Chapter 26 - The Sound Down the Hall
Athena didn't realize she was full until she stopped eating.
Her stomach felt warm. Heavy. Content in a way she hadn't felt in days.
Around her, the table slowly returned to quiet conversation. Low voices. Soft laughter. The comfortable sound of people who knew each other well.
She found herself watching them.
The way they moved.
The way they spoke.
The way they didn't seem tense.
Didn't seem careful.
They were... relaxed.
Her chest tightened.
She had never felt like that at a table before.
A sharp sound cut through the room.
A groan.
Low.
Painful.
Distant.
Athena's head snapped toward the hallway without thinking.
Her body reacted before her mind did.
She stood.
So fast her chair scraped loudly against the stone floor.
The room went quiet.
Silas looked at her immediately.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Someone's hurt," she said.
She didn't know how she knew that.
She just did.
Before she realized what she was doing, she was already moving toward the hallway.
Following the sound.
Behind her, Silas stood.
Elara was already on her feet.
Athena walked quickly down the corridor, her pulse rising with every step. The groan came again, clearer this time, and her pace quickened.
She turned a corner and found an open doorway.
Inside, a man lay on a long stone table, blood soaking through the fabric wrapped around his thigh. Another woman pressed cloth against the wound, her face tight with concentration.
Athena stepped inside without hesitation.
"Move," she said calmly.
The woman looked up, startled.
Elara appeared in the doorway just behind her.
"It's alright," Elara said softly. "Let her."
Athena's hands were already working.
She pressed down harder on the wound, assessing it automatically.
"Blade cut. Deep. He's losing too much blood. We need pressure higher up."
She tore the fabric cleanly and wrapped it tight above the injury without needing instruction.
The man hissed in pain.
"You're okay," Athena said firmly. "Stay with me."
Her voice changed when she worked.
Steadier.
Confident.
Familiar.
Silas watched from the doorway.
His eyes dark.
Focused entirely on her.
She didn't look confused.
She didn't look lost.
She looked like she belonged exactly where she was.
Elara watched her with quiet understanding.
After a few minutes, the bleeding slowed.
Athena exhaled slowly.
"There," she said. "He'll be okay now."
She looked up.
And realized everyone in the room was staring at her.
Her hands were covered in blood.
Her breathing heavy.
Her mind suddenly catching up to what she had done.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean to- I just-"
Elara stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on her arm.
"You didn't interrupt," she said warmly.
"You arrived."