Desi surveyed her surroundings, making sure no one would hear or see her as she moved. She crawled on the leafy floor. The sound of twigs breaking under her knees made her freeze; she did not want to catch the attention of her travel companions. The healer silently reached Ronin. His eyes were closed, but she knew he wasn’t sleeping; she had come to recognize the sound of his breathing when he was asleep.
“Desi,” he whispered, opening his eyes as she touched his shoulder.
“Hi,” she murmured, her voice low. “I’m sorry I got you into this much trouble. I never meant to.”
“Desi. What are you doing?” he interrupted her impatiently.
“I just... Ineededto see my children again, Ron.”
The man’s anger soon morphed into sympathy. “Desi, you can’t. We already discussed this. If anyone finds out you have left, you’ll be sentenced to death. You know that, don’t you?”
“I know.”
He sighed. “Untie me. We’ll get back to Nyfrel together. No one will ever know you left.” Ronin stared at her, his eyes were passionate. “I promise you, Desi.”
“What about them?” She gestured toward the rest of the group with a nod of her head.
“We can pretend we never saw them and leave while they’re sleeping. I won’t kill them if they are somehow important to you.”
Ronin’s offer was tempting, but if she fled back to Nyfrel with him, she would never see her family again. He was a very patriotic, loyal man. It was a miracle he was willing to overlook her friends’ crimes, but he would never support her decision to leave against the kingdom’s orders.
Ronin closed his eyes, his breathing heavy as he angled his head to where her hands traced his cheek. “Please, Desi.”
She didn’t answer his plea, but her eyes welled up with tears. When Desi backed away, Ronin pushed himself forward, completely ignoring the strong knots keeping him tied to the trunk. He groaned in pain, and she noticed the lump on his head and several bruises covering his arms.
“Were you injured in your fight with Eldric?”
He nodded.
She thinned her lips. “Are you in pain?”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle, Desi.”
The healer pulled a small vial out of her pocket, the liquid moving within the glass as she shook it between her fingers.
“Here, take this. It will help you with the pain.” Desi administered the potion she had prepared, her hands on his chin, helping him access the vial while his hands were still tied.
He drank it down, hoping it would ease some of the soreness from his bruises. She had always taken such good care of him…
“What’s going on here?” Eldric’s firm voice interrupted them.
Desi was startled by his presence and awkwardly dropped the small recipient onto the floor. Her hands trembled as she retrieved the vial and stammered out an excuse.
“He had a fever, and I needed to tend to it.” She forced a smile, taking long strides back to her sleeping mat, acting as a child caught red-handed by their parents.
Eldric narrowed his eyes with suspicion, fearing that it might have been an attempt to set Ronin free. However, when he noticed the injuries on Ronin’s arms, his tension lessened. The woman was a healer; she would never ignore someone in pain without feeling compelled to help.
Convinced everything was in order, Eldric went back to his guarding spot.
116 DAYS UNTIL DHALIA’S DEATH DATE.
Ronin felt drowsy for the entirety of the following day; his vision was blurring, and he vomited a few times as they got back on the road. No one paid too much mind to it, not even the man himself, as he confirmed he tended to feel sick on occasions such as this, whether through land or sea. No one paid much attention until night came and Ronin’s heart gave in. He fell from the carriage, hitting the ground heavy as a rock, already lifeless, his skin pale.
Eldric abruptly stopped the vehicle to help him, all three women suddenly thrown back against their seats by inertia. Forminutes, Desi tried to revive him, but not even the expertise of an experienced healer could bring the strong man back to life.
Ronin died with his hands and ankles tied up and rope marks bruising his skin. Marks that would have been a reminder of what he had been through, had he survived. They stood beside Ronin’s body in shock.
How did he go from a completely healthy, strong man to a corpse in a day?