The Blood Forest (Tree of Ages #3)(36)
They rode toward the inn where they’d previously stayed in a storeroom. Kai had a feeling there would be plenty of proper rooms available that night. There didn’t seem to be an overabundance of inhabitants in the village.
Reaching the tall wooden walls of the inn, all but Kai dismounted. There was no stableboy out waiting to take the horses to the stalls mounted on the side of the inn, so instead all reins were handed to Bedelia.
“We should probably take turns guarding the horses throughout the night,” Anna suggested. “We wouldn’t want them stolen away by village folk hoping to escape to one of the larger cities.”
“Yes,” was Iseult’s only reply.
Kai looked down at the ground, which seemed exceedingly far away given how he was currently feeling. He would have liked to avoid falling once he attempted to dismount, but it felt like a likely possibility.
As if sensing his predicament, Sativola moved to stand beside his horse, and offered his meaty arm. Frowning at the hit his pride was about to take, he allowed Sativola to brace him while he climbed down from the saddle, flexing his wound uncomfortably. The movement brought on a wave of pain, and darkness ate at his vision.
A second pair of hands took hold of his other arm, keeping him upright, then the world went black.
Chapter Eight
Anna glared down at Kai’s sweaty face, his features slack with unconsciousness. If only the fool had expressed how badly his wound was affecting him, they could have better tended him sooner. She could just kill him . . . if he wasn’t already dying.
Finn sat on the other side of the bed on which he rested, in one of the cozy, warm rooms they’d purchased from the innkeep. Her long hair was a snarled mess, and deep bags marred the skin beneath her dark hazel eyes, occasionally flickering with reflected firelight. Anna imagined her own features showed the same strain as Finn’s. Yet, neither of them looked as bad as Kai.
“Do you think he’ll be alright?” Finn questioned softly, her eyes intent on the man between them.
Anna stood and removed the damp cloth from Kai’s forehead, replacing it with another from a nearby washbasin. Once they’d dragged him inside the inn, she’d realized his skin was burning with fever. Not a good sign when accompanied by severe injuries. Rough blankets were pulled only halfway up his body. Anna had raised and lowered them several times, unsure if it was best to keep his body warm, or try to cool him down. Occasionally he mumbled with fever dreams.
She resumed her seat in the same type of wooden chair Finn rested in. “There’s no saying. If he makes it through morning he may be fine, as long as infection doesn’t set in.”
Finn looked about ready to cry, and Anna sincerely wished she wouldn’t. She’d never been good around tears, and Kai was the one who needed her care right now, not Finn. She widened her eyes to deny their own sudden watering, then had an idea.
Thinking of care, she looked up to catch Finn’s gaze. “Are you sure you don’t have any healing magic?” she asked, not even sure if healing magic existed, or if all magic was simply meant for destruction. If the woman could summon massive roots from the ground, surely she could do other things? Her heart fluttered with hope.
Not seeming to sense the way Anna’s heart was attempting to escape her chest, Finn shook her head sadly and lifted her gaze. “I do not believe so.”
“Pity,” Anna muttered, barely able to force out the words. She debated whether or not to press the topic. Even if Finn thought she had no healing magic, she could at least try.
She opened her mouth to say more, then a knock sounded on the door. A moment later it opened to reveal Bedelia with a tray of food. Sativola, his wounds freshly tended, trailed in after her.
Bedelia set the tray down on a table near the fire. There were three steaming bowls of stew and a loaf of fresh baked bread that Anna imagined would remain untouched. Kai wouldn’t be eating, and Finn seemed as disinterested in the food as she, having not spared Bedelia even a glance.
Anna’s stomach churned uncomfortably. Having your oldest friend in mortal peril was a bit of an appetite killer.
“Iseult is watching the horses,” Bedelia explained, her eyes on Finn’s back, “but he’d like to speak with you after you’ve eaten.”
Finn finally turned toward her, her eyes wide and jaw slack with questioning.
Anna watched the exchange suspiciously, wondering what Iseult might need to say in private. At times she suspected a romance between the two, but neither seemed the type for late-night clandestine meetings. Perhaps he simply wanted to discuss their separation from Maarav and Ealasaid, as Finn had seemed rather hurt by the occurrence.
After glancing at the food tray, Finn nodded and stood. “I’ll go to him now.”
Bedelia inclined her head. Wiping her hands on her breeches, she led Finn out of the room, leaving Sativola behind. He took Finn’s vacated seat and stared down at Kai. The door shut behind the departing women, the gentle hush of its closure sounding like a thunder clap, further jolting Anna’s frayed nerves.
She nervously fiddled with one of the daggers at her hip, wishing she had something or someone to fight. All that was left to do was wait, something Anna had never been good at.
Wrapping her tattered green cloak around herself, Finn hurried across the empty common room. She had an extra cloak since Naoki had run off, but she refused to wear it, both because she was determined her little friend would find her once more, and because the old cloak reminded her of àed. It had once belonged to his daughter, and he had gifted it to her when they first set out on their journey.