He had also dropped himself into a gap in the earth the Stonai had made, but this one seemed to have been made perfectly to fit him. He was breathing, but only just.
Aimilia quickly examined him, and while she could heal, she wasn’t an expert. She knew enough to take care of Gavril when the occasions had arisen, but the Stonai was probably out of her depth.
She looked over to see one of the healers stepping out of a tent. She hoped that meant Nikias was stable. She waved him down, and he hurried over to them. As he came closer, Aimilia met him halfway, glancing over her shoulder to ensure the Runai were occupied as she asked, “How is His Highness?”
The healer nodded. “He lost a lot of blood, but he will be fine. He’ll need to rest, but I expect within a day or two, he will be functional.”
Aimilia closed her eyes and couldn’t stop the smile on her face as she sighed. She had done such a good job focusing on what needed to be done and the Stonai that it wasn’t until now she realized just how tightly her fear had gripped her heart.
But she couldn’t let it take over. She was still the commander in charge and they had an enemy in their grasp if they could find a way to keep him.
Aimilia opened her eyes and gave the healer a brusque nod. “Good, do you have anything left in you? I want the Stonai alive. He does not get to die and avoid answering for his people’s crimes.”
The healer glanced over at the Stonai on the ground and said, “I can’t say I’ve ever had a stone mage on one of my tables or even studied them in any of our academic texts, but I should be able to manage. If they don’t look all that different from us, then their insides should match as well.”
Aimilia stepped away saying, “Remember, I want him healed. Anything else will come later.”
She ducked into the largest tent and saw the second healer finishing cleaning Nikias up. The healer looked up and said, “Commander, I trust you’ve been informed of his condition.”
Aimilia nodded. “Yes, and now there’s a stone mage I need you to keep alive. Can he be left alone?”
The healer nodded. “He can be, but I wouldn’t recommend leaving him alone for long.”
“I’ll make sure he’s well attended. Should he need anything, you’ll be informed.”
The healer finished adjusting the blanket covering Nikias’ torso. It was drawn all the way up to his neck. “Yes, Commander.”
The healer disappeared out of the tent while Aimilia sank to the ground beside Nikias.
Thankfully, her horse and her saddlebags hadn’t been lost. She had just enough of her vitae-replenishing tea to be able to make some for herself and for Nikias later. It would take her only a second to grab them and start making the tea for her. When he woke up, having some would do a great deal to speeding along his recovery. She just hoped now wouldn’t be the time he got suspicious. If there was a way she could pin the blame of his father’s decline on the Stonai, they would make aperfect scapegoat. Unfortunately, the Stonai weren’t known for specializing in poison.
Aimilia knew she needed to focus on making the tea for herself so she could get back out there and protect them all with an illusion, but now that she was sitting beside Nikias, she didn’t want to leave him.
His skin was incredibly pale, and his breathing was shallow from the rise and fall of the blanket on him. She said, “See? I told you that you weren’t allowed to die on me.”
She received no response. She couldn’t stop herself from reaching forward and brushing his hair out of his face so she could see it clearly. Once she had, she also couldn’t help herself from running her fingers through the strands, gently untangling a few knots before she cupped his cheek again.
Nikias’ eyes fluttered, but they didn’t open. He did, however, lean his head into her palm, and Aimilia’s heart stuttered.
How long had it been since anyone had handled Nikias with any gentleness? Was that what she was doing? Why was she doing it?
She looked at him, and it wasn’t as though her anger was gone, but it seemed so distant right now.
His lips parted, and Aimilia pulled her hand away, cheeks flushing bright pink. She whispered, “I’d stay if I could, but I can’t. Duty calls, but I’ll be back.”
But Nikias was asleep, so he hadn’t heard a word of what she’d said. As soon as she stepped out into the sunlight, she caught the gaze of a nearby guard and assigned him to watch over Nikias. Once he was inside, she made quick work of grabbing her things and setting about heating up the water to make just enough for a single dose of tea.
She made sure no one was watching her too closely, using her vitae to heat the water and dropping the herbs into the cup with her back toward everyone else. She let it steep and then downedit all as fast as possible. The warm rush of her vitae and strength coming back filled her, and the men carried the Stonai into their camp, Aimilia cast the illusion to hide them.
It would be critical in case the stone mages came back for their comrade. Although, Aimilia had doubts they would. They were more likely to just consider him dead or lost. He was just a soldier; he wouldn’t be worth the risk.
Aimilia had them gag him and put him in limiter cuffs. When he woke later, she would deal with him then.
The sun had long since set, and she was exhausted.
As the men began passing around rations to help replenish their strength for the night, the guard she’d set to watch over Nikias stepped out of the tent and called out, “Commander, His Highness is awake and asking for you.”
Aimilia abandoned the guard she was with, working out a watch for the night. They’d gotten enough done; they could work the rest out themselves.
