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“You must return to the castle,” said Killian. “We can care for the wounded and the dead.”
“Killian is right,” Gavriel said, and he turned to look west, where the sun sat in the sky, bright and red. “Our king should arrive soon.”
I did not argue because there was nothing I could do. My back burned from the monster’s claws so I could not bend, and even if I tried, I could not pull or lift with my arm and its angry bite. Also, I did not think I could walk the distance.
“I will find a horse,” Gavriel said, and with a bow, he left to search. Miha and Isac began to gather bodies, choosing to begin with the aufhockers first.
“Are you sure you are all right?” Killian asked. His gray eyes were stormy, and I thought about how he had begged me not to come.
“I will be,” I said.
He studied me, silent, and then said, “I know you wish to lead by example. I know you wish to protect your people, but battle isn’t the only way to fight for them.”
I did not respond, did not really wish to speak at all, and it seemed that he did not wish to hear an answer, because he left, crossing to kneel beside a woman who sobbed over the body of a man.
Gavriel returned, leading Reverie, and my heart rose seeing that she was okay until I came around to mount her and saw four deep, bleeding gashes on her hip. I met Gavriel’s gaze.
“Will she be okay?”
“So long as her wound does not become infected.” Then his eyes fell to my arm. He frowned deeply but did not comment on it. “Can you mount on your own?”
I did, though the movements jarred my back and arm. Once I was firmly seated, Gavriel kept hold of the reins, leading Reverie up the steep hill to the Red Palace.
We did not speak, not until we were in the crowded courtyard. Tanaka was among those gathered. He looked older, angrier, his mouth set in a hard line as he glared at me. I threw my foot over and slid off my horse, surprised when a set of hands grasped my waist before my foot could touch the ground.
I spun, facing Gavriel, who dropped his hands to his sides.
“My apologies, Your Majesty,” he said. “I only wished to help.”
“If I wanted your help, I would have asked.”
He held my gaze and then nodded. “My queen.”
I left the courtyard, passing Tanaka without a glance, and headed to my chambers. On the way, I passed Violeta, whose eyes widened with shock at my appearance.
“I need a bath brought to my room,” I said.
“Right away, my queen,” she said and fled in the direction of the kitchens.
Once in my room, I began to peel off my ruined dress. Parts of it stuck to me, dried in the blood that covered my skin. I pulled on a robe, and while the fabric was soft, it felt uncomfortable against my wounds.
It did not take long for Violeta to arrive. A set of servants positioned the bath near the window as usual, and then they took turns filling it with steaming water. When they were finished, Violeta lingered, and though she was quiet, I could feel her eyes on me.
“Do you need anything, my queen?” she asked.
“I’d like to be alone,” I said.
“Of course,” she said, and as she made her way to the door, I spoke.
“Thank you, Violeta.”
When the door closed, I shed the robe and lowered myself into the hot bath, gritting my teeth as the water burned my wounds. I focused primarily on the bite on my arm, scrubbing the marks with soap despite the pain. The redness had now spread from the marks, consuming my entire forearm. It was swollen and tender, the slightest pressure sending a wave of nausea roiling inside my stomach, which only served to make my anxiety worse.
There were always consequences when monsters bit or scratched—infection often set in quickly, and the longer it was allowed to stay in the blood, the more dangerous it became. Sometimes it created monsters, sometimes it killed, and while I knew Adrian could heal, was there a point when it would be too late?
There was a knock at my door, and before I could speak, Ana entered. Though pale, her cheeks were flushed, and she looked frustrated. As Adrian’s cousin, she shared his features—pale hair and skin and the same eye shape—though their coloring, while striking, was different. Ana’s eyes blazed green and looked hard at me as I sat in the rapidly cooling water.
“Gavriel tells me you are injured,” she said.
