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With Ember's help,I managed to clear a path to Kiango's broken body and get the bleeding stopped. He was weak, but when Ember squeezed his hand and whispered to him, he reacted with a subtle nod and the shadow of a smile.
I left them alone and returned to Mihiri's side, rummaging around until I found a spare cushion to rest her head upon. I brought her water and tried to get it between her pale lips. She woke only enough to oblige me by tilting her head back some. Every drop that made it in was hard earned, but I wouldn't give up until I was sure she'd had enough.
Soon, Ember returned to my side, looking down at Mihiri the way a child looks upon a parent when they realize they, too, are mortal.
"How can I help?" She murmured.
"Just keep watch over them. They need rest. If Mihiri taught you any of her healing tricks, now would be the time to use them," I advised.
She shook her head sadly, tears sliding down her face to drop on the dusty floor between us.
"She didn't have time," Ember said with a sniffle, but she lifted her head and looked around at all of the books and debris, taking it all in. "She didn't teach me to heal, but she did teach me how to find things in Re'Utu's books. Stay here."
She turned and headed for the nearest pile of shelves and books, making grunting and huffing sounds as she shifted the debris until she found what she was after. There was a heavy thud as she dropped an enormous bound volume onto the reading desk.
"What's that?" I asked, wrinkling my nose at the faded ornate font on the spine.
"I don't know, but I saw her reading from it when she prepared the mixture for my ceremony, and she said it was full of other useful recipes."
I looked from her to the book, and then down to Mihiri, and settled in to wait. If there was something useful in that book, it was going to take a while for Ember to find it, and then we would still have to prepare whatever it was. For now, all I could do was pray that Mihiri's ragged breath kept coming. Intermittently, I checked on Kiango, feeling just as helpless as I watched over him, oddly uncomfortable sitting beside him or holding his hand while Ember was nearby.
At some point, I must have nodded off while waiting because a sudden exclamation from Ember jolted me awake.
"What is it?" I gasped, sitting upright and looking around the room frantically.
"I think I've found something. It's not perfect, but it might work. It's a mixture once used to help injured Guardians regain their strength after facing a storm." She paused, reading over it again and shaking her head. "I wonder why it's not in use anymore?"
"Who cares. What do we need?"
Wasting no time, Ember scribbled down a list on a piece of paper and handed it to me.
"You go. You know your way around the kitchen and the palace better than me. If anyone can find this stuff, it's you. I'll stay here."
Relieved, I tucked the paper into the pocket of my robe and left, eager to see how the others were doing. By now, they would have had plenty of time to feed everyone. With any luck, they might have started bringing residents back up from the sanctuary, or devising a way to carry the weakest ones out.
Amid the practical thoughts of everything that needed to be done to restore the palace to normal, my mind ventured to Silas once more. Was he still sitting in that damned throne? I was nearly jogging down the hall toward the kitchens. Coming through the door, I slammed the paper down on the table and grabbed one of the other servant women who was waiting for another pitcher of water.
"Here. Find everything on this list and take it to the library. Give it to Ember. And hurry!" I shook her by the sleeve, desperate to get my point across. "If there's anything you can't find, ask the head cook. If he can't find it, come get me in the sanctuary. Got it?"
The woman nodded fervently, taking the list from me and inspecting it.
I turned and marched toward the tunnel entrance. I meant to find out what was going on down there now that Ember wasn't there to take charge, and I also meant to have a word with Silas, whether he liked it or not.
I had a lot on my mind, and it was threatening to burst out in a tirade of anger and frustration. But somehow, I knew that the worst part of it was the lingering pulse of desire and affection I felt for the man. Back in that cave, I'd almost given in to it entirely before pulling myself back. Now, it was a dull ache in my heart that made every interaction with him more painful than the last. I couldn't blame him for insisting that we come back, but I also couldn't forget what it had felt like to be free of this place.
Feeling my way back down the long hallway, I was relieved to hear people talking and moving about in the sanctuary. If nothing else, the food and drink seemed to have worked. But when I passed through the second door and came upon Trydan's room, I froze.
Silas stood in the middle of the room, his dark scales reflecting the weak light, his eyes blazing with hatred. A low, guttural sound was coming from somewhere deep in his throat, something between a roar and a cry of defeat. In his hand, he held a note, and even from here I could see the large letters stamped across the top. URGENT.
When he noticed me moving into the room, his eyes flashed up at me and he bared his teeth.
"They're gone," he croaked. "Everyone is gone."
A haze of dread and guilt washed over me, but I forced my face into a sympathetic expression, picking my way around the broken door and over to where he stood. Awkwardly, I reached for him, hoping that if I could pull him close, he wouldn't see the truth written across my face. But it was too late.
Holding up a hand to stop me, he scrutinized my features closely, lips pressed tightly together.
"You knew."
