AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You look rather injured to me.”
I glance down at my arms. It’s my right one which is the most battered, likely because I used it to break my fall. On closer inspection, it’s in a worse state than I thought. I suppose all the moon-blossom wine I drank this evening is responsible for numbing the pain. The scratches are deeper than I realized.
“They’re just minor wounds,” I insist.
“They’ll still need cleaning.”
“They’ll be fine after a bit of Blood Balm.”
“And you will manage to clean your injuries and apply the salve to them yourself?”
I hadn’t considered that part. If my father is home, he will probably be asleep. While I might manage the task myself, it would take longer than letting someone else do it. And I would likely make a racket loud enough to wake my father. Then he would be furious over being awoken in the middle of the night, and also that I drank so much during the week of my Mage Trials.
On second thought, allowing Nolan to help me with my injuries seems the wisest choice. And he isn’t wrong that we are both to blame for our collision. I’ve repaid my debt—or at least partially—by helping him to carry back the unbroken wine bottles. I suppose it’s only fair he repays his debt by assisting me with my injuries.
“Fine,” I say, huffing out a sigh. “If you really won’t take no for an answer, then I guess there’s no harm in letting you help me with them.”
“Good.” Nolan takes my uninjured arm and guides me to the nearest table. He pulls out a chair and helps me sit. I consider telling him it’s my arm which is wounded and not my legs, but I decide against it since he’s just trying to be nice.
“Wait here,” he says, turning to the stairs. “I’ll get the tin of Blood Balm and a bowl of water.”
The steps creak as he ascends them, and then I hear his footsteps above the ceiling.
Nolan returns downstairs a few minutes later, with a tin of Blood Balm in his hands, and starts over to the wooden counter at the far end of the tavern. He rummages through the shelves until he locates a clean cloth and a ceramic bowl.
“You don’t need to find any water,” I call over to him. “I’ll use my magic to conjure some.”
Nolan nods and carries the items over to me. He sets the bowl and the tin onto the table.
“Aquis,” I say. Water splashes into the bowl and fills it entirely. Tendrils of steam swirl from the bubbling surface. I hope I didn’t make it too hot.
Nolan helps me roll my sleeve up to my shoulder, exposing the wounds. They look worse than they feel. Not that I trust my senses right now. I keep the fabric held in place as he sloshes the cloth inside the bowl and soaks up all the warm water. When enough has absorbed, he wrings out the cloth and glides it across my skin.
I flinch.
“I thought you said the injuries weren’t bad,” he says, a light smirk playing on his lips. It’s only now I realize how close he is. Lightning pulses in the little space between us, and I lean back slightly to avoid it.
“The water’s hot.”
He dips his finger into the bowl, and the surface ripples. “It’s only lukewarm.”
“Fine,” I say, scrunching my nose. “The scratches might be a little deeper than I thought.”
He doesn’t dwell on his victory and sets to work with swiping the damp cloth over my wounds and cleaning them.
When he’s done, he reaches for the tin of Blood Balm and opens it, revealing the glossy crimson contents. The scent of cool mint and spicy pepper wafts into the air.
He presses his fingers into the balm, leaving an imprint, and smears the substance across my scratches. I jolt as he traces over my skin, and this time I’m glad to have the excuse of the Blood Balm stinging me.
Once all the scrapes are slathered in ointment, I roll down the fabric of my sleeve. Nolan screws the tin’s lid back on.
“Thanks,” I say.
“No thanks is needed,” he replies. “We are both to blame for what happened tonight. It was only right that I helped you with your wounds, since you helped me with my cart.”
“I’m sorry again about all your wine.”
“Don’t be,” he simply says.
