“How do you feel?” Melanos asked her.
Terena closed her eyes and leaned back onto the pillows as he slowly released his hold.
“What happened?” she asked.
“What do you remember?” Croak countered.
She pursed her lips. Then, as if recalling something important, she shot back up, her hand wrapping around Croak’s wrist tightly.
“Daris! What happened? Is he all right? Where?—”
“He’s fine,” Croak groused, waving his hand as if she’d asked something stupid.
Terena looked at him a second longer before lifting her left arm up, looking at it even as she winced. The bandages hid the wounds the serpent had left, but she did not forget the feel of the fangs in her arm. A ghost of that pain returned as her memories flooded back.
“Fucking gods,” she swore, her body shaking. She looked up at Melanos. “She was bigger than you said.” Terena’s eyes narrowed accusingly.
Melanos shrugged, his face blank. “Well. It’s been a millennium.”
“Drink this,” Croak said, shoving the glass in her face. Terena’s stomach curdled. She tried shoving the drink away, but Croak swatted her hand. “It will ease the pain, idiot.”
Terena eyed him, then took the glass from him and took a sip. She immediately spewed it out.
“What… is that blood?”
“It’s mostly wine,” Croak mumbled, wiping the spit off his face. “But there is some of Rydon’s blood?—”
“Oh gods,” Terena whined and put a hand over her mouth. She closed her eyes and waited a few precious seconds. When she could speak again, she held up a finger. “Why the fuck would you give me Rydon’s blood to drink?”
“His blood will help you heal faster.”
“Ugh. Being a god is not fun.”
“It should’ve healed your wounds by now. At least, the pain in your shoulder,” Melanos said. He regarded her a moment, then shrugged. “Well. At least it saved your life.”
“How’d I get here?”
“Your lover brought you,” Melanos answered, and she and Croak answered at the same time.
“He’s not my lover!”
“He’s not her lover!”
Turning to Croak, she asked, “So how’d he find the rest of you? We were looking for a way out when Bethana found us.”
“He probably led it right to you,” Croak grumbled.
Melanos grinned. “He didn’t say.”
“We were all walking around looking to see if there was another entrance we could find and then we heard him yelling,” Croak said. “Then he was just… there. Running right to us with you in his arms.” He shook his head. “Gods, Ren, you had those fucking things sticking out of your arm and I thought I was going to faint.”
“Youdidfaint,” Melanos snorted.
“Has he—” Terena started to ask when a shout from the cave entrance drew their attention. Croak shot to his feet and Terena slapped at his leg for him to move out of the way.
When she caught sight of Rydon, his face lit up when he saw her. Next to him, Gabriol grinned and slapped a hand on Rydon’s shoulder.
Terena smiled and propped herself up higher. Rydon bent over when he reached her side, giving her a kiss on the forehead. Gabriol squeezed her shoulder and moved back, pulling Croak into a hug that morphed into him holding Croak’s head in his armpit, hauling him away while Croak yelped.
