Chapter Nine
Daric was relievedto finally reach the horses. It was long after sunset, and he gathered what water he could from the abysmal stream at the base of the Heights of Alder while Rain freed the Cave Witch from her green bindings with only a thought. Now, the irate hag spit curses at them from the cavern entrance—though luckily not in a language that could hex them.
They mounted anddeparted by tacit agreement, despite the darkness and Rain’s injured shoulder, riding until they were more than a league away and well out of the witch’s purview. The abandoned and near-empty farmhouse they found made a decent shelter. It had three walls and half a roof, in any case.
“It’ll be warmer tomorrow,” Rain said, sniffing the air.
“Tonight is still frigid.” Daric wrapped his extra cloakaround her shoulders. They were hours from any town or inn, or he’d have tried to find them better accommodations. That was the thing about sorcerers: they were mysterious, generally unpleasant, and lived in the remotest areas.
He trusted Rain’s instincts, though, especially about the weather. They might wake tomorrow to the first real spring day of the season, if one could call it spring withno moisture.
“I need to tend to your shoulder.” Daric wished he’d been able to do so long before now. He fetched a rickety milking stool from a gloomy corner and set it near the campfire. “Sit.”
Rain looked less than enthusiastic. “It’s fine.”
Daric wasn’t arguing about this. It was happening. “Your blood-encrusted tunic is stuck to the scab, and I’m going to have to cut the material off you.Now sit.”
Rain’s delicate eyebrows swept up in astonishment. “When did you become so overbearing?”
“Amiability is overrated if it means the people you love die of infection,” Daric informed her flatly.
Her mouth puckered as though she might argue, but then she tossed both their cloaks aside and sat, her back to him. “Happy?”
Now, isn’t that a complicated question?“Not entirely.”
After amoment, Rain sighed. “Me either.”
The future returned like a shroud, dark and weighty upon them. It even blocked out the moonlight, forcing Daric to rely solely on the fire he’d built to see what he was doing.
He used his dagger to slice Rain’s tunic down the back and then gently peeled the material away from her shoulder. He tried not to let the sight of her naked back distract him, but herpearlescent skin and the subtle curve of her spine were heady reminders that they were alone and she was partially bared to him.
“Daric?” He heard the hesitation in her voice.
“Yes?” It was torture not to touch her.
“Does it look bad? It doesn’t need to be sewn, does it?”
He cleared his throat before answering. “No. I just need to clean it.”
“Are you unwell?” She frowned at him over her uninjuredshoulder. “You sound hoarse. I hope you haven’t caught a chill.”
“Believe me,” he murmured as he carefully tugged the last bit of tunic loose from the scab. “I’m excessively hot.”
Rain slipped her arms free from the sagging tunic but held the ruined garment in front of her. “I’m cold.” She shivered when he brushed her hair aside.
“This will warm you.” With a stick, Daric reached for the clothhe’d put into boiling water. He let it cool for a moment before wringing out the excess and then gently pressing the steaming material against Rain’s injury.
She moaned a little. “That does feel good.”
Daric was incapable of responding. He renewed the cloth and finished cleaning her shoulder.
“You’re good at this,” Rain said. “Do you have experience as a healer that I don’t know about?”
“Unfortunately,no. I’m using what I hope is good sense.”
“This is one of those moments when you should have reassured me with a small falsehood,” she teased.
“I’m reserving my wicked untruth for this.”
