My eyes wandered across the bruises darkening Caylus’s face and the part of his ribs visible from where he’d torn his shirt to stop Kiva’s bleeding. It took everything I had to sit patiently in my seat and not burst into Luan’s room and demand to know what was happening to my best friend. I’d even wrapped my feet around the legs of the chair to keep myself rooted.
“Are you all right?” I took his hand.
His fingers curled around mine, and he tried to smile. It didn’t work. “I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse.” He meant to make me feel better, but it made me feel sick.
“I’m sorry,” I blurted suddenly. He stared blankly at me, and I continued, “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t give Razel the crows. But then when Shearen was going to kill Kiva, I just—” I couldn’t lose both of them, couldn’t lose everything. Not again.
He squeezed my hand. “I wasn’t telling you not to for show. I didn’t want…” He shook his head. “Not for me.”
I made my own attempt at a smile, but it failed as miserably as his. “I know. Thank you.”
Samra returned to escort us to our rooms. We’d barely stepped into the hallway when Luan emerged from the surgeon’s room. Her sleeves were stained with blood, her face set in a grim expression that wiped away every ounce of happiness that had welled up inside me.
I lurched forward. “What happened? Is Kiva all right?”
Luan paused. “Your friend is alive, and I’m mostly certain she’ll stay that way.” When I started forward, she held up a hand. “What she needs now is rest. Give her a few hours before you barge in.”
Anxiety twisted in my stomach, but I relented. Samra showed us to our rooms. The one I would share with Kiva was right beside the kitchen, and Res knew it too. He cooed softly, the cord between us humming stronger as the last of the drug faded away.
“Oh, now you’re fine because there’s food nearby,” I said, and he nudged my cheek with his beak. The room was small, with two bunks and a small washstand. The walls had hooks for clothes that I hung my bow on and a small circular window filled with endless ocean blue.
I sat on the bunk, Res bundled in my lap. My eyelids felt heavy, and sleep pulled at me. I fought it, wanting to be awake the moment I was allowed to see Kiva, but in the end, I succumbed.
Gentle hands roused me all too soon. Caylus stood over me. “Kiva’s awake.”
I nearly sprang to my feet before remembering Res in my lap. I prodded him, and he complained but rose with a ruffle of his feathers. The link felt back to normal, and he looked it too as he leapt to the ground and nipped at the feathers beneath his wing. He followed behind me as I slipped past Caylus and down the hallway to the infirmary.
Luan met me at the door. Her gaze dropped to Res, her lips parting, but she said nothing except “Five minutes” before striding out.
I stepped inside to find Kiva lying propped on a thin bed. She was snow-white and bare to the waist save for a band of cloth around her chest and the bandages encasing her shoulder. Her eyes were closed, but they opened as I sat down beside her.
“I was dreaming of punching Shearen in the face,” she murmured, licking her dry lips.
I picked up a glass of water from the bedside table and helped her drink from it. “You need to have better dreams. Try stabbing him next time.”
Kiva laughed, then winced, and I resolved not to make any more jokes.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“Weak,” she replied. Her eyes dropped to her bandaged shoulder, and my stomach roiled.
“You can…move it, can’t you?” It was her sword arm.
Her jaw clenched, her voice coming in a whisper. “Barely.” She leaned her head back, staring up at the roof and blinking rapidly. “What if I can’t? I won’t be able to protect you. To help you. Even if I do recover, I’ll be useless the next few weeks. A liability. You and Caylus should just—”
I flicked her in the forehead. She blinked, startled, and I smirked.
“I don’t care if I have to carry you, Kiva. I’m not leaving you behind. I need you.”
She held my gaze a moment, then swallowed hard. “You definitely can’t carry me.”
“Caylus can.”
She laughed weakly, but the threat of tears in her eyes receded, and she relaxed.
I leaned forward. “I have someone for you to meet.”
Her eyes widened. I grinned and leaned aside. Res cocked his head, emitting a low caw.
