29. Ahmina
AHMINA
Ahmina reached up to rub the blur from her eyes. Daylight poured in through the windows of the wood-flanked walls, and slowly, the room came into focus.
“You’re awake!” a woman said, appearing beside her bed. “Not sure how you survived a Venom Viper; last week you were a Slyfox-hair away from death, but we’re glad to have you back.”
Ahmina’s head pounded, and she sat up in bed, rubbing her temples.
“Here, drink this.” The woman handed her a cup of warm liquid, and she sipped it carefully, her fingers warming as they wrapped around the ceramic mug. “That will help with your head.”
Setting the cup down on the table next to her, she looked around. “Where am I?” Her mind was foggy; she couldn’t remember how she got there.
“The infirmary,” the woman confirmed.
The infirmary. The woman was an Alchemist. A healer.
“What’s the last thing you remember?”
Ahmina searched her mind. Visions of the dark forest, panic, Rory screaming at Lennox. Blood. So much blood. Ahmina shuddered.
“I don’t know.” She didn’t feel like recounting any of it to this strange woman.
“Well, you’ve had lots of visitors. A red-headed girl was here morning and night. Some of your squad members. And a handsome second year.” She gave Ahmina a flirty look. “I told him he could stay longer but he—”
“—How long have I been here?” she asked, rubbing her arms.
“A fortnight and a few days.”
Panicked, she kicked off her sweat-dampened sheets and pushed herself out of bed, wobbling on unsteady legs. “I have to—”
“Woah there.” Her caretaker held her arms. “Slow down.”
“I have to go.” Ahmina pulled out of her grasp, trying not to stumble as she headed for the door.
“Wait!” the Alchemist said, grabbing her wrist. “At least take this.” She handed her a small glass bottle. “Drink five drops in water every morning and night for the next two weeks. It will help your blood recover.”
Ahmina nodded and left the infirmary in a daze.
She was dressed in a nightgown, her bare feet cold against the stone floor.
Groups of students whispered as she passed, but she didn’t care.
She needed to find Rory and figure out what had happened.
Plus, she had missed two whole weeks of her studies.
As she made her way back to her dorm, she made a mental list of all the things she needed to do: talk to her professors, catch up on assignments.
And what about Combat? Was she even well enough to train?
When she finally reached her dorm, Rory was sprawled out on her bed reading. As soon as she spotted Ahmina, she flew to the door and wrapped her arms around her. “You’re back!”
Ahmina rubbed her pounding head. “A fortnight,” is all she could manage to say.
Her best friend knew her well. “Don’t panic!
I’ve got all your assignments for you and the professors all agreed to give you an extension on your work until you recovered.
” She swallowed Ahmina in another hug. “For a while there we didn’t think you’d…
” Her words caught in her throat, her eyes glassy as she released Ahmina.
Rory’s reaction softened something in her, and she pushed her own worries to the back of her mind. “I’m sorry, Ror. I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t even realize I had been bitten until it was too late. It all happened so fast.”
Rory frowned, huffing a breath. “It was just really scary. I thought you were going to die. We all did.” She shifted on her feet, her voice dropping to a whisper as her pale blue eyes welled with tears. “They made us say goodbye to you.”
“Oh.” Ahmina’s heart sank. “I’m so sorry, but it’s okay, Ror.
Look at me! I’m perfectly fine.” She lied.
Her head felt like it was about to explode, the medicinal drink the Alchemist gave her had yet to do anything but make her feel nauseous, and her body ached—but Rory didn’t need to know all that.
“Yeah, you’re not fine. But you will be,” was all Rory said, squeezing her a bit too hard.
“What happened to Lennox? He had so much…” Ahmina almost didn’t want to ask.
“Blood?” Rory grimaced. “Do you really want to know?”
Did she?
“He sucked the venom out of your blood to save your life.”
Ahmina froze. He did what?
“He’s actually been kind of weird about it,” Rory continued. “You know, normally he’s so cocky about everything. But whenever anyone asked him about it, he wouldn’t say anything. I thought he’d want to tell the whole school what a hero he was.”
The thought of Lennox sucking her blood made her cheeks flood with heat. Words escaped her, so she changed the subject. “Tell me what I’ve missed.” She lay down on her bed, head tucked gently on her pillow as Rory recounted all the gossip of the last two weeks, her voice lulling her to sleep.