He'd been a quiet boy. An easily ignorable one. A safer one than most.
"Sylis Underhill?" I asked, making sure it was really him.
He nodded. "I saved Tobias so he could keep helping Callah. She's helping the women, Meri. I think she'd want me to tell you that."
As he talked, I looked him over, seeking out some reason to be afraid of him, but things were different now. He was no longer big and terrifying to me - ifthisman had ever been eitherof those. Instead, he looked pale, weak, and underfed. His skin was red and looked painful, but that didn't make me miss the bandage across his belly - or the red staining the cloth it was made from.
"He's hurt!" I gasped, rushing around to the back so I could get in. "Why didn't you say he was hurt?"
"Meri..." Omden tried.
But I was working to get the latch open. I didn't know how it worked, but I'd seen the men mess with it and make the back end flop down. That was how they'd gotten me out, so I was sure I could figure it out.
Hands reached between mine and pulled something. Another caught the wood and eased it down. I paused to see it was Irrik who'd just let me in, but I didn't have time to thank him.
"This needs to be treated," I said, the words for any of the men who'd brought him here. "It's a gut wound!"
"We know," Drozel said even as he caught my waist and lifted me in. "Meri, he's been..." He blew out a breath when I ignored him to get closer to Sylis. Instead, he turned to Lessa. "So, he should stay with you, because I know - "
"No!" I snapped. "He needs to be in a hospital."
"He's not going to a hospital," Omden said as he crawled up into the cart with me. And when I reached for the bandage, he caught my wrist. "Meri, he was treated by a medic. He's going to be okay. We need to get antibiotics for him from the hospital, but the Python is already aware of his condition." When I turned to look at him, he let me go. "We also don't want him to see more than he has to."
"Because I could be a spy," Sylis said, his voice weak because he couldn't exhale well. "I have to prove myself, and I will, but I don't want to die."
"I will not let you die," I assured him. Then I looked at Lessa. "He needs to stay with me so I can care for him. If he can't go to the hospital, then he needssomeonewho can check to make sure he doesn't get fevered!"
"Meri..." Drozel tried.
"No," Lessa said, lifting a hand to cut him off. "Right now, you have two options, Droz. You let this Mole stay with you, or both of them stay with me."
"And then?" Omden asked.
I looked between the three of them. "What do you mean?"
From the far side of the cart, Irrik chuckled. "Meri, this is a man. They know what Mole men did to you. They are not going to let that happen again, so those three are trying their hardest to both let you make a decision and protect you at the same time."
"Oh." I looked at Sylis again. "Sit up for me?"
He tried. His first instinct was to simply lift his upper body, but his muscles refused. That made him groan, proving there was pain with that injury, and then he pressed his hands down behind him and used his arms to leverage himself up.
So I stopped him and turned to Irrik. "This man can't move without help. I am going to need help, and they're going to bicker, so will you help me?"
"I got it," Omden said. "Sylis, this is not going to be nice. Sorry." And he grabbed the blanket Sylis was on and tugged.
That made the man groan before clutching at his wounded stomach, and I wanted to steady him. Sadly, Omden didn't give me the chance. The moment Sylis was close enough, he scooped the man up and eased him to the ground.
"I got you," he promised. "Don't try to walk straight. Hunch over and it will hurt less."
"And he's going to need help!" I hissed, sliding on my rump so I could get out of the cart too.
"Here," Irrik said, offering me a hand to help me down.
I took it and slipped off the end, not caring that my dress crept up above my knees. That wasn't scandalous around here. No one cared about such things. I only continued to wear dresses because my body was still changing shape and I didn't want to have to resew clothes I'd fallen in love with.
"Okay," I said the moment my feet were on the ground. "Arm over my shoulders, hunter." And I caught him around the ribs, careful to keep my hand well above his wound. "We're going to go slowly, and there are stairs, but I'm stronger than you think."
"Yeah, she is," Lessa said, sounding proud of me. "Meri, put him in the guest room, okay?"
