Chapter 41
They found another cave to rest and treat their injuries. A thorough inspection deemed it free from scorpions and safe enough to settle for the night.
Ava slumped against the wall with a groan, her shoulder throbbing, the bone still protruding from her flesh. Casimir slept on a bedroll beside her, trying to recover from draining his magic dangerously low, and Jareth was working on healing Maeryn’s head injury while Raine hovered over them.
“Would you back up?” Jareth snapped.
“Let me look at your eye,” Imsel attempted, approaching Raine.
“Not until she’s healed.” Raine pointed at Maeryn.
“At least let me wash the blood off,” they tried again, the silver beads woven in their braids glinting in the firelight.
“No.”
Gisela knelt before Ava. “I’m going to pull the bone out, Your Highness. Are you ready?” Ava took a breath. “On three. One…two…three.”
Gisela pulled, yanking the projectile from Ava’s shoulder. White-hot pain shot down her arm while Gisela pressed her hand against the wound. Casimir stirred, as if sensing her pain, and Ava clutched his hand in reassurance, urging him to stay asleep.
Finished taking care of Maeryn, Jareth stood and addressed Raine. “Let me see your eye.”
“No. Heal Ava first.”
Jareth mumbled, rolling his eyes and running a hand through his golden hair.
“You should save your magic,” Ava said. “This will heal on its own eventually. We might need you for something worse later on.”
“Don’t be a hero. At least let me stop the bleeding.”
Jareth placed his hand on her shoulder, kneeling before her. The warmth of magic coursed through her arm, her skin burning and itching as her flesh knitted itself together. Seconds later, he pulled away, the wound no longer bleeding.
“Get it bandaged up and it will heal the rest of the way on its own.” He rose and walked to the other side of the cave.
“Raine,” Ava turned to her friend, seated next to Maeryn who had fallen asleep. “Will you please let me at least clean your eye?”
He had been pacing like a caged animal, fretting over Maeryn. Almost as bad as Ava when Casimir had been hurt after the Elderoak journey.
“Fine.”
Ava breathed a sigh of relief as she scooted over to him. “Lie down.”
She picked up a nearby waterskin, opening the cap. His face was covered in blood—in his hair, down his neck, on his tunic. Most of it had begun to dry but his eye was still bright red.
Ava leaned over, prying it open one-handed. “This is probably going to sting.”
She poured the water, flushing it out until it ran clear.
“Fuck,” Raine muttered.
Letting go, she asked, “How’s your vision now?”
He blinked several times, scanning the ceiling. “A little blurry but much better,” he said with relief.
“I’m going to clean the rest of the blood off.”
Imsel handed her a full waterskin and a cloth, taking the empty one to refill it. Ava washed away the blood on Raine’s face, wiping gently around the brutal wound. The cut began several inches above his left eyebrow, sliced over his eye, and ended just below his cheekbone.
Fortunately, it was no longer bleeding.
“Do you want Jareth to finish healing this?”
“No,” he muttered.
“It’s probably going to scar if he doesn’t. It will mess with your perfect beauty,” she teased, attempting to cheer him up.
“You think I care?” he shot back.
Ava flinched at his tone. “Sorry, I was—”
He grabbed her hand. “Shit. I’m sorry. I know what you were doing.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “I agree Jareth should conserve his magic. This won’t be the last time someone gets injured, and it could be much worse.”
“And the scar won’t bother you?” She genuinely wanted to know.
“Some people think scars are sexy, little frog.”
“They are. And if it had gotten your eye, we could have designed a cool eye patch for you and then I would have to say ‘argh, matey’ every time you walked into a room.”
“I have no idea what any of that means,” Raine said.
“Do you know what a pirate is?”
“No.”
“Never mind then. It’ll take too long to explain.”
He gave her a warm smile. “I will never tire of your human sayings.”
She squeezed his hand.
“How far are we from our destination?” Ava asked Jareth, currently in the middle of a hushed conversation with Gisela. “I’m ready to get the hell out of this desert.”
Jareth retrieved the map from his pocket and unfolded it. He ran his finger along the paper, deep in thought. “Well…I…A couple more days?”
“Let me look.” Gisela snatched the map from him. “You don’t seem to know how to read a map, prince.”
“And you do?”
She raised a brow, glaring at him. “Seeing as I’m the captain of a ship? Yes. Of course I can read a map.”
“Then, enlighten us,” he sneered.
Ignoring his tone, she studied the parchment. “We’re closer than it looks,” she explained. “Barring any other obstacles, it seems to be about another half day’s journey from our current location.”
“Good,” Ava breathed.
A soldier handed Ava a strip of dried meat and a piece of bread. She thanked him and took a bite.
“We should not leave tomorrow,” Imsel interjected, watching Gisela closely from their spot against the wall, something they did often. “The four of you must rest. We all need to be at our strongest.”
“Ava and I are fine,” Raine said, sitting up as a soldier handed over dinner for him and Maeryn. He gently touched her face and her eyes fluttered open. “You should eat something,” he whispered softly.
Ava’s heart swelled at Raine’s actions. The way he adored her, how he always watched and refused to leave her side. Even if she didn’t know what they were to each other, he didn’t care. Raine was good down to his core, and deserved every ounce of happiness and love in the world.
“But our two generals need rest,” Imsel insisted.
Ava ripped off a piece of bread, popping it in her mouth and swallowing before she responded. “They do. We stay here until they’re strong enough to leave.”
“How long will that take?” Jareth complained.
Ava took a sip of water. “I don’t know. When I used too much magic, I slept for a week.”
“But that was your great tribulation,” said Raine. “It shouldn’t take as long for Cas.”
Ava rose, retrieving her bedroll. “We rest in this cave. Sleep in shifts because we need to keep watch at all times. As soon as Cas and Maeryn are ready, we get to that damned cave, get what we need, and get out of this horrific place.”
Three days.
Casimir slept for three days before they were able to leave. Ava had been relieved when he finally stirred, and she forced him to eat as much as he could handle before he had to wave her away.
They were now trudging through the open desert, free from the confines of the canyon, but at the mercy of the unrelenting sun blazing down upon them. Scarves covered their faces yet again, and the party was mostly silent, ready to be done.
“How are you feeling?” Ava asked Casimir, walking next to her.
“That’s the third time you’ve asked today.”
“Well, it won’t be the last.”
He chuckled quietly under his scarf. “And I’ll say the same thing I said the last time; I’m a little tired but I’m fine. How is your shoulder?”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s healed.”
“Good.”
“Is Casimir lying?” Ava asked Luna. “Ask Aro.”
Aro said he’s being honest. He’s truly okay.
Seconds later, Casimir’s head swiveled to her, eyes crinkled in amusement. “You aren’t as sneaky as you think you are, love.”
She gasped and pointed at Aro. “Traitor.”
He growled.
“I just had to be sure. You tend to downplay your injuries.”
“I know. But this time I’m not. I promise.”
“Alright, I believe you.” She squinted against the early morning sun. “Do we have any idea what we might find in this cave?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. You and Jareth have already told us everything you know. I suspect it won’t be easy. If the gods were this intent on keeping Andras trapped, then I believe we’re about to be in grave danger.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.”
Ava couldn’t stop thinking about the knowledge they’d recently gained. Andras was a god. How had they missed that? How had no one known? It made sense that Casimir, Raine and those of their generation didn’t know. They were too young. But what about Jorrar? Or the other older fae?
Yet both her and Casimir’s fathers had known the entire time who Andras was.
Vardan took the secret to his grave—Ava assumed her mother and grandfather didn’t know either—while Orion had hidden it for close to a century.
And to what end? So he could sit high in his castle and pretend the fae down below weren’t fighting for their lives against an enemy they didn’t understand?
What of the other gods and goddesses? Shouldn’t they help? How did that even work here? Maybe they weren’t allowed to intervene…though they’d obviously done so before. So why not now?
I just don’t understand, Ava thought to herself.
Some things aren’t meant for us to know, Luna said.
“What do you mean? Explain.”
I’ll try. The notion of animal companions for the fae of Monterre was a blessing given by the Earth Mother, our goddess.
“Right.”
We’re here to support and help you. But we aren’t given information from the goddess. Because you are supposed to forge your own path. The gods and goddesses are not allowed to interfere. Free will is important in Eorhan.
“If they’re not allowed to interfere, then why did they trap Lomos? Shouldn’t that have been forbidden too?”
I’m not sure anyone truly knows the answer. But I believe leaving him to his own devices likely risked the whole world collapsing. And I wonder if perhaps they aren’t intervening now because they already did so once. And the fae are the ones who freed him. Therefore, the fae must fix it.
“Lovely. So basically, we’re fixing our fathers’ mistakes.”
Unfortunately.
“Ava,” Jareth interrupted.
Ava slowed her stride, letting him catch up. “What do you want?”
“I have something I’ve been wanting to ask you.”