Page 80 of Fire to the Stars

“Object of his affection?”

“I see the way he looks at you.”

Something lodges in my throat.The way Abel looks at me.“I know I have to die eventually. I just don’t want anyone else but him to do it.”

“He’s injured. He cannot slay you in this condition.”

“He will heal. He has to.”

“Many slayers never do.”

“Let me help him try to recover.”

“He already lost Micah. I won’t deprive him of a minute with you.” Lyle hands the journal back to me. “Just don’t break my friend’s heart. He’s been through enough.”

Worry lines strain Abel’s pale expression. Even in his sleep, he can’t find rest.

“Did the Gendarmerie manage an arrest?” I ask hopefully. “Abel will sleep easier if he knows we’re one step closer to saving your mother.”

“They arrested one,” Lyle replies. “A man.”

Onlyone? There were so many attackers.

“One might be enough,” I offer.

“But now they know Abel isn’t dead.” He rubs his eyes. “You saw what happened. Once they shot Abel, everything fell apart. Hecouldn’tplay dead. We had no choice but to rescue him.”

“It’s not too late to pretend he died in surgery.”

“I still disobeyed their instructions by seeking help from the Gendarmerie. What if they kill Ma to retaliate?”

“I don’t think they’ll make any rash decisions. They’ve been very meticulous in their planning.”

“I hope you’re right. I can’t take the dread much longer.” He inhales as if collecting himself. “Marshal Bard made a good point, though. Just because the plan went wrong doesn’t meanwe aren’t better positioned to rescue Ma. Now that we have a prisoner to interrogate, he thinks we’ll gain useful information.”

The surgeon enters the room. I press my lips together, Lyle doing the same while Dr.Castille pulls back Abel’s blankets and inspects the thick bandages wrapping his shoulder. The bloodstains are brown and dry. A sling secures Abel’s right arm across his chest and keeps his shoulder immobile.

“Has he moved at all?” Dr.Castille asks, monotone.

I shake my head. “Are you sure he’ll survive the poisoning?”

Upon Abel’s rush into surgery, I told the doctors that I suspected baneberry poisoning. Everything I know about it is hearsay from my time in the Dames Blanches, so I’m not sure whether it’ll cause lasting damage.

“We see deaths from baneberry only when ingested. A lethal dose is impossible to coat a weapon with.” Dr.Castille cleans his glasses with his sleeve. “I’m surprised you recognized the poison. How did you know?”

I lower my gaze to Lucy. “I’ve seen the effects before.”

Lyle raises an eyebrow but thankfully says nothing.

“Well, it won’t kill him. At this dose, it acts like a paralytic. He should wake within the next few hours.”

Lyle and I release simultaneous sighs. Thank goodness.

My gaze lingers on Abel’s face, and my heart squeezes. A month ago I wouldn’t have worried about his well-being.Mysurvival was all that mattered.

“You two work with him, correct?” Dr. Castille asks. “You’ll tend to him once he’s discharged?”

“She will.” Lyle ruffles my hair. “Take care of him, and tell him not to worry. He will anyway, but do it for me.”