and assessed the damage. She never flinched. Only stared straight ahead, jaw set tight. Beneath all that pain was a world of anger. Of vengeance. Nothing would stop her from seeking justice in the name of her lost love. As I set her wrist and bandaged it tight, I knew that when we sorted through this mess, she’d demand to be part of the fight. Which meant it was on me to do everything I could to help her now.
That was a job I’d never shy away from.
Twenty-Eight
Leena
Save the now steady rise and fall of her chest, Kaori didn’t move. Stretched out on a cot beneath a layer of blankets, she looked unnaturally pale. A purplish bruise had swollen just beneath her eye, and her normally glossy hair was dull. But at least she was breathing. Gaige sat upright on a cot beside her, his shirt removed and bandages strapped tight over the wound in his side. He’d be left with a significant scar from the tip of his sternum to his waist.
Raven occupied the furthest cot. She sat without moving, her own wounds bandaged, thanks to Oz. Her wrist had been broken and was set with a splint, and while it must’ve hurt, the emotional pain she felt had to be worse. Now that everyone was healed, we had plans to form. A crown to dethrone.
We waited in deafening silence until the attendant left. The pungent lemon- and bleach-scented air stung my nose, and I fought to keep my breathing steady. Kost hovered close to Gaige, unable to hide the tremoring muscle near his temple. Calem leaned against Gaige’s cot, crossing his ankles and giving me a worried stare.
“Where’s Noc?”
“Gone.” Slowly, I recounted the series of events that led to Noc’s capture for Calem, Gaige, and Raven. From securing the ruska fruit to the moment Noc had been whisked away by the Fabric Spinner. His head cracking against stone played on repeat in my mind, and I shivered.
Wincing, Gaige shifted on the cot. “A Fabric Spinner? Those aren’t native to that area.”
“Yazmin has one.” Raven didn’t look at any of us as she spoke. “It’s possible she sent her beast to collect Noc.”
