IsZephyr willing to help you heal some of these survivors? Marion is ragged.
I almost groaned out loud. Zephyr stood next to me, though earlier, his elbow had brushed against mine before he took a dramatic step away from me. Now, we were both standing with our arms crossed, probably looking pissed as hell as we surveyed the survivor camp in front of us.
It was a fucking mess.
Nothing was organized. There were no supply stashes. Disease was going to spread quickly if things weren’t brought under control. I didn’t know what’d made Rafe want to be here, but it was a good thing we came.
“Zephyr,” I said lowly. His piercing pale green eyes, so similar and yet so different from Skye’s landed on me, full of thinly veiled hatred that I wasn’t so sure I deserved anymore. He’d broken my leg, what else did he want from me? “Rafe is asking if we can heal some of these people.”
He was nodding before I finished speaking. “Yeah,” he replied. “I can do it.”
“Mr. Craig?”
We turned in sync, facing down one of the oldest women I’d everseen. Marion Holmes was the Palace’s best Healer, and the only one the Princess had trusted to heal Rafe’s burns. I’d seen her again after the attack on the academy, but she’d been suspicious of me, so we hadn’t spoken.
“The Prince’s…companiontells me you’re his personal Healers,” Marion said slowly, eyeing me and Zephyr like she didn’t quite believe it. “I didn’t know that was something the Palace had resources for.”
For a moment, I hesitated, not sure what the hell to say to that. The monarchy already wasn’t seen very favorably for hoarding valuable resources, among other things. This would just be another nail in the coffin. And…I’d never actually cared before. Somehow, this exchange with Marion had just given me the realization that I was now part of a Royal Chain.
Holy shit. I needed more time to accept that.
“It’s not exactly a job you apply for,” Zephyr said with a wry grin. “His Royal Highness brought us to assist, and it’s a good thing. Things are clearly…” He swallowed, then glanced at me, looking for assistance.
“Dire,” I said dryly. “Things here are a bit dire.”
Marion pursed her lips, but nodded. “That’s putting it lightly. It’s been a rough week.”
My jaw almost dropped. “Aweek?” I clarified.
“Six days, give or take. I haven’t had much sleep.” Marion said, running a hand over some limp pieces of white hair gathered around her face.
“That’s…” Zephyr’s hand twitched, then clenched into a fist. I could feel it, too. Marion was dangerously close to Exhaust. She’d pushed herself nearly to her breaking point.
And no one else had been coming to help.
We’d only come at the last minute because Rafe felt guilty and Skye was determined to make me the biggest hypocrite on the planet as she seamlessly adjusted to be what each of us needed.
What would have happened if this went on for another day? Or two?
Marion looked uncomfortable, probably because she’d been trained in the old days when it was unacceptable to show any sign of weakness,including warning signs of Exhaust, which was one of the main reasons the healing affinity was so rare, now. Most Healers wouldn’t stop to give themselves a rest when needed. They were usually the best type of people, more than willing to Exhaust if it meant saving someone’s life.
“This way,” Marion nodded for us to follow.
Zephyr looked at me, his eyes wide in question. I only shrugged before following her.
Six days. She’d been herealonefor six days.
Zephyr and I followed Marion in complete silence, neither of us willing to speak to the other. We watched our surroundings, taking in the different scenes of desperation.
The camp was filled with dingy tents. Family Chains seemed to have claimed small areas for themselves, the men eyeing us warily like they’d need to protect the women.
I really didn’t like that.
Zephyr didn’t either.
He was growing more agitated as we drew further into the camp, his hands fisted inside his pockets while he tried to appear nonchalant.
“Are you good?” I asked lowly.
