“Not to mention you packed those wounds with… what herbs did you use exactly?” Serill asked, not kindly. It almost sounded accusatory, if Serill was even capable of thinking the worst of someone. The rapid heartbeat and trembling limbs only further supported that panicked tone.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Serill. Did you want him to bleed out before your lazy ass woke up?” Elias snapped.
“My lazy ass?” he growled back. “I healed your flattened legs and arm, remember?”
“And I shoved you out of the way of that falling rock.You’re welcome.” Elias huffed. “Why do I have to always remind you people that blood is supposed to stayinsideyour body?”
“Knock it off, El,” Farrah grumbled. “You too, Serill.” She let out a long sigh. “Bre, are you going to intervene any time soon?”
She was here? He’d only sensed three bodies earlier, and he couldn’t pinpoint where she was.
“Oh, no,” Brela said from somewhere just behind him. Closer than she should be without him sensing at least something foggy. Some type of wood groaned as she spoke again. “I was just going to wait to see how long it took you three to figure out that Cason’s been awake this entire time, listening to you bicker.”
“What?” the three blurted at the same time.
Not five seconds later, Serill dropped to his knees next to the couch, brown eyes wide and face ashen. “Case, you’re alive.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Cason grumbled, rolling his tongue around his dry mouth. “What happened?”
Elias leaned over the back of the couch. “You took a tail barb to the stomach and thigh. Missed an artery in the leg, thank the gods, but nicked your bone it was so deep. Pretty nasty work getting that poison out of your systemandbone. You’re lucky I know my shit.”
Slowly, Cason ran his hand over his leg. That was definitely a scar under his fingers, thick and long and incredibly tender. The one on his stomach didn’t feel as puckered, at least, running from his hip to the middle of his ribs.
A small hand whacked the back of the earth-blessed’s head. Farrah folded her arms as she glared at Elias. “I will drop kick you into next week if you don’t behave.”
He just grinned and winked at Cason. “What? I was just telling him what happened. I even left out the partially shattered spine. At least I was helpful forsomethingsince I slept through all the interesting bits.”
“Partially shattered spine?” Cason mumbled. And he thought the scars were the worst of it. “It was that bad?”
Farrah rolled her eyes. “You had a few fractures. Elias is being dramatic.” She reached over the back of the couch and squeezed his hand. “We’re just glad you’re okay.”
She turned and shoved Elias away, mumbling something about going for some fresh air.
Cason’s looked to Serill who had gained a little color in his cheeks. His heartbeat had returned to normal, and Cason realized that Elias had been baiting Serill to keep him distracted. To keep him from panicking. He’d have to thank Elias later.
Serill let out a long sigh as he squeezed Cason’s arm. “You had us worried for a bit. Elias was right about the poison, though.”
Cason grunted. “Yeah, those hallucinations were no joke. I think at one point I was convinced that Ceirdephal was flying over us. Somehow, that made more sense than thinking Brela was using shadows to tear through the noglida.” He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then focused on the roof again. “Where are we?”
He turned his head slightly to see that Serill had once again gone pale. It took the prince a second to speak.
“We’re in Averlyn. This is Farrah, Elias, and Brela’s home.”
“What? How long was I out? How did we get back?”
Cason tried to sit up but pain jolted through his body. He collapsed back to the couch.
“Easy,” the prince warned. He moved his arm underneath Cason, and healing magic prickled through his muscles as Serill shifted him to sit. “Farrah and I have been working on the healing process for a few days, but it’s going to be another day or so before you’re back to normal. I’m guessing your thoughts are probably a little scattered still.”
Understatement.
“Serill,” Cason groaned, leaning back into the cushions with his eyes squeezed shut to keep himself from being sick. “How did we get here? How did we even survive the noglida?”
The prince sighed. “Brela.”
“That’s not possible. I know I was hallucinating a lot of things, but I saw those noglida. There is no way she killed them all.”
Brela’s voice startled him. “Thanks for the confidence in my skills. I remember saving your ass even before you were knocked on said ass.”
