Khal stood. "Rowena needs to rest. I'll take her back."
Piotr started to stand. "We have the room. She could?—"
"I'm taking her." There was no budging in Khal's voice.
Piotr lowered himself back. "You're right, son. You do what's best." He nodded to me. "It was a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise."
The darkness came quickly within these cavern walls. Thepalm’s-breadth of white sky dimmed overhead. A lichen glowed soft pink against the tree-trunks, lighting the path a tiny bit.
Khal was tense as we moved along the river, towards the bridge into the trees. "Did we stay too long?" His hands were hovering, like he was ready to catch me. How fragile I must look. "My father can talk a lot, but he'll forgive us if we have to go. You don't need to overextend yourself."
"I'm alright. I didn't realize I was so weak, till the end." My throat clenched, and I tried to keep my face clear.
"I'll run interference, then. I have practice saying no."
That Khal thought what I needed to be defended from was chatty relatives, after all the things I'd had to defend myself against, almost brought a laugh bubbling in my chest, before the lancing pain smothered it.
"Rowena, are you alright?" He stopped, at the edge of the bridge up. "Are you okay to walk? Do you feel like you're going to collapse again?"
"No- no, I'm fine."
He hesitated. "I could carry you."
"I'm fine." I leaned against the rail. It did feel better not to stand under my own power. Whatever power I'd unleashed must have taken so much from my body. I closed my eyes against the memory, tried not to shudder.
"We can go slowly," he said. "If anyone comes, I'll handle them."
I hadn't considered that it might be dangerous for us to run into someone here.
"No, I can move." I pushed off the rail.
Silence hung between us as we walked, thick and awkward. He was brooding. I needed to say something, break us back to casual again. So he could stop acting like all of this was his fault. "What did he mean, your father? When he said this way was easiest?"
Khal's step faltered, steadied. His face was impassive. "Hebelieves that you would be safest if it was clear you belonged with us."
"Safest from what?"
That cool exterior broke, and he was struggling.
I whispered, "Safest from whom?"
"I won't let anything happen to you," he said, and that was not an answer.
I waited. The walkway we traveled was empty, but below people walked, called to each other. One laughed, loud and long.
How many of them wanted me dead?
My vision went darker, then bright again. I grabbed at the rail to lean.
“Rowena—"
“I just overdid it; that’s all.” My legs were unsteady, my head reeling, and I tried to focus in on my limbs, ignore the riot in my mind. “I’m fine.”
Khal’s face did not look convinced. “Hold on to me. I’ll get you back.”
I reached out for him, and my knees gave out.
