“I think there’s a lot at play here, and the situation has become even more complex than even the Fates could have imagined,” Valen stated.
“You may be right,” Poe yawned. “Though I think that the Fates work in mysterious ways, and they’re holding back until they know more themselves.”
“Who fucking knows what the Fates think? I just need my girl to be okay. Everything else can fuck off for all I care right now,” I snapped, pacing a little quicker.
“Sit down, Vada. You’re giving me anxiety just watching you.” I turned around again, facing Poe. To the side of Poe, Galdrane was quietly snoring against the wall. I grabbed a blanket from a basket over by the door and placed it over his torso. Poe was absentmindedly holding his hand. I finally sat back down, bringing my feet up on the chair and hugging my legs.
“So, Cernunnos really didn’t give you two any clues?” Valen asked.
“Nothing that I could discern except that he was in on whatever the fuck is going on. I think once Adaela’s well enough, we need to go back to Underhill and question everyone there who was close to the king,” I replied, adjusting myself on the uncomfortable chair. Really, I was just uncomfortable in my own skin.
“I’ve already sent a few of Adaela’s top guards to keep the peace in her place. Hoo boy, I know she’s going to be pissed once she learns she is now the leader of two different places,” Poe said, laughing to herself.
“Thank you for sending them, Poe. Adaela really does have a huge network rooting for her,” I told her.
“They don’t know yet. The only people who do were sent to Underhill already. Poe and I are the only faction members outside of that. Not even Ma’at has been briefed,” Valen replied.
We sat like that for what felt like days, though it was likely only hours before an orderly came back through the doors, appearing just as exhausted as all of us. The boy had left about twenty minutes prior to find food for us. As soon as we saw the orderly, we all stood up.
“Adaela, as you know, took extreme damage from that sword. Her large intestine was split open near the colon, causing sepsis to leak in before her body could fight it off. It’s a miracle that she’s still with us and that no other organs were affected. The healers had to get rid of the infection and sew her intestines back together. Since it was a wound from iron, there is no telling yet how she is going to heal from this. To help her intestines heal, we had to give her a colostomy. It is a human surgery where a stoma is opened in the abdomen and the large intestine is attached to the abdominal wall to help with the removal of waste. It could be temporary, but the healers think it may be a permanent procedure. The wounds were extensive. We were lucky to have a human surgeon on staff who was familiar with the procedure. Otherwise, I’m unsure if she would have made it, even with us healing her from the infection. She is stable right now, but we do have her in a deep, healing sleep so that we can give her more time to heal herself. What questions do you have for me?” the orderly asked.
“How will this colostomy affect her life?” I asked.
“People with ostomies often live regular, full lives. It may be a significant adjustment for her at first, but she’ll be able to make strides quickly. With her Fae healing, this may not even be permanent. We may be able to reattach the rest of her intestines once the remainder of the iron poisoning leaves her system,” the orderly said.
“How long will it take her to heal?” Poe asked next.
“There’s no telling. Because of the iron, she may heal closer to a human for a while. It could be days; it could be weeks. Iwould cautiously say that she’ll likely be here for at least a week, if not longer,” she replied.
“Is there anything we can do for her in the meantime?” Valen asked.
“Right now, the only thing we can do is give her time to heal. She also lost a lot of blood. We are estimating that she lost about thirty-eight percent. It was lucky you got here when you did. She might not have made it otherwise.”
“Can we go see her?” I asked, anxiously ready to see my girl.
“Yes, of course. Her room is large enough to fit all of you, but I do ask that you let her rest as much as possible. She will be able to hear you but will not be able to respond,” the orderly replied.
I was so relieved, I almost hugged her. Instead, I fidgeted in place until she directed us down a couple of halls into a large room.
In the middle of the room, on a large canopy bed fit for a queen, lay Adaela. She was extremely still except for her chest rising and falling with every breath she took. A choked sob crawled up my throat, and Poe pulled me in for a side hug. My feet made quick work to her bedside, trying not to run, and I sat down gently so as not to disturb her. I reached for her hand, holding it gently and stroking my thumb across the back.
Poe, tears running down her face, was sitting toward the end of the bed, resting her hand on Adaela’s foot. On the other side of the bed, Valen sat down, keeping his head low as if he was praying for her. In this moment, I was just thankful that she had so many people in her corner. She was going to need it over the coming weeks.
I settled in next to her, ready to be here for her in whatever capacity she needed until she was back on her feet. I just wanted to see her eyes open so I could scrub the memory of her almost dead body in my arms.
Alfhame
Iwas groggy, almost like I was floating on air. The bedsheets were itchy. I stretched, starting at my toes and working my way up to my arms, trying to find some comfort, but something was tugging on my stomach, as if a foreign object was attached to my skin. I went to pull at it, but someone grabbed my hands gently, preventing me from doing so.
Groaning, I opened my eyes to see Vada sitting there, a bright smile on her face. My skin tingled at the attention. She bent down and planted a kiss on my forehead, holding my face in her hands.
“Sweet girl, welcome back to the world. How’re you feeling?” she asked.
I took a calculation of my body, realizing that something wasn’t quite right. I went to sit up, and my belly twinged in discomfort. I again went to reach for the hem of my shirt, only to realize I was in a long nightgown—almost like a hospital— “Where are we?” I asked, avoiding Vada’s question for now.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Vada gently liftedunderneath my arms and helped scoot me up the bed a little. I didn’t recognize the room we were in.
With clarity, I recalled the fight with my father. My breath caught at the flashback of his blade piercing through my stomach, and the discomfort in my belly pulsed to make itself known. I gripped the bedsheets as my teeth clenched, and I relived the scene I didn’t think I’d make it out of.
