Page 99 of The Blade in the Ashes
Not even my wrist hurt anymore. And that was kind of nice.
If this was death, it wasn’t so bad. Surely there were worse fates?
“Sssokay,” I slurred, somehow registering the silhouettes coming towards us in the distance. Shapes that resembled bodies. We’d gotten to the town.
That was good.
Nessira could find someone to help her get food and shelter. At least she would be safe.
With her arm tight against my waist, she pulled me further, my legs growing heavier and heavier with each step. Unceremoniously, my strength gave out all at once. My knees crashed down hard onto the path while Nessira desperately tried to hold on to me.
“Help!” she screamed again.
“Ssso cold,” I mumbled, the words just a whisper against the ferocious wind.
Darkness lingered at the edge of my vision like shadows.
No. I didn’t like the shadows.
I was afraid of the shadows.
I shook my head, trying to chase the darkness away, but it pressed in relentlessly. As someone crouched next to me, his voice a meaningless jumble, the darkness took over completely.
Iawoke with a lurch, my fingers stinging. Gasping, I reared up trying to flee from the hands that reached for me and tugged me back down.
“Oh, calm down, dearie. Everything’s alright.”
It took me a moment to connect the voice with the elderly woman sitting in front of me.
I sat outstretched on a tiny, almost child-sized bed, blankets bundled around me. The woman in front of me sat on a small wooden stool, a bucket of steaming water to her side and a rag clutched in her hands. Across from us, a fire blazed in the dusty hearth.
“Just relax now,” she said soothingly, placing a hand on my shoulder and urging me to relax back against the pillows once more. “We just have to warm you up.”
Yes. That awful numbness seemed to have faded away, but in its absence, I was painfully aware of the chill that lingered in my bones.
“W-w-who are you?” My teeth chattered so violently that the words were almost impossible to make out.
The woman gave me a sympathetic grin, clearly not understanding me. She dipped the rag into the water and pressed it against my fingers once more; the heat causing a near-blinding pain. I ripped at my hand, but she held it tight.
“There, there.” She sighed, examining my fingertips.
There was a scuffle outside the tiny room, and I stiffened once more, relaxing only when Nessira rushed in and bolted to my side. She wore fresh clothes, dry of snow and clean of any mud. Her damp hair was freshly combed.
“Oh, thank the Gods you’re awake.”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to thank the Gods for anything right now.
My gaze bounced between her and the woman. “W-w-where are w-we?”
“My name is Eloise, dear,” the woman told me, dipping the rag into the bucket and pressing it against my fingertips once more. I hissed once more against the pain, and she frowned. “Sorry about that, but we do have to warm up these fingers of yours.”
“Eloise,” Nessira’s voice was urgent, her gaze locked on the ugly purple bruises splattering my wrist. “Do you know whether the town has a healer? My friend fell during our journey.”
Eloise took my hand gingerly in her own, turning it over with a gentle touch as she examined the wound. Her lips pursed, and she shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Will you girls be staying long? We can try to send for one from the next town over.”
“No!”
Eloise jumped at my urgent protest.
