"Need you at the healing house," he says without preamble. "Now."
"What happened?"
"Guards found human women in the woods. Multiple. They're in bad shape."
I glance back at Ressa, who's gone very still at the table, her knuckles white where they grip her teacup.
"Stonevein?" I ask, though I already know the answer.
"Looks like it. Probably dumped their prisoners after what Kai did, afraid of more retaliation." Bronn's jaw tightens. "They had more humans than we realized. Used them for..." He trails off, unwilling to finish the sentence in front of Ressa.
Sacrifices. Entertainment. All the things we suspected but couldn't prove.
"I'll be right there." I shut the door and turn to find Ressa already on her feet.
"How many?" she asks, her voice steady despite the tension in her shoulders.
"Bronn didn't say."
"Are they hurt?"
"Sounds like it."
She crosses to me, her hands framing my face. "Go. Help them. They need you."
"I'm sorry?—"
"Don't apologize for being good at what you do." She kisses me firmly. "I'll be here when you get back. We'll talk about it then."
I search her expression for signs of panic or flashback, but find only determination. She's thinking about those women, about what they must have endured. About how someone helped her when she needed it most.
"I love you," I tell her.
"I know. Now go before I decide to keep you here selfishly."
I dress quickly, grabbing my healer's kit from the shelf by the door. Ressa watches me, her arms wrapped around herself, and I pause.
"You okay?"
"I will be." She manages a small smile. "Go save them like you saved me."
The words follow me out the door and across the settlement. Bronn sets a punishing pace, his longer legs eating up ground. I don't complain. Women who've been through what Ressa endured can't afford to wait while I catch my breath.
"How bad?" I ask as we walk.
"Don't know yet. Kai and Ursik are with them now at the edge of the base. Some are terrified, others are fighting. One girl in particular has a sharp tongue and keeps trying to protect the younger ones."
That sounds familiar. Protective instincts born from trauma and necessity.
We reach the edge of the settlement where a small group has gathered. I spot Kai's distinctive height first, then Ursik's broad frame. Between them, huddled in various states of fear and defiance, are eight human women.
They're a mess. Bruised, malnourished, wearing clothes that are little more than rags. Some won't make eye contact. Others stare with hollow eyes that have seen too much. And one—a thinwoman with wild dark hair and a split lip—stands in front of the youngest ones like a human shield.
"Stay back," she snarls when she sees Bronn and me approach. "I don't care how many of you there are. You're not touching them."
"Easy," Kai says in that low, careful voice he uses when things might turn violent. "Nobody's going to hurt anyone. This is Falla. He's a healer. He just wants to help."
"Right. Because orcs are so famous for helping humans." Her eyes are fever-bright with fear and fury. "We know what you do to us. We're not stupid."
