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“Will!” I threw aside the covers and sat up, but a fresh bout of dizziness threatened.
He put down the tray he’d carried in and rushed over to the bedside to fuss over me. “You shouldn’t be up just yet. You went through quite an ordeal, as I understand it.” He clicked his tongue and shook his head, forcing me back into bed. “I could’ve hanged Cian when I heard. And Hellion… How could they go along with that? And then I hear you three are formally courting. Courting! They’re lucky there’s a war on or I’d have skinned them both alive.”
I laughed and threw my arms around Will as he leaned over to tuck me in. “It’s so good to see you!”
He stiffened and then put an arm around me, squeezing back. “Likewise. You had me worried, you know. All of us. Morlash’s report from Lach Ban-Lenon was not encouraging.”
I let him go. “How long have I been here? What’s the situation?”
“Two days and the situation is…” He squared his shoulders and stood up straight. “Not for you to worry about until you’ve fully recovered,” Will said, and went to retrieve the tray. He placed it on my lap. The tray contained water and clear broth, nothing else. “At least I won’t have to keep spoon feeding you. Keep this down and we can try something solid. Once you can walk, we’ll get you cleaned up to be presentable.”
“How are Cian and Hellion?” I picked up the whole bowl of broth to drink it straight.
Will smiled. “Why don’t I go get them and you can ask them yourself?”
I gulped down water while Will was away and checked myself over. There were no new injuries that I could see, aside from some bruises I didn’t recognize. The burning ache had worked its way through my body while I was out, but the exhaustion remained. A little food and another nap or two and I’d be back to normal.
The door opened and Cian came in, looking more haggard than I’d ever seen him. Dark circles under his eyes, knots in his hair, and dirt on his clothes. Cian never wore dirty clothes if he could help it. Frantic eyes searched the room as if he’d forgotten where he’d left me. “Nevahn.” He held a book in his hand, trembling at his side. My book.The Taming of the Sun.
“Go in or move aside,” came Hellion’s voice from behind him. A moment later, they ducked under Cian’s arm and paused, staring at me as if I might be a mirage. Their eyes went glassy before they rushed across the room. They pounced on me in the bed, taking my head in their hands and planting kisses all over my face.
Cian was there the next moment, arms wrapped around us both. “We thought we lost you.” His voice cracked.
“I’m right here, idiot.” I smiled into his lips before pushing him back. “Have you even slept since the rite? You both look terrible.”
“I have wasted too much time sleeping.” Hellion’s lips moved to my ear, hands searching.
I caught their fingers before they could dive under the blanket and cause any further trouble. “Hel, I can’t even stand.”
“I wasn’t planning on you standing when I was done with you either,” they growled into my ear.
Cian pulled them back. “As eager as I am to have him walking around bowlegged and sitting gingerly again, let’s save that thought for when he’s back at full strength.”
Hellion let out a growl and grabbed the empty tray. “How is he supposed to get back to full strength without proper food? What did they bring you? Broth and water? Unacceptable! You need meat, sugar, and salt! Somebody bring this man a proper meal! Can’t you see he’s wasting away?”
I laughed and threw my arms around them. “Gods, I love it when you get all cranky over nothing.”
“Relax, Hel. I’m sure Will is getting him something.” Cian yanked Hellion to the bed and ordered them to stay put on the other side of me.
For a long moment, we lay there in silence, just enjoying the warmth of each other.
“Tell me,” I whispered, clasping Cian’s hand and bringing his knuckles to my mouth. “How bad is it?”
Cian sighed. “Bad. Brenna’s marching this way as we speak. I have everyone I can spare fortifying the pass or the castle walls. Ezulari is a ghost town. I’ve pulled everyone into the castle to shelter here. Many… did not want to go.”
“The castle is more defensible. They’re safer here,” Hellion said.
He nodded. “Especially if we fall under siege. But I hope that it won’t happen. I want to stop them at the pass, draw them into a fight where it’s narrow. With the gargoyle legion, we can fight them on the ground and in the sky. There are still three ballistas too. I wanted more, but there was no time.”
Not surprising. It had taken a week and the entire city to make a dozen. With him moving everyone behind the castle walls, there wouldn’t be space or spare hands. His focus would have shifted to allocating the limited space, supplying his hungry citizens with rations, training anyone who could hold a weapon to fight.
Hellion rolled over onto their stomach, supporting their head on their hands. “The worst part is the morale.”
Cian agreed with a sigh. “People are afraid. They need something to cling to, hope they can see.”
“What they need is a hero, a face to rally behind.” Hellion put a hand on my chest. “They need you, Nevahn.”
“Me?” I huffed out a single laugh. “Why would that change anything?”
