Chapter Eight

The sight of the female attempting to get comfortable was a reminder that he had brought her back to life earlier. And in the process, had probably injured her ribs. He hadn’t been thinking about that while pumping her chest, though. She hadn’t complained once. Nor had it stopped her from keeping up their pace. Begrudgingly, he had to give her credit.

“How bad are the ribs?” he asked.

She shot him a quick glance as if surprised he had spoken. He was just as astonished.

“Fine, as long as I don’t take deep breaths. Or move.”

He imagined the pain was a lot worse than she was letting on. “There are some herbs in your bag that should help.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Irritation flared. “Is it elves in general you have a problem with, or just me?”

“You don’t want me to answer that.”

“So, elves in general.” He shook his head. “You’re only hurting yourself by not taking the herbs. If you wish to walk around hurt, that’s your business, but I won’t let you slow us down.”

She snorted as she yanked her pack in front of her, a flare of pain crossing her face. “I didn’t know they were in there. And as for you not ~letting~ me slow you down, have fun getting into Shaldorn on your own.”

He gritted his teeth because she had him there. And she knew it. He looked out the tent entrance, regretting his brief lapse of judgment in offering to share it. He bent his legs, propping his feet on the ground and wrapping his arms around his knees to link his hands. Ravi didn’t know how long they sat in silence before, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her studying the small bag of herbs. They weren’t just any herbs. The master healers, the Star Elves, had mixed magic into them. Some elven factions could manage minimal healing, but most turned to their star kin in times of need.

They’re the ones who mixed the bags for the female and him. Hers was different, being human and all. He saw her open the bag and lean down to smell it before worrying her lip.

“If you don’t know how to mix it…” he began.

“I know how.”

He rolled his eyes. So much for trying to help.

More time passed without her doing anything but sitting there with the bag. Ravi missed the previous night when there had been some distance between them. She was too close now. He could hear her breathing, taking in the small hitches every once in a while, alerting him to her discomfort.

The trek across Shecrish through the rainwood was relatively easy. There were some undulations across the plateau, but they weren’t getting near anything difficult. Nay, the toughest portion was yet to come, and she wouldn’t be able to hike the mountains in her current condition. The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. She hadn’t wanted to be here. She would use her injury as a way to get out of bringing him to Shaldorn. He would if he were in her position.

It wasn’t as if the krelite had taken her based on something she had done purposefully. Her tripping and falling had all been an accident. Just as her drowning had. He understood all of that. His problem came now when there was a remedy for her bruised—and possibly broken—ribs. In her eyes, she had found a way to get out of this without breaking her word.

“If I have to carry you up that fucking mountain as you point the way to the stronghold, I will. You’re not getting out of this,” he stated.

There was a long stretch of silence before she said, “I can’t take these herbs.”

“Oh, this should be good,” he said, turning his head to her. “And why not?”

“It has lake root in it. I have an adverse reaction to it.”

Ravi swallowed the rest of his words and took the bag from her. He brought it to his nose and inhaled. Sure enough, he smelled the distinctive grassy, minty, almost sweet aroma. Lake root was a known herb used by healers for humans, though some Star Elves favored it over others. He closed the bag. None of them had thought to ask if there was anything the human needed to avoid.

He set the sachet aside and dug into his pack for his bag. After a sniff, he knew there was no lake root included. Ravi held it out to her. “This was made for me, but you can try it. It won’t heal you completely since it wasn’t made for a human, but it’ll speed the process.”

To his surprise, she added a pinch of the proffered herbs to her water flask. After shaking it well, she brought it to her lips and drank.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

He nodded and tucked the bag away. Now that he had spoken to her, he was very aware of the silence that stretched between them, broken only by the sound of the rain. It wasn’t awkward, at least not at first, but he found himself listening to her breathing, waiting to hear if the pain receded. It was too soon. He knew that, but he couldn’t help himself. She would have to drink the entire flask and give the magical herbs an hour or two to take effect.

As the silence stretched, it became uncomfortable. At least for him.

“How bad of a reaction?” he asked.

Her brow furrowed as she looked at him.

“The allergy. How bad?”

She drew in a deep breath. “It can kill me.”

He ran a hand down his face and shifted positions so he sat cross-legged. “You’re lucky lake root has a unique smell.”

A grunt was her response. Then, “The pain is lessening.”

“Already? That’s good.”

He cast her a quick look to find her unbraiding her hair. She ran her fingers through the long midnight strands, her eyes closed. He hurriedly looked away. It felt too much like invading her privacy. He kept his gaze directed anywhere but at her after that.

At least he did until he heard a small grunt. Ravi looked her way before he could stop himself. She was attempting to lean forward to remove her boots. He knew she would refuse if he offered to help. Instead, he simply rolled to his knees and effortlessly removed both sodden boots and socks from her. Something fell out of her boot to the blanket she sat on. He looked from the knife to her. She held his gaze without saying a word. Ravi handed her the blade and then set her boots and socks aside before resuming his seat and taking off his own.

“Rain and humidity here,” she said. “Ice and dryness in the mountains. Not sure which is more miserable.”

“The cold,” he answered.

Her lips quirked in a brief smile as she carefully lay down and curled up on her side, away from him. “I agree. By the way, the coats won’t be enough. No number of layers will keep out the kind of cold that’s up there.”

He didn’t bother to look away from her now. She couldn’t see him anyway. Her breathing seemed easier. He wanted to ask how she’d learned of the allergy, but the answer was simple. She had been injured and sought a healer. Why hadn’t the Star Elf used magic instead of herbs? Maybe she hadn’t been able to afford it and took the magical herbs instead.

“Why are you going to Shaldorn?” the human asked.

He blinked and looked out to watch the rainfall. “Because someone has to.”

“And that someone is you?”

“Usually.”

She rolled partway onto her back to look at him. “Do you enjoy being the one they send in during a crisis?”

He looked into her dark blue depths. They were eyes that had seen and experienced much. They should belong to someone much older. He cleared his throat, wondering why his thoughts had taken him down that road. “I do.”

“You seem the type who works alone.”

He dipped his chin. “I am.”

Her gaze lowered as she nodded. “It’s easier, isn’t it? Not having to worry about anyone else.”

“I suppose.” He wondered about her suddenly talkative mood. Then he saw her dazed, glassy eyes. The herbs were affecting her. She might have only used a little, but they had been crafted specifically for him, which meant a higher dose of magic. “Do you have any other reactions to herbs or magic?”

She blinked slowly. “Haven’t had any in…a long time. Not after…”

“After what?” he pressed when she didn’t continue.

“Can’t talk about it.”

He frowned.

“I won’t slow you down.” She swallowed loudly before licking her lips. “I can push through the pain.”

Ravi reached over her for the water flask in her pack and removed the top. He brought it to her lips and helped hold her head up. “Drink.”

She quickly sucked down the rest. Then he gave her some of his water. She kept her eyes closed the entire time. He gently laid her head down and turned to put his flask away. When he looked at her again, her eyes were locked on him.

“We’re not coming back from this. You know that, right?” she asked.

He watched a lock of her black hair tangle in her lashes as she blinked. “I’ve come back from every mission.”

“We’re going to a place devoid of morality.”

“You were there. You lived.”

She rolled away from him and curled into a tight ball. “I don’t think I did.”

The words were said so softly he thought he might have imagined them. Soon, her breathing evened into sleep. Ravi made himself as comfortable as he could with her sharing the space. He thought it’d keep him awake for most of the night but he quickly sank into sleep.

When he opened his eyes, the rain had stopped. He looked at the human, but she still slept soundly. He used the time to put on his boots and go for a walk to stretch his legs and empty his bladder. It was still an hour or so until dawn. He refilled their water flasks in the lake.

All the while, her words kept reverberating in his head. ~We’re not coming back from this.~

He wanted to ask her for specifics. Would she tell him? Would she even remember their conversation? He knew it was the herbs and magic that had loosened her tongue. He didn’t know her plans, but his was to get the explosive device from the enemy and return to Rannora with it so he could hand it over to Durga. Ravi didn’t expect to escape Shaldorn without leaving some bodies in his wake.

Those who were building the weapon to attack the dragons wouldn’t just stop because Ravi took it. They would build another. Which meant they had to be stopped. He didn’t exactly enjoy taking lives, but he justified it by telling himself that he was saving innocents and removing evil from the world.

Sometimes, that was enough.

Other times, it wasn’t.

He crawled back into the tent and sat next to the female. He’d read her file. There was little to it other than her previous theft of food and confinement. She had refused to give them more. Not even Durga had gotten anything else. Whoever the human was, she didn’t want anyone peering into her past. If he didn’t know better, he’d say she was a spy.