Red says nothing. Neither do I.
"She should want me dead," Hrolf says flatly.
Red swallows and closes his eyes briefly. "Perhaps she did. But the prayer she spoke was not for vengeance."
The knight opens his eyes.
"It's a blessing against harm. For darkness to pass over."
Hrolf's gaze drops to his scarred hand. The same hands that placed the Shatterstone. The same hands Deirdre blessed. He closes them slowly into fists and says nothing more.
26
Chapter 25 Svenn
Hours pass in agonizing slowness. My wound has closed, leaving only a tender scar across my sternum. The transfusion should have reached her by now. Lady Deirdre left hours ago. Enough time to prepare the blood and start the infusion to see if it works.
But Rhianelle's heart keeps slowing.
Maybe it's not enough.
I've gone back to counting each beat. One. Two. Three. The pauses between them stretch longer each time. During those pauses, the world stops. My own heart stops. Everything stops until I hear that next faint thump.
Hrolf has been quiet since Lady Deirdre left, sitting against the wall with his bandaged arm resting across his knees. The blood draw took a lot out of him. More than he'd admit. Four bags worth. That's significant even for a dwarf his size.
Eyepatch's quick stride makes both of us look up. He appears at the cell door.
I tense instinctively, expecting violence. But his sword is sheathed and his hands are empty.
"She wants to see you," he says quietly.
I stare at him, certain I've misheard.
"What?"
"She's awake." He shifts his weight, uncomfortable. "And she asked for you."
Rhianelle's awake. She's alive enough to be conscious. But what does she want to say? Is this goodbye? Is she going to tell me to leave, that she can't forgive what I've done?
"She wants to see me?" I repeat stupidly.
Eyepatch nods. His jaw works like he's chewing on words he doesn't want to say.
"I—" He starts and stops. "About earlier. The sword. I was—"
"You were protecting her," I say simply.
I try to stand and my legs shake. The battle with the Hellspawn, the healing. It's all caught up with me. I grip the wall for support.
Eyepatch steps into the cell, hand outstretched to steady me.
I wave him off.
"Look, I'll let you punch my face and stab me if you want. Fair's fair."
The offer is so absurd I almost laugh.
But it is tempting…
