Page 124 of Wanted: Rogues and Bards

Lirion stumbled back a step as he watched in a mix of horror and confusion as fresh chaos claimed their small camp even after the attackers had been vanquished. From a distance, Lirion could see that Maxie’s hands were now covered in blood, which was steadily soaking into his clothes.

Lirion started to lurch forward, his mind already summoning up the words for some quick and dirty healing, when Fenric’s shout stopped him cold.

Fenric bellowed, “Hapi! Puppy’s hurt! Ge over here now!”

Hapi?

Why would you call for a necromancer when you needed healing?

Oh fuck, don’t tell him—no, surely not!

Hapi moved faster than Lirion had ever seen. Normally, Hapi walked around with a graceful, ground-eating stride, never hurrying above a quick walk. It was the first time Lirion had seen him run, worry written all over his face.

“Lay him down. I’ll get the ingredients out.”

Little cries of pain escaped Maxie as Malfas and Fenric carefully moved Maxie off the log to lie flat on his back in front of the flickering flames. The dancing light cast hideous shadows across his normally handsome face. Blood speckled his parted lips and pale face, and tears streaked from the corners of his eyes, glistening on his temples.

Hapi was speed itself, bringing his bag of magical implements out with him. Even as he opened the bag, he snapped out, “Well? Someone has to finish him off. I can’t raise him until he’s dead.”

What?

What the hell did he just say?

Lirion’s eyes were in danger of falling out of their sockets as the full meaning of his words penetrated. So Hapi didn’t have healing skills, or even any basic potions, but if one of them was injured seriously, they’d just kill the person so Hapi could raise them?

Granted, it meant they were healed to full health, but still!

Everyone ground to a halt, even Rain and Belstrom, who stood guard at the perimeter with the skelebabies. Fenric was still putting pressure on the wound, but even he looked perturbed.

“I-I can’t bring myself to do it,” Fenric choked out, shaking his head violently. “Can someone else? He’s practically a little brother to me.”

Malfas threw up his hands. “Nope, nope, I can’t even get mad at his face. Even if it’s for his benefit, I can’t kill him. Don’t even ask, I ain’t doing it. Sorry, Puppy, I love you too much. Understand me, please.”

Maxie grimaced. “I don’t want to die, but it hurts so much. Please, someone…”

“For the love of—” Lirion couldn’t take any more of this insanity. He stomped in closer, hip-checking Hapi out of the way. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this. Is there not a single person in this whole fucking party who has healing magic?! Sure, I know you joked about Hapi raising you all from the dead after the poisoning incident, but I thought it was only because there was no antidote to counter the poison. How could your only option be death and resurrection? What if something happened to Hapi? You’d have nothing!”

Shrugs all around, a few looking shamefaced.

He dug a potion bottle from his bag, pulled the stopper, and tipped it into Maxie’s mouth. Even as he did that basic thing, his mind whirled. Yes, he’d wanted to ask if he could be a part of this group of idiots, but now Lirion knew he had to join them. They needed him, and he didn’t want to imagine a world where they didn’t continue living and creating chaos because they were suddenly short a necromancer to bring them back to life. He adored their ingenuity, strength, courage, and sense of humor more than he could ever say, but this whole situation had to stop right now! How could they do such dangerous work without a single healing spell? Just the idea of it made his head want to explode and his heart break.

The potion would help with the pain and replenish blood supply, keeping Maxie out of imminent danger of dying from blood loss. Lirion picked up his lyre and started strumming a cantrip, an effective method of healing that could be repeated ad nauseum. Since it didn’t seem Maxie would croak here in the next few seconds, Lirion knew it would be fine not just blasting him with a greater healing spell. Bonus was that he could show these idiots what exactly they’d been missing out on.

“Fucking hell,” Fenric murmured, eyes fixed on him. “I had no idea you could heal something major like this.”

His eyes met Fenric’s as he strummed. Lirion knew the instrument and the song so well he didn’t have to focus on the notes. He could play this song blindfolded (and had, once).

Fenric’s eyes spoke a whole conversation. Relief, because killing Maxie wasn’t necessary anymore. Gratitude that Lirion was here and able to help. And perhaps affection and pride? Fenric’s lips curved up ever so slightly at the corners, softening his normally closed-off face, and it felt like Fenric’s smile hit him right in the heartstrings.

Lirion almost felt flushed under his gaze, and the man wasn’t even doing anything! Who cared if Lirion was chasing a fantasy? When he looked into those gold-green eyes of Fenric’s, the only thought going through his mind was mine.

Lirion thought of Fenric in the future, being hurt like Maxie and forcing one of his friends to kill him so Hapi could raise him, and it made Lirion throw up in his mouth. No way in hell did he want that future to happen.

He’d just teased Fenric not twenty minutes ago about being an adult and using his grown-up words. Apparently, he needed to take his own advice.

The cantrip finished, and he lifted Fenric’s hands so he could take a peek at Maxie’s wound. It was closing up well. The skin had knitted back together, and even as he watched, the angry, puffy redness calmed down.

“It’ll likely scar, at least for a few months, but you’ll be fine.”