Zylah’s hands traveled lower and lifted the hem of Arianna’s shirt. The half-breed made a sound that had Arianna grimacing. “That bad?”
“I don’t understand why the bruising is still so prominent. The runes should be doing more.”
“Maybe it’s because of who I am.” She couldn’t heal herself after all. There was no reason to assume the runes would be any different. She was just thankful her head wasn’t splitting anymore.
“Sive would be able to heal it if she were here.” Both fell silent at the mention of the woman’s name. They didn’t even know if she was still alive. Zylah’s hands kept working, running up and down Arianna’s spine. “The swelling is gone, at least.”
“Can you do anything about the stiffness?”
“Does it still ache?”
“As much as the headaches.”
Zylah’s hands drew another symbol, and that same cooling sensation spread through Arianna’s muscles. She sighed in contentment.
“Whatever that is, it’s working.”
“It’s a new rune. Sive was trying to teach it to me before we left, but it’s more complicated than the others. I kept forgetting a line.”
“Glad you figured it out.” If Zylah could keep healing her like this, then she’d be able to travel soon. Maybe even tomorrow, depending on how Ellie responded when they woke her. Arianna clenched her teeth at the thought and all the complications that might come with it.
Zylah replaced Arianna’s shirt and adjusted the pillows. She scooted back, looking Arianna over, then scrunched her brows. “I could help you rest a bit more, if you like.”
“I’m tired of resting.” Not a complete lie, but she didn’t want to tell Zylah about the nightmare or the hands that threatened to grind her bones to dust. She didn’t want to feed the shadows with fear.
Arianna was silently grateful Zylah had allowed her to wake at all. They’d sedated her after the incident with Talon and … that demon. She shuddered, remembering how close he’d been standing to her, his vile magic swirling at his feet.
And now she had to be okay with him residing in the same house.
Arianna looked toward the doorway and the hall beyond. Just on the other side of a door, her sister rested in a comfortable bed. They’d changed her into clean clothes and had someone monitoring her well-being around the clock.
Her sister. Her sweet, innocent, proud, little sister. Arianna’s throat swelled, wondering if Ellie was trapped in a nightmare herself, reliving the brutal reality of what she’d done. She was so close. The one person Arianna treasured above all others was just a few feet away, yet it felt like a chasm stood between them.
Zylah had helped her limp into Ellie’s room yesterday. She’d nearly crumbled from the sight.
Ellie looked so much younger in her sleep. Her cheeks had sunken in, giving her a skeletal appearance that was far starker now that her little sister wasn’t coming at them with her sword raised. She carried marks on her wrists from the shackles that had bound her. There were new scars all over her body, some across her arms, others on her legs.
Talon had done his best to hide the shackle around Ellie’s ankle, but Arianna knew the chain was there. She understood, even if she didn’t like it.
Arianna swallowed back the tears, the sensation burning all the way down her throat, choking her.
Zylah’s gentle hand covered her own, startling Arianna back to the present. “She’ll be okay.”
Arianna wished she could share in Zylah’s confidence.
“When do we wake her up?” At the very least, Ellie needed to eat. Even runes couldn’t help with that.
“Soon. Talon wants to see you first.”
Arianna’s jaw clenched. “Why?”
“He wants to talk.”
Talk. As if that would solve everything. “Where is he?”
“Downstairs, likely listening in like the nosy Fae he is.” Arianna’s jaw worked. “Rion is down there, too.”
She bristled at the demon’s given name, and magic sparked through her veins. Rion. What a stupid, simplistic name for a creature so vile. It didn’t even come close to encompassing all the atrocities he’d committed.
