Chapter 21
Kiera
“Kiera?”Ruru mumbled, stirring in my arms.
His dark brown hair had grown past his ears and over his eyes. He felt thinner than I remembered. His cheekbones sharper. Gods, how did he make it all the way here by himself?
“I’m here, Ruru. You made it,” I said soothingly.
He grunted and fell unconscious.
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked Nikella, my voice cracking.
She pressed the back of her hand to his forehead and cheeks. “He’s exhausted. Underfed. No fever, but I’ll need to check him for injuries. Foolish boy,” she muttered affectionately under her breath.
We cradled Ruru between us and settled him back onto his horse, who was surprisingly calm after all his prancing around.
“I’ll walk with him,” Nikella said. “Run ahead and get blankets, food, and water.”
I was already sprinting by the time she finished speaking. Questions raced through my mind faster than my feet.
How did he find us? What happened after we left Aquinon? Did he know the fates of Everett and Delysia?
I burst into camp, drawing the eyes of everyone I raced past. I skidded to a halt before the main bonfire. Aiden, Maz, his sisters,and a dozen others stared at me. Most of them reached for a blade.
But I locked eyes with Aiden. “Ruru. He’s here.”
Aiden’s eyes widened, and Maz dropped the piece of bread he was holding.
I took a deep breath. “He’s unconscious and?—”
Aiden rushed back the way I’d come. Maz shouted and charged after him.
“I—I need blankets. Food. Water.”
“Is this the boy from Aquinon Maz told us about?” Yarina said.
I nodded.
Without another word, she spooned soup into a bowl while Sigrid grabbed a whole loaf of bread.
“Water and mead,” Frieda commanded a young boy from her chair.
Jek appeared at my side with an armful of blankets.
By the time Ruru’s small procession arrived, we had everything laid out for him by the fire.
Aiden eased Ruru off the horse and carried him to the nest of blankets I’d made. Maz followed close behind, wiping his eyes. Nikella unbuckled the horse’s saddlebags and handed the reins over to a young girl with quiet instructions.
Aiden laid Ruru next to me. We removed his mud-caked cloak and boots. I frowned at his thin clothes. They were better suited to the sun and warm storms of Aquinon. Not the snowy forests of Dagriel.
I hung back while Nikella examined him.
Please, please?—
“He’s fine,” Nikella announced. “A few cuts and bruises, but nothing serious.”
Several sighs, including mine, echoed around the group.
