‘Llin! I didn’t think you’d made it,’ I say, moving to hug her, only for her to step back out of my reach.
‘I nearly didn’t.’ She glances down at her arm and I see a chunk has been taken out of the top of it. Only a dire wolf could do that, which means the fact that she’s still standing is a freaking miracle.
‘It’s not as bad as it looks,’ she says. ‘Actually, I’m not sure about that. One of the priestesses gave me something when I got to the carriage, so maybe it is. I feel pretty chilled out about it.’
‘That’ll be the paparvy,’ I say. ‘We need to get you to the healers.’
‘I’ve got her,’ Jonas says, sidling up beside us and placing his hand at the base of her spine to stop her from tumbling forward.
‘I think Caz’ll like it.’ Llinos’s voice is unusually loud. ‘I think she’ll find a scar hot, right? Maybe I should show her now.’ As she tries to twist away from us, Jonas and I hold her in place.
‘Nope, absolutely not. You can see Caz later. Healers first.’
A wide grin crosses Llin’s face as she sways from side to side, and I’m not sure if she’s about to hug me or pass out. She does neither.
‘Guess what, Rosey?’ she slurs. ‘Tonight you get to wear your new dress, and Jonas is going to want to fuck you so badly when he sees you in it.’ Her grin remains in place as she twists to the other side, to where Jonas is propping her up, his cheeks now a deep shade of red. ‘Oh, hey Jonas.’ Llinos’s voice rises excitedly. ‘I’ve altered Rose’s dress, and she’s gonna look so hot that you’re?—’
‘Oh, I heard,’ he mutters, clearing his throat and avoiding my gaze. ‘Everyone heard. Please, let’s get you to the healers. Fast.’
As we carry her away between us, I try to ignore the way Kyor’s gaze burns a hole into my shoulder blades.
They’ve keptLlin in the healers all day, and Caroline is climbing the walls. When she last saw Llin it was at the very final moment of the trial, just before they were portated out of the clearing, and I’m willing to bet that the sight of Llin with her fresh bite is one that will stay with her for a long time.
‘Can you go down and check on her again?’ she asks me for the seventieth time as she paces our dorm. ‘They might have more news now.’
‘I was down there half an hour ago,’ I remind her again. ‘And she was fine.’
‘You said she was sleeping.’
‘She was. And that’s exactly what the healers said she should be doing.’ I place two hands on her shoulders, hoping to keep her still and not just because her pacing is making me dizzy. The last thing I want is for people from the floor below to come up to complain and find her here. I’m sure Caroline’s constant presence in the barracks is an open secret among many of the Rettlings, but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be careful.
‘Right. You’re right. Sleeping is probably best.’
As she continues to nod, Caroline moves to sit on one of the beds, only to jump to her feet again when the door swings open. Though rather than speaking or even starting to pace again, she remains frozen to the spot, her lips tightly pressed together as Benny steps into the room.
‘Any news?’ I ask him.
He shakes his head. ‘They only plan onbringing the Wrohelm bodies back. Those from other cities will be sent directly home. Those that they can find, anyway.’
My chest throbs. Llinos was in the last of the carriages to return to the High Hold, and I was so concerned about her that I didn’t even think about Loch. We don’t know if he simply didn’t make it to the clearing in time or if he was killed. All we know is that he didn’t make it back.
‘I’m sorry,’ I offer, knowing it will never be enough. ‘Is there anything we can do?’
I hope that he’ll give Caroline a job to keep her distracted, but he shakes his head. ‘No, it’s fine. I’m just going to go for a walk.’
‘Want some company?’ I don’t expect the answer to be yes, but I want to offer all the same.
‘No, it’s good. I’m just going to jump into the shower first.’
When he comes back out, he’s dressed not in his fighting leathers or his ball attire, but in an ordinary shirt and trousers. It’s strange to see him dressed so casually, and I can’t imagine where he’s planning to go. Perhaps the temple?
I’ve already been to give Etta my thanks, and I fully intend on doing it several times over between now and the next trial. Whenever that will be.
An hour later, Caroline’s nagging becomes too much to bear and I head back to the healers, where, to my surprise, Llinos is awake.
‘She needs to stay off the wine at tomorrow’s ball,’ the healer tells me. ‘We’ve used magic on the wound, but she’s had a fair amount of paparvy seed to help with the pain.’
‘Got it,’ I tell him, though I’m not even sure she’ll want to go to the ball. She might prefer to stay in with Caroline. I, however, cannot wait. Tomorrow night, I get to have a proper conversation with Kay, and this time, I won’t waste it.
