Page 71 of Of Sword & Silver

I am going to live, if for nothing else than to spite him by doing so.

Asshole.

“You alright?” the dryad asks, pulling the quilt down, a slip of a nightdress not covering my arms or chest in any real way.

The wound is… grisly. Black around the edges, with black lines running down the veins of my arm and chest. I hiss in a breath as she packs the herbal poultice on it, chanting quietly under her breath.

“I am always alright,” I finally answer, and it makes me tired to say.

I have to be alright. Always. No one but me cares if I am.

The pain increases, and I grit my teeth.

“You don’t have to pretend to be strong, you know?” The dryad’s watching me closely. “There’s no one here but me.”

“It fucking hurts.”

“Good. That means it’s working.” She grins at me, laughing, and her tongue’s also green.

“You’re a healer,” I repeat slowly. “You’re the healer.”

She cocks her head at me, then presses a hand against my forehead. “Are you feeling feverish?”

“No.” I shake my head. “How do you feel about going on a quest?”

“If I had a silver coin for every time a patient asked me that.” She laughs again, and the sound of the spring wind rings through it.

It has to be her. She’s the healer Lara prophesied, I just know it, deep down.

“I didn’t mean like that, and also, disgusting, I’m sorry people treat you like that.” I wince again, because didn’t I just treat the Sword like that?

Stupid, stupid Sword.

Ugh.

“What’s your name?” I ask her.

“You’ve asked me that every time I’ve woken you. It’s Caedia. Caedia Wood.”

Right. Of course I did.

I clear my throat, trying to refocus, but the effort’s exhausting me.

“Can we hire you to come with us? We have a task in Nyzbern,” I say. Why haven’t the others recruited her yet? I don’t understand. “Er, we’re doing something dangerous, to be honest, but I think we need you.”

“I go where fate takes me. My life is one of a leaf on the winds of destiny.” She says it in a strange voice and I sit up clumsily, clutching my sore arm against my chest.

“You are supposed to come with us,” I tell her, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more serious in my entire life. “Those winds of destiny you’re talking about, they brought me to you.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were using your silver tongue powers on me.” Her green tongue flicks out like a snake tasting the air. “But you’re not. You really mean it. Why?”

“There was a prophecy. Nakush spoke through Lara, she’s the witch in our group.”

“One to lie, one to kill, one to see. Three more will join your party of deceivers, and the future rests in the balance. One to heal, one to shield, and one to light the way. Six to retrieve the crown. Two to perform a ritual, one to bleed. Fate leads four astray.” Lara’s in the doorway, the words of the foretelling rolling off her tongue.

Caedia dips her head in greeting, silent.

Can’t say I blame her. There’s not much to say to that.

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