“Come,” she pleaded, pulling him away. “Vander, what if you collapse and leave me alone with him …”
He blinked rapidly, and she saw she’d finally reached him. Sliding the cutlass into his belt, Evander stepped away from Haldir,then put his arm around Valenna’s shoulders and leaned against her. “If that’s what you want.”
Chapter seventeen
Evander
The woman blurred—a nymph darting underwater—as she blundered around the dark room trying to … make tea? Evander felt like a dragon was standing on his temple, caving in his skull. He was aware that he was bleeding; the physician had warned him that this would precede a collapse. It was odd, waiting as patient as a child for the encroaching darkness to scoop him up and carry him away. But something nagged at him, urging him to fight. He needed to live. He needed to stay.
Someone hummed above him, and he squinted through the fog to find six large, yellow eyes gazing into his face.
How did Hera get into the tavern? He was glad she was here, because he was growing increasingly anxious that this woman wouldn’t prepare the wyvern bone powder potion before he lost his grip on consciousness and slipped into the black pool swirling behind his eyes, and then Raska …
Hera snorted and nudged him, and he scratched her head aimlessly. Purring like a cat, the hydra drooled onto Evander’s chest.
“That’s disgusting,” said a pretty girl, appearing like a phantom beside him. He started; he’d forgotten he wasn’t alone. He couldn’t seem to hold onto a thought.
“Drink this, quickly,” she ordered.
“Look, you’re very nice,” he slurred, pushing the drink away. “But I’ve got a girl already, so no thank you.”
“Vander!” She sounded exasperated.
“You can’t call me that. That’s what Valenna calls me, so you can’t.”
“VANDER!”
He gazed at the girl, and her face came into focus. “Oh, Val, what are you doing here?”
“Drink this before I pour it down your throat!” she said, lifting his head and forcing the cup to his lips. He choked down the lukewarm tea, and his head began to clear.
And he remembered everything.
Blasted Haldir. He should have gotten rid of him when he had the chance.
“You alright?” he asked, sitting up slowly.
“I’m fine,” she said, but her hands were trembling. “Do you feel better?”
He shrugged and sipped the tea again. “Good as new.”
She glared at him.
“I don’t feel like I’m going to die imminently,” he admitted.
“Good. Exactly what I was hoping for.”
“Bloody headaches,” he murmured.
Valenna handed him a rag to clean his face and neck. “Who is this girl you’ve got?”
“I was talking nonsense,” he replied, deadpan. “I’ve never met a single woman in my life except you. I wouldn’t know one if I tripped over one.”
She sighed, casting him a long-suffering look. “We’ll travel to Silvanlight tomorrow. I don’t think you should ride tonight.”
“I’d rather go now,” he said. “I don’t want Haldir to return before us. We need to control the narrative. I worry about what he’ll tell Thomasina about you.”
Valenna bit her lip and set a bowl of water and a rag beside him. She dabbed at his shoulder; he realized that he wasn’t wearing a shirt and couldn’t decide how he felt about that.She’d never seen him in any state of undress before, except once when they went swimming together in Largotia and, probably, when he was in hospital, so this was an interesting development.
