In the background, Freyah whined to herself as she put her flower-shaped eyepatch back in her satchel.
Chapter 22
Bonded Paths
120 DAYS UNTIL DHALIA’S DEATH DATE.
Alissa’s far-from-luxurious stay in Nyfrel had been a huge struggle. Between headaches, nausea, trouble breathing, and fever, she had been in agony. And yet, her heart still hurt the most. Freyah and Eldric, although overprotective of her, had been of great help in feeding her, going around town to make sure they had all the supplies they needed to get back on the road the next morning, and most of all, keeping her distracted from the pain and boredom those several days inside the medical office tent had given her.
It’d been ten days since she was stabbed by that rusted blade, and for the first time since then, she felt well. There were times Alissa thought the pain so bad that she would end up increasing the fifty percent rate of unsuccessful Ferrugia cases Desi had mentioned. Finally being allowed to leave the full rest condition that Desi had imposed on her was a welcome blessing.
The feel of the cold cement under her feet seemed like a foreign sensation as she attempted to walk again for the first time since being injured. Her body didn’t feel like hers when her weight was too heavy for her weak legs to bear. Alissa wonderedif her brain had somehow been affected by her disease when it fought to send signals to her legs to move forward. The sweat in her palms from the effort of walking one single step dampened Eldric’s hands as he helped her walk again. When she stumbled on her own feet, he held her waist to keep her steady. The way his hands lay on the sides of her hips made her feel like a teenager again.
“It’s normal for you to feel weak in the first few hours. You have been in full rest for a while, and your leg was badly injured not many days ago. You gotta take it easy, Alissa,” Desi instructed as she wrote something down.
The sound of Alissa’s tongue clicking brought Desi’s eyes from over her glasses to stare at her patient.
“Don’t think you’ll be able to run anytime soon, Alissa. You are healed, but you’ll still need to be cautious and avoid any physical effort for the next couple of weeks.”
“Using crutches could help,” Eldric said.
Alissa nudged his shoulder as he held her by the waist.
“You’re absolutely right, Eldric. She should use them for the next couple of days. Thank you for the reminder.” Desi walked out of the medical office to grab the crutches.
“Really, Eldric?” Alissa murmured, her eyes narrowed. “Is this how far you’ll go to show off how well educated you are on healing matters?”
He leaned in closer. “No. This is how far I’ll go to make sure you are safe.” A subtle smirk appeared. Eldric wished he hadn’t noticed her swallow, or the way her cheeks blushed an adorable shade of red, but he was too attuned to her to miss such telling reactions.
Alissa didn’t know how to respond to this new version of him. When their eyes locked, the atmosphere shifted, and his fingers tightened on her waist. She forced herself to look away, and hergaze landed on the pair of old wooden crutches, weathered and worn from years of use, waiting in Desi’s hands.
“Does she need to take any more medicinal herbs or potions on the road?” Freyah took the crutches from Desi’s hands. She positioned them under her own armpits, trying to get a sense of what it was like to walk with them.
Alissa couldn’t help but smile, seeing how clumsy her friend looked using them.
“You still need to tend to her leg injury to ensure it heals completely.” Desi picked up a small notebook and, with infinite patience, began detailing the steps to care for Alissa’s leg—how to prepare and apply the various herbal mixtures to her scar twice a day and the activities she should avoid. She poured out so many words and unfamiliar terms that it felt like a lecture.
Alissa heard everything, but her mind was far away, mostly watching her friends listen with the concentration of a child hearing a bedtime story for the first time. Their extreme focus and articulate questions would make anyone think their survival depended on their knowledge of whatever instruction Desi gave them. How fortunate was she to have found such amazing people in her path, people she knew she could trust her life with.
Her eyes drifted to the woman dressed in white, her curly black hair brushing her shoulders. Appreciation tugged at Alissa’s core for this woman she barely knew—a stranger who had saved her life.
She interrupted Desi’s instructions as a sudden urge to speak overtook her.
“Desi, I know I haven’t been the easiest person to deal with.” All eyes were on Alissa, surprised by the unexpected emotional speech. “I just want to thank you for everything. And I know you’ll probably want to get rid of me as soon as possible, but I was thinking…” Alissa stuttered. “We have an extra seat on ourcarriage if you’d like to come to Golheim with us. To see your kids.”
Eldric frowned, but Desi’s lips hung open in surprise. She shook her head slightly, trying to make sense of what she had heard. Before Desi could say anything, however, Eldric pulled Alissa to the side for a private conversation.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked.
“Why wouldn’t it be? We are going to Golheim anyway.”
“I know, but we are fugitives now, Alissa. We can’t be inviting people to come with us along the way,” he said in a firm whisper.
“This is the least I can do, Eldric. She saved my life.” Alissa pursed her lips, placing her hand on his shoulder.
Eldric was not pleased with the idea, but he understood where she was coming from. Desi had been the only reason Alissa hadn’t died in his arms that day, and he would be forever grateful for that. Still, he shook his head.
“I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to trust anyone now. Besides, it could be dangerous for her too.”