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Of course. A week ago I would’ve rolled my eyes and prodded the keeper for something more. The main room’s tables are empty, but the smell of cooking food takes away my usual stubbornness, quieting the fire that would demand rooms I know to be available. But today I won’t even mind sleeping on the floor. It’s an upgrade from the hell we’ve endured this last week.
“Fine. Point me in the right direction,” I say.
The man holds out his hand. “Pay. Up front.”
I grimace, but as I take the first assessment of myself since we left this morning, it makes sense. I don’t know if I would even recognize myself if I stared at my own, dirty reflection. When the keeper doesn’t move I reach down across Roan. His eyes are closed, and it almost looks like he’s asleep, his pale face as still as a morning pond.
I don’t have time to be fumbling around with money. Infection may have already taken root within his deeper cuts. Doing my best to not disturb the worst of his injuries, I feel around his chest and pockets. Where would the Captain of the Royal Guard stash his money?
Roan winces as I dig around, but tries his best to hide the pain. “Can you at least give me a hint of where I need to be looking?” I whisper to him. He opens an eye long enough to look down.
“Is this how graceful you are with all your marks?” he asks.
I arch a brow. “Maybe you should use what little energy you have left to tell me where it is instead of making me guess.”
His attempt at a laugh is pitiful, and I glare at him for trying. When he lifts his good leg, I don’t hesitate as I pull off the boot, a few coins rolling onto the floor. I can’t help but laugh, mostly from sheer relief that we didn’t come this far to be turned out.
The keeper takes a look at the coins on the ground and begins shouting orders. “Shiren! Come take these two to their room.” He turns back to us. “Do you want your food up there, or down here?”
“Our room,” I say, gathering Roan from the bench. “But we need the washroom first.”
“Aye. I can see that. Down the hall and to your right. Leave your clothes outside. They will be clean and dry by morning, and I’ll rustle up some temporary clothes for tonight.”
Roan seems like he’s drifted off to sleep again. “We need to clean up before we rest so I can dress your cuts properly. Do you have the strength to take a bath?” I whisper in his ear. “If you need help—”
“I’m not so far gone that I need you to bathe me, Ari. Although, if you’re offering…” He slits one eye open as he talks, a boyish grin crossing his lips. My eyes flit to those lips, the memory of them sending a shiver up my spine.
I snap myself back the minute I realize where my mind has taken me. Being wounded has made him bold, talking like we’ve known each other much longer than we actually have. I make a mental note to pummel him when he’s feeling better. But I can't help the grin that crosses my face.
The warm water eases the last few day’s aches and pains. The bath is clean, as if we are the first patrons of the day. I don’t complain. If the promise of real food weren’t waiting for me upstairs in our room, and Roan didn’t need to be stitched up, and if a flurry of madmen weren’t trying to kill us, I would stay here all day.
My elbows are burned from the friction of sliding down the mud, and they sting as they dip below the water. I take a deep breath before submerging my head. Once I'm under, I release a scream that resembles more of something you’d hear from an animal than a girl. Bubbles rise through the liquid, the water muffling the sound just as I wished. And when I surface again, my shoulders sag, and the weight of my body floats on the surface.
I let my mind drift away, not allowing thoughts of Reynauld, Silas, Tamen, or Jaren push me back under the surface. I will have to let them back in, eventually. I will have to become the thief again once I leave this water. Strategizing our way into Thenstra. Healing Roan. Finding and saving the princess. Figuring out the wretched plan these men have in store for her and Felshan, and effectively putting an end to it.
But for now, I let myself nestle into the support of the warmth that seeps into me.
Days of dirt and grime rinse from my hair and body, leaving the bath water a murky brown of floating leaves and swirling dirt. My stomach grumbles, and the fragrance of steeped broth and fresh bread makes the hollowness more painful.
I finally rise, drying myself and dressing in the temporary clothes the keeper dredged up for me. Shiren, the keeper’s assistant and maid, is waiting for us outside. She helps me get Roan up the stairs and in the bed. I’m so grateful for the extra help I could hug her. When my body tenses to move as if I might, I take a step back instead.
Roan drifts in and out of sleep as I lift his shirt and pant leg to examine his wounds. His clean body takes me back to the first night we met, the moonlight rippling down his dark hair and reflecting off his skin.
“What happened to you two?” Shiren asks, an innocence to her demeanor. I blush as I notice her attention on me, as if she can read every thought that just rolled through my mind. But I hide it well, turning to pull the sheets up and over a now sleeping Roan.
“A lot.” All I want to do is lie down and sleep. A simple bed, chair, and table are laid out across the space, as well as clean dressings, two bowls of food, and an extra blanket that are waiting for me atop the table. My mouth waters instantly.
“A lot doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Roan mumbles, startling me. I thought for sure he’d fallen asleep.
“Do any doctors come around here?” I ask her, curling my leg beneath me as I sit down on the edge of the bed.
“Um. Not really. I’ve seen one or two pass through, but none live close by. The nearest one would be the outskirts of the capital,” the girl says.
“Thenstra?” It’s more a statement than a question as I breathe the word.
“Yes. Thenstra. It’s about a day’s ride from here.” We are close, closer than I dared hope before now.
“But the gates are closed,” I say, and she easily picks up on my questioning tone.
