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Once they led him over the threshold, he noticed two rows of beds, five on each side, in a large space that looked like a dormitory. He was curious who they belonged to and if the answer resided in the noises he’d heard a moment earlier.
They helped him onto one of the sturdy wooden frames with linens that smelled of sandalwood. He vaguely wondered if he was dreaming again, because it’d been so long since he’d been able to lie on anything so supple. Hopefully they planned to leave him to rest comfortably, which he would agree with wholeheartedly. What he wouldn’t do for a good night’s sleep. Except the dizziness returned as soon as he shut his eyes, and he swallowed back the coppery taste of blood in his mouth.
Regardless, those gentle hands were already nudging him awake. “We need to clean your injuries and prepare for Azriel.” He marveled about this person they kept referring to as they carefully removed his coat and stripped him of his shirt and pants, leaving him in his underclothing. He nearly objected because he owned little else, but as his lips tried to form the words, they felt too heavy and swollen to even utter a sound. Besides, they’d been mindful of his bag in the alley, and he somehow knew they would protect these belongings too.
When another boy suddenly appeared, holding a basin of water, Galen began feeling guilty and a bit helpless being attended to by so many. “I can surely help mys—”
“You must reserve your strength,” Wren hissed, effectively shutting down his train of thought.
“I see he’s a stubborn one,” the newest fellow said. He had auburn hair, freckles dotting his cheeks, and as his hazel eyes flashed at Galen, he only felt a warm friendliness emanating from him, along with a similar caution as Madam Langley’s. His aura was a mix of greens with thin blue and golden ribbons running through it, and Galen wondered what had made him so cautious—surely not a defenseless, scrawny young man they’d helped outside a tavern. “The name’s Bellamy. And don’t worry, the twins will take good care of you.”
“Did you happen across Azriel?” Sparrow asked him, and he nodded.
“He’s downstairs with Madam Langley, concocting something to help,” he explained with a wave of his hand. Madam Langley likely owned the shop below and was assisting as well.
Interesting, Galen thought distantly as his eyes drifted closed. A healer, then…or perhaps a witch. From what he’d heard, they were sometimes one and the same. Some healers were rumored to cure maladies through touch, but there seemed to be only a handful of them in Etria, and they tended to keep themselves well-hidden. His aunt and uncle had once sought out an enchantress who lived near their village, when his cousin had fallen severely ill as a child, and the tonic provided had helped cure her of her cough. Maybe this Azriel could help him heal faster, after all.
Once they removed his underpinnings, the feel of warm water on his skin was soothing enough to make him fall deeper under their spell. He’d never been shy about being bare in front of others, but now he wondered how bruised and weak he must’ve appeared to them. Whereas the twins had naturally thin frames—and they certainly did not seem to suffer from hunger pangs—he knew his body would look different from living a less than pampered life.
Nevertheless, he was easily able to shake off the negative thought, simply because it had been so long since gentler hands took such care with him, and he felt grateful for their kindness and concern.
“Who did this to you?” Sparrow asked as he carefully dipped the cloth in warm water.
“A gentleman—if you can even call him one.” He winced as the cloth hit the place on his abdomen where he’d been kicked repeatedly.
“Did he at least pay you?” Bellamy asked with a scowl, and Galen cringed. Undeniably, they all knew he was a two-bit whore, but still, they’d taken him in and proceeded to care for him. “I’ll assume not,” Bellamy concluded.
After he was cleaned to their satisfaction, which involved wiping the seed and blood stuck to his thighs and ass cheeks, they removed the bowl and draped the sheet over his shivering body. Wren kept looking toward the door, apparently expecting Azriel to show at any moment with something to help, whatever that meant. He would somehow need to return the favor or pay them back for their help, but he couldn’t concentrate on that now.
The next time he opened his eyes, he noted the faces of four more fellows peering around the bed at him. All looked near the same age as him, but of different statures and features, some more pleasing to him than others.
There were whispers and some tittering until Bellamy snapped at them to give Galen room. They moved back toward the beds, where they apparently slept at night. What in the world were they all doing here?
