slither
through my cheeks and all the way down to my ribs, mending my
broken bones and taking away the swelling. Finally, I was breathing
with ease. I opened my eyes.
Addredoc smiled down at me. “My debt is
repaid.”
I smiled back. “As if you couldn’t have
healed your own jaw.” We both chuckled.
His smile melted away then, and he looked at
me with regret. “Azrel, I truly apologize for what happened at my
house. I didn’t…”
I sat up and waved my hand dismissively.
“Don’t worry about it.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but I
really didn’t want to talk about it. He and his parents had saved
my life today. I gripped my jaw with one hand and moved it from
side to side. “Oh! Very nice, Addredoc. Very nice.”
He smiled again. “It was an honor and a
pleasure.”
Rabryn suddenly gripped my face, turning it
towards him and examining me closely. After a moment he smiled and
looked at Addredoc. “You make it look so easy!” he cried, and we
all laughed—all except for Ortheldo.
He sat on the floor away from me with his
head bowed. I wasn’t sure how I felt right now. My father had told
him more about his past than he’d told me. My father had loved him
more and I hated Ortheldo for that, but was it really Ortheldo’s
fault? I should hate my father just as much, but I couldn’t bring
myself to hate my father, my teacher. If I couldn’t hate my father
for this, it didn’t seem right to hate Ortheldo.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
He looked up at me, his eyes sad and
regretful, then shook his head and looked back down. “I had a bad
feeling about him the minute I saw him. I left you alone with him
because he’d embarrassed me, because he’d made me look like a fool.
I knew I should have stayed! I wish I . . .”
“Ortheldo, stop,” I said and crawled to him
on my hands and knees. I kneeled in front of him and put my hand on
the side of his neck. “We were both jerks.”
“You being a jerk didn’t almost cost me my
life!” he snapped. “That was no reason to leave you with him! I was
an idiot and I’ll make it up to you. I swear.”
“Will you stop? Everything is okay.” I
embraced him tightly. “Just forget it.” He held me tight and I felt
safe, like nothing else mattered in the world except him holding me
like this. I couldn’t indulge myself though and pulled away,
looking around the decent-sized, one-room shed Addredoc had built.
“Where’s Nekinda and her son? Are they alright?”
“We’re here, White Warrior,” I heard a gentle
voice say from the back of the room.
The Redians parted to allow me a view of her
sitting against the back wall, her baby still in her arms. She’d
been crying. She looked at me helplessly. I crawled over to her,
not fully trusting my legs to work after so recently being healed.
She just stared at me with tears in her eyes.
“How is he?”
“Worse.”
“Let me take him?” I said and held out my
arms.
She gently handed me her child. I cradled
him. He had gotten worse. He was pale and the entire blanket in
which he was wrapped felt hot enough to catch fire.
I looked up at Nekinda, gently rocking the
boy in my arms. “Thank you for your warnings to not cry or use my
magic, even though I was going to help your son. That was very
brave and very selfless, my Lady.”
She nodded. “I knew if your identity got out
prematurely, more lives would be in danger.”
“Jonoic kidnapped you and forced you to play
along with him, is that right?”
“Yes.” She wiped a tear from her cheek.
I gazed at her scarf covering her hair. “He
made you wear that to hide your race.”
She nodded and began to untie the scarf under
her chin. “He thought you would immediately get suspicious of him
because interracial marriages between us”—she took her scarf off
and I saw the white Sallybreath flowers dotting her hair—“and
humans are very uncommon.”
My eyes went wide. “You’re from Galad
Kas.”
Nekinda’s eyes shifted
through my cheeks and all the way down to my ribs, mending my
broken bones and taking away the swelling. Finally, I was breathing
with ease. I opened my eyes.
Addredoc smiled down at me. “My debt is
repaid.”
I smiled back. “As if you couldn’t have
healed your own jaw.” We both chuckled.
His smile melted away then, and he looked at
me with regret. “Azrel, I truly apologize for what happened at my
house. I didn’t…”
I sat up and waved my hand dismissively.
“Don’t worry about it.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but I
really didn’t want to talk about it. He and his parents had saved
my life today. I gripped my jaw with one hand and moved it from
side to side. “Oh! Very nice, Addredoc. Very nice.”
He smiled again. “It was an honor and a
pleasure.”
Rabryn suddenly gripped my face, turning it
towards him and examining me closely. After a moment he smiled and
looked at Addredoc. “You make it look so easy!” he cried, and we
all laughed—all except for Ortheldo.
He sat on the floor away from me with his
head bowed. I wasn’t sure how I felt right now. My father had told
him more about his past than he’d told me. My father had loved him
more and I hated Ortheldo for that, but was it really Ortheldo’s
fault? I should hate my father just as much, but I couldn’t bring
myself to hate my father, my teacher. If I couldn’t hate my father
for this, it didn’t seem right to hate Ortheldo.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
He looked up at me, his eyes sad and
regretful, then shook his head and looked back down. “I had a bad
feeling about him the minute I saw him. I left you alone with him
because he’d embarrassed me, because he’d made me look like a fool.
I knew I should have stayed! I wish I . . .”
“Ortheldo, stop,” I said and crawled to him
on my hands and knees. I kneeled in front of him and put my hand on
the side of his neck. “We were both jerks.”
“You being a jerk didn’t almost cost me my
life!” he snapped. “That was no reason to leave you with him! I was
an idiot and I’ll make it up to you. I swear.”
“Will you stop? Everything is okay.” I
embraced him tightly. “Just forget it.” He held me tight and I felt
safe, like nothing else mattered in the world except him holding me
like this. I couldn’t indulge myself though and pulled away,
looking around the decent-sized, one-room shed Addredoc had built.
“Where’s Nekinda and her son? Are they alright?”
“We’re here, White Warrior,” I heard a gentle
voice say from the back of the room.
The Redians parted to allow me a view of her
sitting against the back wall, her baby still in her arms. She’d
been crying. She looked at me helplessly. I crawled over to her,
not fully trusting my legs to work after so recently being healed.
She just stared at me with tears in her eyes.
“How is he?”
“Worse.”
“Let me take him?” I said and held out my
arms.
She gently handed me her child. I cradled
him. He had gotten worse. He was pale and the entire blanket in
which he was wrapped felt hot enough to catch fire.
I looked up at Nekinda, gently rocking the
boy in my arms. “Thank you for your warnings to not cry or use my
magic, even though I was going to help your son. That was very
brave and very selfless, my Lady.”
She nodded. “I knew if your identity got out
prematurely, more lives would be in danger.”
“Jonoic kidnapped you and forced you to play
along with him, is that right?”
“Yes.” She wiped a tear from her cheek.
I gazed at her scarf covering her hair. “He
made you wear that to hide your race.”
She nodded and began to untie the scarf under
her chin. “He thought you would immediately get suspicious of him
because interracial marriages between us”—she took her scarf off
and I saw the white Sallybreath flowers dotting her hair—“and
humans are very uncommon.”
My eyes went wide. “You’re from Galad
Kas.”
Nekinda’s eyes shifted
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