I’d done something major, but it wasn’t enough?
Break the first if you can, but then you'll need to find... Find them all. The final one will be the toughest. And watch out for…Kian’s words.
His thirtieth birthday was still roaring toward us, and the curse would still steal him away unless I… My snarl ripped up my throat, but I bit it back. We’d figure this out. I’d nearly lost him, but I wasn’t giving up now.
Lore scanned the area. “So much devastation. So much death.”
“Why did they attack?” I asked. We’d talk about this soon, but with the city in shambles and people wailing around us, this needed my attention now.
“I don’t know.” He frowned. “They left when I told them to, and we need to understand why. For now, we need to help as many as we can.” He squeezed my upper arms. “Are you alright?” His gaze swept down my frame. “No injuries?”
“Nothing major. Don’t do too much. You almost...” Died. I could not name it.
The shadows in his eyes told me he knew what I meant. He’d used most of his energy to fight off the borgons. He didn’t have much left for healing, though if I knew my husband, he’d give everything he had to help those around us.
He stroked my face. “Stay within eyesight?”
I nodded and watched as he strode past our guard and immediately stooped down to help a fallen villager.
Cries of pain and dismay filled the city. Smoke churned down the streets and fires still blazed, lighting up the night sky.
“Start putting out fires,” I barked to Surren. “I’m going to help whoever I can.” I hurried past him while he directed my guard to join the bucket line drawing water from the well in the center of the marketplace, passing it along a person chain to dump it on the closest building on fire.
I sheathed my blades and started helping, first kneeling beside an old woman pinned under a collapsed cart. Blood streaked her wrinkled cheeks, and her breathing came shallow and uneven. Gritting my teeth, I tugged, trying to lift the wooden frame. My muscles screamed as I heaved, but I didn’t stop. Two villagers hurried over, their soot-smudged faces flushed with determination, and together we managed to lift the cart enough to pull the woman free.
“We're here to help you,” I said as I dropped beside her again, keeping my voice calm. Her right arm lay askew, but her breathing had evened out. Hopefully, her arm was her worst injury. “Where do you hurt? Anywhere other than your arm?” She shook her head as I wiped the blood from her face with the edge of my tunic.
Her frail hand shot out, clasping my wrist with surprising strength.
“Thank you, my queen,” she said as she struggled to rise, wincing when her arm moved. “Go care for the others. I'll be alright.”
“Do you live nearby?” I couldn't leave her here on the street. “I want to take you to your home first.”
“Three streets over, and thank you.”
Once I was certain she wasn't going to pass out and there wasn't anything worse wrong with her, I helped her rise. Aftersliding her good arm over my shoulders, I followed her directions, slowly taking her to a building still standing that had been painted pale green with white trim. Surren, seeing me leaving the marketplace, waved for one of my guards to follow. I hated taking anyone away from helping others, but he wasn't going to let me out of his or my guard's view now that he'd found me.
Inside the woman's home, I urged her to sit at her tiny kitchen table. “Do you have family?”
“A daughter and son.” Her face pinched. “If they live.”
“What are their names? I'll look for them and send them to you.”
She gave them to me, patting my arm. “You're too kind.”
“I'll also find a healer and send them your way.” I frowned at her arm. “Will you let me touch it? I don't have magical healing skills, but I was once a dragon trainer. We all got injured at one time or another, and sometimes far from the fortress healers. We were taught to set broken bones and give simple aid ourselves.”
At her nod, I gently probed the bone, grateful to see it wasn't projecting through the skin. “It still feels aligned.” I fashioned a sling out of one of her scarves, and after making sure she had water, I left her.
I returned to the marketplace, my gaze seeking Lore. He knelt beside someone who was clearly dead, his hand on the person's chest, his head tipped back as he spoke to a woman standing on the opposite side of the body, tears streaking down her face. She pressed her clutched hands to her throat.
Fatigue lined his face, and he rose and rounded the body to gather the woman into his arms, holding her while she sobbed.
Fires still burned unchecked in parts of the city, and smoke clawed at the air. Muted cries echoed from all directions. A young man rushed into the marketplace, calling out for his mama. He spied the woman with Lore and paused, his gaze falling to thebody. With a sharp cry, he rushed over to join them, holding his arms out to the woman. They held each other, mourning their loss.
Lore turned away, and when he staggered, I flitted to him, grateful the skill worked now when it hadn’t earlier when I was so determined to take him to the castle. I caught his arm, holding him upright while our guards rushed to surround us. But the true threat had fled. Now was for mourning and saving those we could, including the king.
“Hey.” My concern came through in the creak in my voice. “We should go home.”
