by B. T. Narro
The pain across Desil’s shin made it seem as if Girgis had returned to life to slash his dagger through Desil’s flesh again and again. But somehow the agony of Desil’s dry throat was worse. He longed for water almost as much as he yearned to tell Leida what it meant to see her again.
“I heard you too,” he replied, needles in his throat.
The beautiful sight of her blurred as the room continued to turn. Desil couldn’t stay on his knees a moment longer. He couldn’t ask her about the man from the other plane. He couldn’t ask about her injuries. He couldn’t even seem to check what Alabell was doing to keep Beatrix alive.
The only light of the room faded, leaving him in darkness as the room spun faster. He was ready to topple over, unsure if he was going to be sick or pass out. All he could feel was Leida’s hand holding him tightly.
He shut his eyes and his world went black.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Desil awoke unsure how long he’d been out. Someone had a hand on his shoulder. “You need water.” It sounded to be Alabell’s caring voice.
He was in a bed, in a different room from before. He could feel that not a full day had passed, so it must still be the same night. Alabell appeared to be holding something up to his lips.
“Drink.”
Desil assumed they were at the Academy if the headmaster’s wife was here. He had more strength than before as he reached up to take the tall cup, though he was still weakened by exhaustion and thirst.
“Slowly,” she said as he began gulping the soothing water. “Slowly!” she repeated. He tried to stop gulping, but he couldn’t.
She pulled the tall cup away as she gave a laugh. “Give it a moment. When was the last time you drank anything?”
It was difficult for him to remember such a specific detail, especially when the recent day felt as long as a week.
“I think I had some in the morning.”
“Was that the last time you ate anything as well?”
“Yes, but just a bite. How is Beatrix?”
“As famished and dehydrated as you, but I managed to stop her bleeding.”
“Already?” Desil reached for the water. “You must be as skilled as people say.”
Alabell kept the cup out of reach. “Compliments aren’t going to allow you to hydrate the wrong way. The water is less effective if you gulp all of it, and you’re likely to feel sharp pains in your abdomen. Slowly, all right?”
“Got it.” He started to notice a taste in the water as he slowed. It was slightly bitter as if she’d squeezed a lime into it. “What else is in this?”
“This is going to hurt,” she said as she started tightly wrapping his split shin.
He hissed. The relief from the water had almost dulled his agony, but now with his throat at ease, he had the dubious delight of feeling the pain twofold.
“I gave you something to help stop the bleeding. This cut is deeper than any Beatrix has on her legs. Try to rest. I’ll return when I can.” She started to leave.
“Beatrix will live?”
Alabell looked back but didn’t say anything. Without light, he couldn’t see more than a shadow covering her face.
“I can’t promise anything yet,” she whispered.
“What about Leida? Is she all right?”
“She’s in better shape than you, and you’re going to be fine.”
What happened to her? How did everyone get here? Desil was full of questions, but he couldn’t take any more of the healer’s time. “You don’t need to return to me before you’ve done everything you can for Beatrix. As you said, I’ll be fine.”
“You at least need something for the pain. I’ll return soon.”
He had kept the tearing agony of his shin out of his voice, but Alabell probably knew exactly how much it hurt without him showing it. “Thank you,” he said as she left.
He wished he hadn’t passed out. Then they wouldn’t have brought him into this other room where he was alone and undistracted from the twisting knife in his shin and the hunger fangs in his stomach.
His thoughts went toward Beatrix. Alabell had said Desil’s cut was deeper than any on Beatrix’s legs, but he remembered seeing blood running down her arms as well, staining her shredded shirt. She’d been stabbed and cut all over. Desil was almost in disbelief that she’d managed to run around to the back of the keep given her blood loss. She wasn’t just a strong psychic; she was something more.
Her conversation with her brother made it seem that he wasn’t the one at fault in Fernan’s death after all, at least not completely. What was the name of that blonde psychic who showed up at the tavern when Micklin attacked? Annah? She had been the one who made it seem as if Allephon was behind all of this, but she easily could’ve been wrong.
Desil rubbed his temple, beset with a headache as sharp as a tack, as he tried to think through it all. What did this mean for the quest for akorell? Would having the power to create an explosion still solve everything? Would it solve anything?
What exactly had happened to Leida after she and Desil communicated? He felt a surge of excitement. How amazing it was that they’d heard each other! He wanted to limp to her room and talk with her about it. He moved his fingers along his palm, squeezing tightly to remember how they’d felt in her grasp.
How many men would be after them now, besides Micklin and Erwal? Could the entire king’s army be out searching for them? Desil doubted that, but even a hundred men might make this quest impossible. His heart became heavy as he realized something. He’d lost confidence that Basen could get the necessary akorell and eppil without someone perishing along the way. All Desil wanted was for everyone to be safe, but it was too late to convince them to stop, and much too late for him to give up.
The best he could do now was continue to fight to keep everyone as safe as possible. But first, he needed sustenance and rest.
Alabell returned in a hurry to set two more cups of water on the floor beside his bed, just within reach. “Slowly,” she reminded him. “And try to rest until I come back.”
He thanked her, but he already knew he couldn’t sleep through the pain. He could barely follow his thoughts. It didn’t take him more than a few moments to finish all the water, and still he wanted more.
So he resigned himself to wait, rather impatiently, for someone to return as he quietly bled into his bandage and felt it growing heavy and wet.
Hundreds of injured probably found themselves in the same situation across Ovira in this very moment. Many more had died as a result of this war.
He’d gladly forgotten Girgis until then. The feeling of piercing the bone in the guard’s chest made Desil cringe every time he remembered. It hadn’t been easy to reach the man’s heart. Desil felt sick to his stomach when he recalled how much force he’d put behind the thrust. He’d meant to kill Girgis, aimed for his heart. The thought was so vivid, Desil doubted it would ever leave. He would have to find a way to live with it instead.
It would’ve been Beatrix if it wasn’t him. Desil’s nausea worsened as he realized his party was in the same situation with Micklin and Erwal. Desil wouldn’t hesitate this time.
Eventually Kirnich arrived with two more cups. He appeared to be completely uninjured, though his scowl made Desil look him over once more to be sure.
“How is she?” Desil asked.
“She’s asleep or unconscious. Waking her will do no good, so we’ll let her be. She’s already taken everything that’s possible to take. Now it’s your turn.” He held out one cup. “This one first. Imagine the worst thing you’ve tasted.”
“What is it?” Desil would drink it no matter what; he was simply curious.
“Caregelow.”
“I shouldn’t need it.”
Kirnich showed concern across his chiseled face. “Why not?”
“Save it for someone who’s dying.”
“There’s plenty. Take it, unless you mean to stay here until you’re caught.”
Desil understood the
warrior’s meaning then. He worried Desil would separate from their group. The thought had entered his mind recently, when he thought of how nice it would be to return to the tavern and see his mother, but he would not break his vow or put her in danger. He might’ve never said it aloud, but he’d promised himself a few times now that he would see this through no matter what. He told this to Kirnich, who showed a faint smile.
“Then you’ll need this.”
Desil took it in his hand. “Did Alabell say when my shin will heal?”
“You’ll be able to walk on it in less than a day, thanks to the caregelow. Then it’ll take a few more days before it’s back to how it was.”
“Your arms didn’t take that long, and your injuries were worse.”
He looked down as if to study them. “I took more caregelow than you, Leida, Adriya, and Beatrix are going to have time to take, and my arms still aren’t as strong as they were.” He glanced up. “Drink.”
Desil couldn’t tell much about the caregelow in the dark besides that it was liquid. He knew it to have an argent color, like melted silver, but he didn’t know anything of how it tasted. He prepared for the worst.
As it entered his mouth, he was unpleasantly surprised to find that some of it was as thick as cream while part of it was watery. Its sickeningly sweet taste matched its smell, like spoiled fruit. It was the worst thing Desil had ever drank, so bad that he was surprised someone had thought to consume it at some point in history.
“This cup is full of water,” Kirnich said as they traded. “There won’t be any food tonight. Alabell can’t fetch it. She has to stay with Beatrix, and the dining hall is closed anyway. She’ll go before sunrise.”
“I take that to mean Basen can’t be seen by anyone at the Academy?”
“None of us should be. The only reason it’s not risky for Alabell is because all psychics loyal to Beatrix’s brother are busy elsewhere. She won’t be questioned by one.”
Desil gulped down half the water before he could stop himself. “Did Beatrix say anything else about what happened in that torture chamber?”
“She passed out as soon as you did.” Kirnich sat on the side of the bed. “Leida says you spoke to her through energy.” He looked into Desil’s eyes. “This was the first time you accomplished that, right? Otherwise you would’ve told me such a thing was possible.”
Desil nodded. “The first time. What else did she say?”
“That’s it. She’s busy arguing with her father to keep him from leaving without us. I have to get back in there. I’m moving Beatrix in here with you so the Hillers can continue their conversation without disturbing her sleep.” The warrior stood. “You should get some rest as well.”
Desil sat up. “Beatrix can have this bed if Leida is still in the other.”
“Beatrix might switch with you eventually, but we’ll prepare the floor with blankets and pillows for the rest of us as we figure things out. All I know so far is that I’m sleeping here too. This might be the only break we have for a while, so we’d better make good use of it.”
Desil gulped down half of the rest of his water. He was about to finish it when Kirnich gestured at the cup. “Take your time with that. No one’s going to be able to help you piss later if it goes through you.”
“Speaking of…”
Kirnich sighed. “Come on, then.”
Desil finished the water and set the cup on the floor. Kirnich motioned as if he would pick Desil up like a bride being carried over the threshold.
“What are you doing?” Desil asked, pushing the warrior’s reaching hands away.
“I’m going to carry you there.”
“I ran all the way from the dungeon to the back of the keep. I just need a shoulder for support.”
“It’s better for your shin, and faster, if I just carry you.”
“I have my dignity.”
Kirnich glanced at him as if deciding if that were true. He gave a nod, then turned to offer his shoulder. Desil used it as a crutch to get up. They walked out of the room abreast, Desil hopping as Kirnich supported him with an arm around his back.
“Going for a piss,” Kirnich grumbled to the others down the hall before he turned with Desil toward the front of the house.
Outside, Desil asked, “When will I feel the caregelow working?”
“You don’t feel it doing anything for your shin, if that’s what you mean. Your pain subsides and a new thrill for life will take over. It’s best to get to sleep before then.”
“I don’t recall you acting that much differently, just a tad drunk.”
“But the thoughts that went through my head weren’t easy to resist. In other circumstances, I would tell you to stay awake and enjoy yourself, and I would watch you to make sure you don’t do anything dangerous. But I have to sleep. Without supervision, you’re likely to tear open your wound dancing to the dining hall so you can gorge yourself, even though it’s closed.”
“I doubt that. I’ve never been one to dance.”
“Neither have I, but I found myself swaying to a rhythm in my head.”
“In the Dajrik Mountains?”
“Yes.”
“I never saw.”
“Because I hid it well, like I said. You have to get to sleep as soon as I bring you back, as there might not be anyone awake to watch you.”
Kirnich yawned as he brought Desil to one of the square buildings painted blue that Desil knew to be a bathhouse. There were separate entrances for men and women, marked by O’s and X’s. Desil was fine on his own from here. He’d seen one during his tour when his mother had showed him around the Academy many years ago. He’d marveled at the shower stalls, just like he did again now. He longed to use one. There’d been quite an odor walking so close to Kirnich, but Desil knew part of it came from him.
His head started to feel foggy by the time he returned outside, similar to when he’d had a few drinks. It was different, though, in that it made him feel closer to Kirnich, as if they shared something he hadn’t realized before.
He refrained from calling Kirnich his brother, as much as he wanted to. But even without Desil speaking, Kirnich chuckled when he saw his face.
“You have a huge smile. It’s beginning…works quickly if you haven’t eaten all day.”
“I still don’t want to dance.”
“You will.”
Kirnich helped him walk in the same way during the short trip back. Desil paid attention to their surroundings to figure out where in the Academy they were. The tall walls of stone could be seen just behind the buildings. They were formidable, but they didn’t match the impregnable height and width of Tenred’s outer walls. Two of them met to form a corner behind Desil and Kirnich’s destination, making this the headmaster’s house. Wasn’t he supposed to have his own private bathhouse? Yes, Desil had seen it the last time he was here, when he’d waited in vain for Basen to arrive.
“Wait.” Desil held in a laugh. “Let me show you something.”
“Desil…”
“It’s quick—this is not the caregelow speaking.” It might’ve been, but Desil needed to show Kirnich this no matter what.
“Fine.”
Desil took the lead as they went around the house, separating from Kirnich.
“Stay with me,” Kirnich said. “Your shin.”
Desil gasped, marveling at how little pain he noticed. Less than an hour ago, it had felt like a clamp with teeth slowly prying him open. He wanted to take off the bloody bandage to see if his wound had healed already, but he knew that was impossible. Still, the impossible might be possible.
No. That’s what made it impossible. It was impossible. He gasped again. Was that a revelation? How was he supposed to explain it to Kirnich?
“Desil?”
Right—he was going to show Kirnich the private bathhouse. He giggled as he continued, almost letting out the surprise early.
It seemed to take an eternity to get around the house, but eventually they did. Desil couldn’t
hold it in any longer as he pointed at the bathhouse. “Look!” He burst into laughter. “We went all that way when there’s one right here!”
“Quiet! We’re not supposed to be heard.” He pulled Desil back around to the front of Basen and Alabell’s home.
“Isn’t it funny?” Why wasn’t Kirnich laughing? Desil couldn’t stop himself, even as Kirnich put his hand over Desil’s mouth.
The warrior shushed him as he let down his hand. “Yes it’s hilarious, but we have to keep quiet. Can you do that or do I have to gag you?”
Desil put his mouth over his hand, or was it his hand over his mouth? He laughed again as he thought of the former. At least the sound was muffled. Kirnich looked tense as he waited for Desil to stop laughing.
Desil gave a sigh as he realized that doing something foolish was all but inevitable. “I’d better get to bed.”
“A warning, first.” Kirnich squeezed his shoulder in a firm grip as if fearful Desil would dance away. He just might. “You will be tempted to speak your mind to Leida, and your mind will be filled with intense thoughts. If you don’t want to scare the young woman, you must refrain from seeing her during this time. It will be a challenge for you to return to bed without visiting her, and even more of a challenge for you to stay put until you fall asleep, but you will regret it if you don’t.”
Desil gaped at Kirnich. “How do you know my thoughts about Leida? Did Beatrix—?”
“It doesn’t take a psychic to see what’s obvious. Come on, and keep quiet.” Kirnich opened the door. He announced softly, “Just us.”
Desil tiptoed, holding his breath.
“Stop that,” Kirnich said. “It’s fine if they hear you make noise.”
Oh, right. “This caregelow is quite strong.” He heard a slur in his words, then Adriya laughing from the other room. Had she heard him?
“Get him to bed,” Alabell said from down the hall.
“On our way,” Kirnich confirmed.
Desil didn’t want to cooperate, but he knew it was the caregelow that urged him to stay on his feet until he could at least glimpse Leida. He’d hardly gotten a look at her since returning from the castle. It wasn’t enough.