A Kingdom of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales Book 3)(60)

He’d been here about a month and had received one to two whippings a week, fairly moderate in aggression by the look of it. It didn’t seem that his power was a problem—the officers seemed all too happy with what they’d gotten out of him—but his ability to heal. He had access to his animal, which had given him power and sight in the dark and other enhanced abilities, but his body didn’t seem to heal at accelerated rates. For that reason, they couldn’t whip him as often as they liked.

“It’s okay,” Hannon said softly, his eyes closed and pain lacing his features. “Save it for someone who needs it more.”

Vemar whistled, leaning into the open doorway and looking in. “That is one selfless man, right there. Brother, you need it more. None of us take this long to heal, even with our animals suppressed. Take the Strange Brew.”

Tamara and Lucille sat cross-legged just outside the cell, looking concerned.

“Take it, Hannon,” Tamara said. “It’ll at least let us see if your sister is any good with those everlass leaves she picks and hoards.”

“Well it’s cold-steeped because we don’t have access to a fire, and it’s just everlass because we obviously also don’t have access to a garden or herbs or anything, but it should ease the pain and speed the healing a little,” I said. “The plants are happy and leaves prepared well. They’ll help as best they can.”

“The goddess only knows she’s been talking to the things for long enough,” Vemar said.

“It hurts to move,” Hannon grumbled.

Vemar hung his head a little, and the girls wilted. It hadn’t taken long for Hannon to earn everyone’s love. My soft, calm brother—never ruffled, never complaining, always supportive—had a way of winning loyalty. His pain was their pain. His act of selflessness in getting here pulled on everyone’s heartstrings. If I didn’t love him so much, I’d be jealous as fuck.

Instead, I was just grateful. He needed the help. He shouldn’t be here. I was the one that was supposed to take risks and get banged up, not him.

“I’ll help.” Micah stepped around Vemar and walked into the cell, glancing at the cup in my hand. “Is that your water?”

“Yes. I rationed, so it’s okay. I’ve been cold-steeping it ever since I told the officer I lost my other cup and got beaten for it, remember? Everlass prefers hot baths to cold, so it’s not at peak strength, but it should help.”

“No wonder you know how to work that plant so well, Strange Lady,” Vemar said, following Micah into the cell. “It’s as temperamental as you are.”

Hannon wheezed out a laugh and then started coughing, shuddering, and wincing. Everything in me tensed.

“Here we go,” Micah said, exchanging a look with Vemar. The two of them pulled Hannon to sitting and then held him so that he didn’t have to use his own strength.

My heart swelled so much it felt like there wasn’t enough room within my ribs.

“Thank you,” I whispered, my hands shaking as I lifted the cup toward Hannon’s mouth.

“Here, let me.” Tamara hastened into the now-crowded cell, putting her hand on my shoulder and taking the cup. “I don’t have as much invested in his wellness. I won’t shake as much.”

She smiled to let me know she was kidding as Lucille pulled me out of the way.

“She was never very good at the bedside part of things,” Hannon said softly. “That should be my job.”

“Instead you jumped right into the fire with us.” Vemar nodded. “No harm in that.”

No one pointed out the obviously great harm in that.

“He doesn’t have scales on his back,” Lucille said softly as we watched the others nurse Hannon. “Which makes sense, since he hasn’t shifted. But…did you notice that he doesn’t even have the start of everlass in his cell?”

I blinked a few times because no, I hadn’t noticed. I did now, though, looking at the creases in the stone and the patches where everlass might find its way into the world. All bare.

“My parents weren’t dragons.” I watched Tamara tilt the cup and then Hannon’s throat as he drank the liquid down. “It’s odd that I am.”

“Not that odd,” Hannon said after he finished. He breathed heavily as the guys set him back onto his stomach. Micah exited, brushing by me gently for such a big guy, and Vemar sat down on the other side of Hannon, back against the wall, and pulled up his knees and rested his arms around his legs. “I’ve meant to tell you this a million times, but the timing never felt right. Either I didn’t feel up to talking or you wouldn’t have felt like hearing it.”

“Yeah, you two aren’t settling in like normal,” Vemar said. “Or…” He paused and thought a moment. “Maybe you are but it’s been so long since someone was new that we’ve forgotten.”

“The prince has nearly everyone out of suppression, and the people in the villages are shifting,” Hannon continued. “There are a lot of first shifts happening, and there’s an incredible number of dragons. Incredible, given they are coming from non-dragon parents. They say this happens when the people are in peril. The goddess, or the old gods, or nature—no one agrees on who or what—calls dragons into existence to defend their people and set things right in the natural order. Or the kingdom. Or something—again, there are a lot of views on this. Regardless, there are a lot of dragons who need flight instruction now, but the prince doesn’t have wings.”