Leif stiffens and scoots his chair closer to the bed. He doesn’t shy away from glaring at Kyron. His disdain for my parah is on full display. After realizing that I was injured, Leif didn’t think about anything but finding someone to mend me. There was no time for brisk comments or hate-filled looks, but now, he isn’t holding back.
“Leif,” Kyron says by way of a greeting, inclining his head. “Thank you for staying with her.”
“I didn’t do it for you. I did it for her. It’s what you do when you care about someone—you stick around.”
Greer purses her lips and tilts her head to the side in silent agreement.
No one expected the mistrust and resentment to vanish in one day, but this is not the time to hash it out. I’m barely holding it together as is, and there are more pressing matters at hand.
“Do we have a preliminary casualty count?” I ask, hoping to change the subject.
Kyron crouches, bringing his eyes level with mine. “Don’t worryabout that right now. Just let the medic take care of you and the healers will be here soon.”
I look past him to Terro, who says, “We have accounted for eighty-three casualties so far. Fifty-two of those were our losses.”
My heart sinks. Of course Lucent took the brunt of the losses. We were unprepared for an attack, and the weapons built into the armor only last for so long. The Cyffreds were forced to get up close and personal with the Allaji. We might as well have placed them in a lions’ den with nothing more than their hands. They were not only dealing with creatures faster and stronger than them, but dangerous animals who can strategize.
I shake off my regret, storing it in the back of my mind to simmer in later. “So far? Do you think there will be many more?”
Greer’s face pales and she runs her palm over the wayward strands of hair that broke free of her braid. “We don’t know. The Allaji took a combined hundred and fifty soldiers from our and the Stigian forces with them. We’re scanning the area now to make sure they didn’t dump them in the surrounding woods.”
I don’t miss the double meaning of her words. She questions if they really took our people or killed them outside of camp. I don’t know which I want to be the case. We don’t understand our enemy and the extent of their cruelty. Death or imprisonment at their hand, both have terrifying possibilities.
“They took Ulric,” Terro says.
I jerk my head up from the pillow and the needle pierces deep, hitting the bone. I cry out and my fingers lock around Leif’s in a vice grip.
“Statera, save me,” he says, pulling away and clenching his hand to his chest.
“I told you to hold that information for later, Ter,” Kyron barks.
“I don’t answer to you,Ky.”
“Then show some fucking consideration for your future queen! This isn’t the place!” Kyron’s voice booms, quieting the commotion around us.
The medic places a gentle hand between my shoulder blades and presses me back down. “Please, if you must have this discussion now, take it outside,” she hisses.
The men cross their arms over their chests and eye each other. Their outburst is more than high emotions after a battle. It’s an explosive combination of unresolved hurt and unbridled fear. I have to find a way todeal with the hostility between my commanding officers and the prince, but not here. Right now, I need to know what is going on and to begin plans for a rescue.
“Are you sure they took Ulric?” I ask.
Terro clenches his jaw, and anguish dulls the glint always found in his brown eyes. “Yes. I saw a wolf take him. I tried to stop it, but it was too fast.”
I close my eyes and press my knuckles to my lips. I worry in equal measure for every person they took, but my heart aches at the thought of them hurting Ulric. He has carved a special place in my life that will only fit him.
“Your guard is missing as well,” Greer says. “We found feathers and claw marks outside your door.”
Panic boils inside me, and I fight to steady my nerves. I push back all the terrible thoughts sparking to life and focus on the positive. If they took them, we can get them back.
“If I can ask you to sit up, Your Grace, I will wrap the sutures, and you can rest.”
I nod at the medic’s words and push away from the mattress. Kyron places a steady hand to my side, and I’m grateful for the support. I swing my legs over the bed, facing my back toward the medic. The cut and soiled fabric of my nightgown falls down my shoulders, and I hunch over, holding it to my chest and exposing my entire back.
While the medic works to weave a clean bandage around my torso, Kyron remains lowered to the ground before me. He presses his forehead to mine and says, “I’m sorry.”
“Please don’t. You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I do. I shouldn’t have snapped at Terro or asked him and Greer to withhold information. I let my worry get the better of me. This is your army, not mine, and you’re a very capable leader.”
