"That's where we're going," I promised. "Someone's going to have to help him wash too!"
Sylis groaned. Drozel laughed, but I didn't care about that. This man knew Callah. He'd seen her recently, so he had to know how she was doing, and I intended to make him tell me. More than all of that, he was hurt, and helping was something I knew how to do.
Because I waskind. I was going to stay kind no matter how hard it was. Plus, I knew if this man treated me wrong - in any way - one of my friends would kill him before I suffered. That made it even easier to be brave, because I did trust my friends.
I trusted them so much I hadn't even asked permission first.
Forty-Seven
Lessa
Meri hauled the Mole toward Drozel and Omden's place and the men wanted to follow. I stopped them, giving her the chance to do this on her own simply because I knew she could. These two lugs would end up making her feel helpless - or worse, wrong - so I held them back.
"She's got this," I warned them, reverting back to our own language.
And it was a warning, because if they tried to crush that girl, even accidentally, all hell was going to break loose. Drozel gave in with a heavy sigh. Omden shrugged as if accepting my decision, but Irrik? He moved closer to slap his hand down on Omden's shoulder almost playfully.
"So," he said, "what now?"
"Now," I said, answering before the guys could, "we need to make sure Meri has..." And my words trailed off as I realizedwhoI was talking to. "Why are you here, Irrik? Do Jeera and Brielle even know you're in Lorsa?"
"Not yet," he admitted. "We had more wounded to bring back - including this guy. I took the excuse to head this way, and I'll let them explain the rest. But before my girlfriends trap me for a bit, do I need to do anything else?"
"Have someone send the medication over and clean bandages," Drozel said. "Ask Brielle what Meri will need, and we can go from there."
"Including any other medical supplies that man might need," I added, since that was what I'd been intending to say in the first place.
He nodded. "I can do that. Now, if you'll forgive me, I need to get my horse stabled, then go see my son!"
"He's a cute one," I told him. "Congratulations, Irrik. Now get the fuck out of my problems."
"Always a pleasure, Lessa," he said with a wink even as he backed away. "You were right, Drozel." Then he turned, climbed up onto the seat of his cart, and clicked the horses forward.
"About?" I asked Drozel, catching that last bit.
"That Meri's gotten stronger, both physically and mentally, since Irrik last saw her," Drozel explained.
"And does anyone want to tell me how we ended up with a Mole staying here?" I looked at Omden for that one.
"We?" Omden teased. "What, you moving in now? I mean, I'm good with it."
"The bed does have room for one more," Drozel said, and his tone was exactly as suggestive as I expected.
I nudged him in the side. "Answer the question first."
"That," Drozel said, "is Sylis. Sylis is friends with Tobias - in the trying to kiss him sort of way. Tobias is not into kissing Sylis because he is doing his best to be a very good friend to Callah. The husband sort of friend, which isn't something Moles know how to do, but Tobias is clearly trying. Callah is Meri and Ayla's friend down there, who seems to be starting a rebellion of women." He nodded then looked at Omden. "Did I miss anything?"
"The important part," Omden told him. "Lessa, a Reaper saw Tobias, tried to stab him, and Sylis jumped in front of the blade.He was stabbed in the gut. The Python says it's not that bad, but down there a gut wound is death. No antibiotics. So Tobias - who is both the man Ayla calls her informant and Jerlis's nephew - begged Ayla to save this guy. She did. We're bringing him back, and no, we don't trust him."
"But," Drozel said, "Zasen wants us to flip him, and either he's damned good at lying or he's more than willing to be flipped."
"Flipped," I said, nodding to show I'd heard that part. "What exactly does that mean?"
"We need all the information he can share," Omden explained. "Less, they don't know what can help us, and we don't know the right questions to ask, so it's a lot of talking to figure things out without saying too much too fast."
"Or you can just tell him," I suggested. "I mean, he's not going back. He can die up here on his own or realize they were wrong."
"I think he already knows they're wrong," Drozel said. "He just doesn't know all the ways. Sylis..." He paused to glance at Omden, then back to me. "That young man doesn't eat meat. He also doesn't speak Vestrian, as I'm sure you noticed."
