Page 55 of Wraithwound

Lena eyed him before finally nodding.

Cross turned her arm towards the fire to get a better view. He inspected the gash there, pulling at the skin gently. “Nychtyra are a birdlike species that hunts in packs. They have layered wings, the outer layer is how they fly, but the other sets of wings underneath have a different function. They use vibrations to create a kind of silo to disorient their prey. It’s like being trapped in a tunnel without light or sound.”

That was exactly what Lena had experienced. She hadn’t been able to locate the light of the fire although she hadn’t wandered very far, and the impenetrable darkness felt fabricated somehow, different than just the absence of light. It made sense she hadn’t been able to see well despite the improvement in her vision or hear the crackling fire nearby.

“What of the poison? I need to figure out which herbs will draw it out,” she asked, the words running together.

“It’s not poison; it’s acid. They use it to make your flesh more amenable for implantation,” he said.

“Implantation of what?” she asked slowly, her already sour stomach turning again.

“Their eggs,” he said.

Lena gagged so violently she startled the eleuth. Cross glanced at it but didn’t say anything about the creature, likely having decided it wasn’t a threat.

“They would only risk implanting them after you were dead though,” he finished.

Lena exhaled sharply, but her mind had already moved onto the effects acid would have on her heart if too much entered her blood.

Cross got up and walked across the camp to his satchel, pulling his gauntlet out. He returned with a small, thin vial unlike the others she’d seen. It seemed to glow green in his hand, and she wondered if it was one of the potions that were said to be created with magic, but as he unhooked it from a second, empty vial it was attached to, Lena realized it’d just been reflecting the aurora in the sky.

Cross held the slim bottle out to her. “Here, this will numb the pain,” he said.

Lena looked up at him, the pain seeming to flare in response to his attention.

“Why?” she asked, reaching for it.

“It’s the least I can do for the woman who saved my life,” he said, before walking away, leaving her to her task.

Woman, he’d said. Not wraith, woman.

Lena swallowed the lump in her throat, thankful he hadn’t asked her anything else. She wasn’t sure how much longer she would have been able to keep it together if he had.

She had invited the wraith in, past Henry’s defenses, and despite his assistance, she knew there’d been a cost for that. A cost he had paid somehow. She also knew he was the only reason she’d been able to regain control after the fact. The shiver that ran down her spine had nothing to do with the cold.

At least she’d made contact with the eleuth. She looked down at the furry creature, now asleep at her feet, and felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for its presence. Lena reached her hand toward it but thought better of it. It was filthy. She needed to clean her hands and focus on packing her wounds with the powder that would neutralize the acid and then apply the poultices that would fight against infection and swelling.

Sending the contents of the small vial down her throat, she began.

Chapter

Forty-One

Lena ended up needing Cross’s help to tend to the wound on her back. He had approached the task in a business-like manner, working to clean it and rub the black powder into her cut before applying the poultice. She’d been surprised at how gentle his touch had been, given his chosen profession.

She’d also needed to borrow a shirt as hers was closer to ribbons than a functioning garment. It hung loosely from her frame, reaching to just above her knees, but she’d been able to tuck it into her filthy pants for a better fit.

Cross had taken over the watch for the rest of the night, despite Lena offering to let him sleep. She had drifted between sleep and wake the rest of the night, often sensing Cross’s gaze on her.

She didn’t quite know what to make of him. He’d been furious about being dutybound to protect her. When she’d approached Taryk, it had been his opportunity to be rid of her. She hadn’t thought the oath would hold if her decision to approach Taryk was made willingly. Then again, she wasn’t sure what the specifics of the oath entailed.

She couldn’t imagine what it meant for him to have to protect the very monster he’d been tasked with killing. The more she thought about it, she figured it wasn’t dissimilar to her situation, but in reverse, because she had taken life when her oath required she protect it.

A chill wind arrived with the first rays of light. She took a moment to relish the caress of the cool breeze before fastening her cloak. Her whole body ached, each movement stinging as the skin pulled. She’d cleaned out the wounds and bandaged them. Luckily, the cuts hadn’t been as deep as she’d imagined, not even the one on her back, which she’d been certain would need stitches.

She tried to hide her wince when she moved. It was embarrassing enough she’d forgone Cross’s warning and met danger almost immediately, but she had a feeling he’d noticed.

“We’ll have to ride hard today if we want to make it to Lythara before lockdown,” he said simply.