* * *
Davik’spujerakreturned to the hushed quiet of thevolikinot an hour later.
A thin sheen of sweat dotted his face and his exposed arms. Streaks of dirt and earth covered his chest and hands. His breathing was rough and rapid, as if he hadn’t had a moment of rest since he’d sprinted from thevoliki.
My jaw was gritted with pain when he arrived, my abdomen burning, my belly churning with acid. I swore that I felt Devina’s presence in the room but when I tried to use my power to seek her out, I found that I couldn’t focus enough to gather the energy.
The hope I felt when thepujerakstrode to my side had the ability tobreakme. It was a sharp prick in my chest that could turn into a blade sinking deep if hehadn’tfound a drop ofvovic.
He held something up in front of me.
It was a vial, covered in dirt and dried Ghertun blood...and other things I didn’t want to identify.
The sob that tore from my throat filled thevoliki. Thepujerak’slips pressed tight, he inclined his head, and then unstoppered the vial.
All this time, I thought, incredulous, scarcely able to believe it.
It was a tiny amount but it was all I would need tobuy time. Thepujerakhelped lift my head though his touch on my flesh made me want to scream.
I felt the cool touch of the vial on my lips. I smelled that bitter, familiar liquid, pungent and stinging in my nostrils.
Thevoviccoated my tongue, making me want to gag, but I swallowed it all, knowing that the more I consumed, the faster it would work.
I felt the poison slide down my throat and into my belly where it burned. I held my breath and saw thepujerakstep away from the furs, watching me almost warily.
It took almostanotherhour but slowly, I felt the pain begin to leak away. Something was unknotting within me, loosening and unraveling. I felt it leave my limbs, that aching tightness. I felt a pressure ease off my lungs and I gasped, inhaling a deep, full breath for the first time in days. Even my bones seemed to strengthen, no longer feeling like they were on the verge of snapping at the slightest touch.
“Is it working?” thepujerakasked quietly.
“Yes,” I murmured.
I held my breath, a part of me fearing that it was too late. That the pain would return tenfold or that this was just a dream, that I would wake soon from this hopeful state.
But this was real.
As my strength began to return to me, I felt something rise with it. Something that I’d felt…at the tree of the heartstone. Something that hadn’t been within me before.
I felt emotions rise, emotions that I knew stemmed from thepujerak. His profound relief to see me well, his anticipation of Davik’s return, his inner turmoil over desecrating the graves of the Ghertun.
For a moment, I was paralyzed with disbelief because I knew I hadn’t used my gift. I hadn’t built up the energy between us, nor had I actively tried to delve into his mind.
Just then, the healer walked into thevolikiand froze when he saw me sitting up in the bed.Hisemotions hit me like a wall, his baffled confusion at first followed by his tentative hope.
And I knew…I knew thatthiswas Kakkari’s doing. Somethinghadhappened to me at the grave of Lokkaru’s father. Somethinghadhappened to me when I’d connected my mind with the mind of a goddess…or at least a remnant of her.
As a test, I looked at the healer and pushed the command into his mind without resistance.
Leave.
Immediately, he turned his back and walked from thevoliki. Thepujerakfrowned after him, his lips parted in confusion.
I waited for the pain to slice through me but it never came. If anything, I feltstronger. There was no dizziness, no nausea, no pounding headache.
Davik.
My breath left me in a rush. He was hours ahead of me now.
“Will you take me to him?” I asked thepujerak, feeling my throat close tight. Lozza’s army was great. I didn’t know what Davik planned but I worried what the Ghertun king would do…or what Davik would give up to help me.
