The sound of him crying rose up, telling her exactly where the boy was located.
Emilie moved quickly, but a large form overtook her.
Archer darted past her in a flash, arriving at Louis’ side so quickly that she barely had time to react.
“What is it?” he asked, his voice a growl filled with worry. “Where are ye hurt?”
As Emilie drew near, she was able to clearly make out the scene. Louis was huddled on the ground, cradling his foot, while Archer was sunk down by his side.
Emilie couldn’t help but notice the panicked look on Archer’s face.
He cares much more than he lets on.
“Me foot,” Louis sobbed. “I daenae want to stand.”
Archer acted immediately, scooping up his son and holding him to his chest. He stood with little effort.
He spared only one quick glance at Emilie.
“I’m takin’ him back to the castle,” he advised, wasting no time before taking off.
Emilie stood still in her spot, surprise and worry coursing through her as her husband began to jog back the way that they had come. It wasn’t long before the sound of Archer moving through the forest, accompanied by Louis’s sobs, faded entirely.
Aurora, whom Emilie had not seen arrive at her side, spoke. The closeness of it spooked her a bit.
“Is he goin’ to be all right?” she asked, her voice sounding quieter and more unsure than it had the entire time that Emilie had known her.
Emilie glanced at the girl, noticing immediately that her eyes were wide with worry for her twin. Her heart gave a painful tug; her own worry clouded by the need to give a little bit of assurance to the scared little girl standing right in front of her.
“Aye,” Emilie said with the nod of her head. “He’s goin’ to be just fine. By the time we get back to the castle, yer faither will have looked him over and ken just what to do to help him. Ye’ll see. So, let’s get goin’ so we can be there, just in case he needs our help.”
Aurora sniffled a little, telling Emilie just how close to tears the girl was. And then, she nodded.
Emilie extended her arm to Aurora, more than a little shocked when the girl took it. Arm in arm, the pair walked through the woods, following the very large path that Archer had left in his haste.
With every step, Emilie was sending up prayers, using them to draw strength into her so that she did not succumb to her own worrying.
Please God, let Louis be all right. Daenae let me have lied to this poor girl beside me. And daenae let her brother be hurt too badly.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Is he goin’ to be all right?” Archer asked, his words coming out gruff with his worry.
The healer, who until that moment had been bent over Louis examining the young boy’s injury, turned to look at Archer.
“Aye,” the healer said with a nod. “It appears that nothin’ is broken. Just a bit of strain. He’ll have a wee bit of trouble walkin’ for a few days, and it might still be tender for a while after that. But he’ll shape up just fine.”
Archer blinked, trying not to sag under the relief that coursed through him. The healer, a woman who Archer guessed was in her mid-fifties, turned back to Louis. He was lying in his bed, his foot propped up on pillows and books to lift his leg high enough for the woman to examine him.
Archer watched as his son winced, flinching against the pain as the healer tried to set his foot in a makeshift splint.
“I’ll need to give him milk of the poppy,” she said, not turning to look at him again. “It’ll be a mild dose. As he’s young and a bit small. And we daenae want him puttin’ weight on that leg for the rest of the day. He needs to get some rest, so it’ll put him right to sleep.”
Archer nodded, then remembered the woman wasn’t looking at him and answered audibly.
“Aye, that’ll be all right.”
“Louis!”