“That’s from the blood loss.” Roran wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. He wrapped the blanket around us. “We’ll get you fixed up.”
“I’m scared, Roran,” I whispered.
“Me too,” he admitted. “But Symi is the best doctor in S’Kir. You’ll be better in a few hours. He just needs to fix your leg.”
Shivering, I tucked my head into his shoulder. “Why…why did they attack us?”
“I don’t know,ilati.” His warmth seeping into me, the shivering began to slow.
“What does that mean?” His shirt collar was filthy, and I brushed at it. “All three of you call me that.”
“Three?” Jallina hissed from the front seat.
I lifted my hand and offered her a rude gesture.
Roran laughed quietly and brushed a strand of hair off my face. “It means goddess.”
“That’s a bit of overkill,” I whispered, smirking.
“Why? We worship you, don’t we?”
Even through the pain, I could feel my nipples pearl at his veiled suggestion.
I breathed carefully. “It really hurts, Roran.”
“Rest. We’ll be at the temple soon. Get you all fixed up.” Roran put his hand on my forehead. “Relax,ilati. You’ve done what you were meant to do.”
I snuggled up to him, trusting him as I realized I had never been able to trust before. Despite the pain, I fell asleep.
* * *
Doctor Symi was a neat, tidy man. His clothes were simple, clean, and unobtrusive with the symbol of his profession embroidered neatly above his pocket on his shirt. His cocoa skin seemed to be the right color of warm and comforting for his profession. With close-cropped hair, his honey-colored eyes stood out and seemed to read the soul.
“Mistress, I am sorry that you’re in pain. And I regret that I will have to cause more. Our supply of painkillers has been depleted, badly, and there just isn’t enough to go around.”
I didn’t really understand why they wouldn’t have painkillers, but I was more concerned about what happened. “What hit me?”
“It’s a bullet.” Jallina offered the answer from her seat next to me. “Master Dorian said it—from a hand cannon. There have been dozens of people in the research field for years trying to shrink the cannon to something a person could carry. Our swords have always been more effective.”
“There’s a tiny projectile in your leg that we will have to get out,” Symi said.
A look of confusion passed over Roran’s face. “Doctor Symi, you’re from South End. A day by train. How are we here?”
Drez and Jallina shot each other a glance and shared it with Symi.
Jallina finally answered him. “He’s been here a week. We called for him when you went into the cave.”
A jolt went through me. “We only went into the cave…” I trailed off, studying their faces, pausing to deal with the pain. “How long? How long were we in that cave?”
Drez answered. “Eighteen days.”
“What?” Roran was as shocked as I was. “How is that even possible?”
“We were so encased in magic,” I whispered.
“It felt like hours, not days.” Roran was truly shocked.
“The Breaking was one of the most magnificent things most people had ever seen,” Drez said. “It was a beautiful dance of destruction that moved mountains and changed the sea.”
