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She directed a fiery glare at Aeyis, demanding explanation.
We retrieved the stolen tome from Boedworth, Aeyis said.Hass has it in custody, but he thinks Izral will grant us visitation rights as soon as he returns from a meeting at the High Court.
Her anger dissolved as Aeyis lowered his head and sank his fingers into his hair. Both boys were a mess, which meant she needed to hold everything together. She needed to hold them together.
She took Renton’s chin gingerly, wincing at the swollen, bruised skin there. “Hey, if you get to fuss over us, we get to fuss over you. Now put some effort into getting all of this muscle up off the floor because I can’t do it alone.”
A smile played at the corner of his mouth, but it morphed into a grimace when he pushed onto his feet and she guided him into her room. She eased him back onto her bed, unable to ignore the lilac sheets drinking in his blood.
When would the healer arrive? Was Aeyis certain he’d sent for one in his disoriented state? Why hadn’t she worked harder on healing? If she’d focused more on exploring the Void earlier, she might not have been so useless now.
Tears stung her eyes. Her channels roiled with enough firepower to detonate the entire villa. “Tell me what to do.”
His chest heaved with effort. “Just…breathe.”
“Where’s Boedworth now?”
Renton wrapped a hand around her elbow. “No…manhunts.”
She ground her teeth, channeling her aggression into unbuckling his armor, slick with rain and blood. She hurled it across the room.
The healer arrived shortly after Tenah had stripped Renton down to his dark shirt and pants. She refused to move from his side until the healer touched her arm and offered a reassuring smile. “I heal for the Embassy. I’ll take care of him.”
Reluctantly, Tenah backed up. She watched every twitch of the healer’s fingers along Renton’s side. Beads of pale blue magic threaded into the wet patches on his dark shirt. His short breaths soon turned into deep, relaxed ones.
Mending bodies never ceased to amaze Tenah. Like a magician, her mother had erased her scrapes and bruises when she was a reckless child. Eager to learn the art, Tenah had obsessively combed through medical books in the library up until the morning her mother had vanished.
“Several punctures, broken ribs, and a collapsed lung,” the healer said. “Other than that, some moderate swelling and bruising.”
Tenah didn’t miss the way the healer’s fingers paused over Renton’s heart. His bright eyes flashed with panic as he grabbed the healer’s wrist and gently eased her hand away.
“Will he be okay?” Tenah asked.
The healer set a vial of clear liquid on the nightstand. “He’ll be fine. Give this to him in six hours for the pain. Make sure he gets some sleep.”
Tenah nodded in relief. “Thank you. Will you please check the Ashen on the terrace? He was struck by dark magic.”
“Sure thing, dear.”
Hoping the lie would be enough to protect Aeyis from dangerous accusations, Tenah watched the healer close the door behind her. She looked Renton over, the sickening knot in her chest slowly unraveling as his breathing remained steady.
He sat up with a grunt, and when she lurched toward him, he raised his hands to stop her from forcing him back down on the bed. “I’m okay now. Just sore.”
“You have two options,” Tenah said firmly. “You either lay back down and sleep, or you march into that bathing room so I can clean you up.”
Renton cocked a brow, a flash of challenge in his eyes. Tenah moved between his legs and helped him rise to his towering height. She helped him into the glass shower enclosure and cranked on the spout for hot water.
“Hang on.” She propped him against the stone wall as she grabbed a stool from a vanity then positioned him on it just out of range of the water.
Looking down at him, bloodied and damp and grinning on his tiny stool, infuriated her. “What were you thinking going after him without all of our help? Vesara and Gireth didn’t go, did they?”
“No, just Hass,” Renton said, his body relaxing in the steam. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, letting out a hum of satisfaction. “Boedworth allied with Adra’s king. The contract to capture you and your father was supposed to earn the Boglands amnesty from his attacks.”
Tenah stiffened. “There are plenty of Corrupt on the isles. What would Adra’s king want with me and my father?”
A muscle twitched in Renton’s jaw. “I would imagine it’s not good.”
“Adra’s king doesn’t frighten me.”
