Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
DAHLIA
She blinked the sleep from her eyes.
At some point in the night, she’d fallen asleep between Cosmos and Loshika’s cots in the nonnae’s tent. Dahlia lifted her head from her arm, which was perched on the edge of Lo’s cot. She rolled her stiff neck and glanced around the large space.
It had been four days since Lo had been brought into the camp.
Wounded warriors lay sleeping on their cots, lined up in perfect rows with just enough space for the healers to move freely between them. Lanterns hung from the beams above, the light low and soft, and two woodstoves squatly sat along the middle aisle.
The blanket around Lia’s shoulders slipped and pooled in her lap. Pins and needles ran up and down her legs as she stretched them out. Sitting on the floor all night wasn’t her best idea. Her bite ached, and she gingerly touched it, the bumpy stitches lightly scratching against her fingertips.
“Stop,” the grumpy healer Remiche hissed quietly. He hustled over to her and knelt, inspecting the wound. “You must not touch, or you can introduce sickness into it.”
“Noted.” Dahlia nodded to Lo. “How is she?”
“Her fever is much lower than yesterday, but she is still very ill,” he replied in a low voice. “She is very lucky that boy came when he did, or she would have died.”
“Jiaell vie,” she whispered. “Truly. Thank you.”
The elderly giant’s cheeks darkened to a deep blue. “It is my job, Reilleve. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“But this is my friend’s life. I am thankful nonetheless.”
He bustled away, his robes fluttering around his slippered feet.
Cosmos moaned and flipped onto his belly, his hand hanging over the edge.
She stared at his long fingers and the planes of his freckled, bruised face.
The black eye was healing, but it was ugly.
What bothered her the most was the fact that he was looking more like a man every day.
It made her ache inside. She tucked his hand back onto the cot and pulled the blanket over him.
“He looks much like you.”
Neve’s voice startled her, and she glanced over her shoulder.
The Frost King sat on the floor, his back braced against one of the tent supports of the outer wall, so close that if she reached out she could touch his foot.
Had he slept here all night? She twisted until she faced Neve, her butt cold and sore from being on the floor.
“You didn’t have to stay again.” He’d stayed in the infirmary every night since Loshika’s relocation. And he didn’t confine her in his tent.
He arched a brow. “I know.”
Emotion clogged her throat.
Two simple words but they felt like a hug and acceptance.
He nodded to Cosmos. “You treat him like he is your own.” There was a question in that statement. They hadn’t spoken about her brother’s heritage. Only about the protocol for her meeting with Randa.
“He’s my only family,” she admitted. It was a truth she could give him.
The Frost King cocked his head. “Randa has many bastards, does he not? Yet you choose this one to claim as your brother. Why?”
She didn’t want to lie to him anymore.
Don’t lie but choose your words carefully.
“Because our mothers were incapable of taking care of us. The world rejected us for our flaws, so we bonded together.” Cosmos was deemed unworthy because of his fits and Lia for the mosaic of colors on her legs. Their mother loved them as best as she could until injustice stole her mind.
Neve hummed. “He talks in his sleep. Like you.”
She tried not to react, but her heart raced. Had they revealed anything in their sleep?
“It seems you both have demons.”
“Don’t we all?”
He grunted.
They sat in silence, and she glanced at her brother’s face, his mouth slightly open. Her heart squeezed. Tomorrow, she had to enter the lion’s den. There was a high chance she wouldn’t be returning. Dahlia was going to fight. She wanted to come back to her family.
“Our deal remains intact?”
“Yes. As long as you play your part, Loshika’s safety is guaranteed, as is the coin that will go to her.
” Neve’s gaze caressed her face. “I want to tell you that I am noble enough not to use them against you if you side with Randa. But you should know, if you betray us, I will do what I must to protect Loriia.”
It wasn’t quite a threat but more of a warning.
“I know.” She brushed a lock of auburn hair from her brother’s cheek that was dangerously close to being sucked into his mouth. “I won’t do anything to jeopardize their safety.” Or their future. They both deserved that.
“You should get some rest,” he said brusquely. “The day will be upon us soon.”
She peeked at Neve, but his eyes were closed. Next, she checked on Lo, whose eyes were wide open and locked on Dahlia.
“You’re awake,” she breathed, scooting over to the nonnae’s cot. Her friend had been in and out of feverish waking dreams for the last two days.
Loshika held out her gauze-covered hand. Lia took it with care, making sure not to squeeze the wounds. A lump rose in her throat at Lo’s jagged broken claws. She met Lo’s eyes, which filled, and tears spilled over her navy cheeks.
“Shhhh . . .” Lia crooned, pushing onto her knees so she could wipe Lo’s tears away. “You’re safe. I’m here with you. Nothing and no one will touch you. It’s okay.” It wasn’t.
The nonnae looked away, staring at the ceiling as she silently cried. “Where am I?” she rasped.
“In the royal nonnae’s tent.” Lo stiffened, but Lia gently ran a soothing hand down her arm. “It’s okay. You needed more help than Mizar could give you.”
Loshika’s head snapped to the side, and she glared at Dahlia. “What did you do?”
“What had to be done.”
“I am your servant. Not the other way around.”
Dahlia shook her head and reached up to brush away more of Lo’s tears and cupped her cheek. “No, we’re family, remember?”
“We should not be here. You should not be here. It’s not safe.” Her eyes widened, almost wild. “And Cosmos!” Her gaze landed on Cos in the cot next to her. Lo’s eyes turned accusing. “How could you bring him here?”
“I’ve secured your safety. As soon as you are healthy, you both shall leave this camp with enough gold to live whatever life you want. It’s going to be okay.”
Loshika licked her cracked lips. “And where will you be?”
“Fulfilling my part of the bargain,” Lia replied, pasting on a smile. Keep it together.
“Our lives for yours is too high a price!”
“Shhhhh . . . it’s already done.” Her voice cracked, and she swallowed back the sobs that wanted to break free. “Once you’re healthy, you’re going to take Cosmos and that gold and live a good life, do you hear me?”
“Is that a command, Reilleve?”
“No, because I know you wouldn’t listen anyway.” The nonnae was a force of nature.
“True.” Lo hiccupped—part laugh, part cry. She blinked her long lashes, tears clinging to them. “Why are you telling me goodbye now?”
“Because there’s something I must do.” And I don’t know if I’m coming back. “I want you to focus on healing, not worrying about me.”
Loshika shared a long look with Dahlia before saying, “Remove the necklace from my neck.”
Lia gently set her hand on the cot and climbed to her feet. Carefully, she reached underneath Lo’s sweaty hand and untied the jewelry around her neck. Lia sat on the edge of the cot, making sure not to jostle her friend and held up the pendant.
It was a butterfly.
One wing was a riot of metallic oranges, reds, blacks, and yellows. The other hosted splashes of a luminescent sickly green on black, revealing a macabre face like that of a glowing fox. Both wings were jagged, as if something had ripped large chunks out of the wings.
She set the pendant in her hand, the whole thing covering her palm. “What is it?”
“A mizareth,” Lo said.
Lia traced her finger over the green side of the wing, sharp jagged edges sticking out awkwardly.
“I had this piece made after I survive that attack that gave me the scars on my face. It is what I aspired to be. You see, mizareths can fly with both wings almost completely destroyed. Despite how delicate they look, they are hardy creatures.”
“That is incredible. They live in Loriia?” Lia asked, touching the small intricate antennae and the black crystal eyes.
“Believe it or not, but they hatch during the winter inside the pines of Mizar. Then during the spring, they form a chrysalis, and in the summer they emerge as adult mizareth. They make the long journey into Fierre and then travel home during the winter to mate. They survive in both extreme environments. While they look dainty and fragile, they are survivors.” A pause. “Just like you and I.”
Heat pressed at the back of her eyes, and she lifted her head. Lo smiled and nodded to the necklace. “You may feel like you’re too broken or have too many jagged edges, but you can succeed.”
“I am just one person.” One lowly bard.
“And the mizareth is just a butterfly that should not exist. Predators mistake it for prey, but they soon realize that they are wrong. The mizareth is a carnivore and can blind a predator before it can even attack. It will then suck the blood from the animal before moving on.” Loshika wiped her cheeks with her blanket. “I want you to have it.”
“I couldn’t.”
“You must. It will help you remember who you are. You are not prey; you are a predator. You are resilient.”
“Thank you.” She pressed the pendant to her heart.
Lo’s body seemed to sag, her eyelids drooping. “Take care of it.” A pause. “And you will come home.”
“I’ll try.”
“You will.”
She smiled at the nonnae’s bossiness. “I will. Now, get some rest.” She pressed a kiss to Loshika’s cheek and stood, the giantess already slipping into sleep.
Lia next bent at the waist and kissed her brother’s cheek. His eyes opened, blearily staring up at her. “Is it time to go? I didn’t pack my bag.”
Her heart broke. He thought they needed to run. “No, little lion. Go back to sleep. I will see you later.”
“Love you,” he murmured, snuggling back into the cot.
She kissed his forehead, blinking hard. “Love you more.”
More than he would ever know.
Lia straightened to find Neve once again watching her. He’d listened to the whole conversation.
“Come here, Reilleve,” the Frost King commanded.