Page 44 of The Elven Healer's Apprentice

“Why?”

“So, I can assess your coloring.”

I expected him to protest, but to my surprise, he complied. Stepping into the room, he presented himself for inspection. I stepped closer to peer up into his face. He was still paler than normal. The dark hollows in his face had all faded a bit, but he still appeared haggard.

“Want to check that I cleaned under my fingernails, too?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes. “If you need someone to remind you of something so basic, you have a serious issue.”

“You reminded me of my mother. She used to peer into my face the way you did just now.”

“Checking for signs of sickness?” I asked.

“No, examining me as though I forgot to wash something. Did I miss a spot when I scrubbed my face this morning?” His eyes flashed silver and then blue again.

“What was that? Your eyes changed color.”

“They always change colors. It is an elven quirk.” His mouth lifted a bit on one side. “Did you know your eyes are the most fascinating shade of green? They are like the finest jade.”

How was I supposed to respond to that? I stared at him for a heartbeat before turning away with a shake of my head. “When is the event?”

“Three days.”

I glanced over my shoulder at him. “Is that enough time to recover from the strain of the past few days?”

“Depends.” His silver brows lowered as he studied my face.

“On what?”

“You.”

∞∞∞

Merlon

“It depends on how much you are willing to help. By my calculations, if you hold my hand between patients andwhenever we can for the next three days, I should be recovered enough to handle almost anything I might encounter at the festival.”

Adela continued folding the towels on the side table. Her back was to me, offering a view of the curve of her neck unhindered by her hair. She had braided the chestnut tresses tightly and wound the braid into a bun at the back of her head. Despite the early hour, whisps were already escaping. “What about travel time? How long will it take for you to travel to the king’s estate?”

“A day, maybe more, depending on the pace I set.” I stepped close enough to gaze over her shoulder. “If I could ride a certain unicorn, I would cut the time down to less than half a day.”

“I doubt Sage would let you ride her without me,” she observed.

A knock on the doorframe interrupted us before I could explain further, and our day began.

Four pregnant elves in quick succession filed through the infirmary. Adela handled most of the questions and examinations. I hung back and observed. She was quite skillful in taking vitals and assessing symptoms while getting the mothers-to-be calm and comfortable. Even more remarkable, she persuaded them to chatter about their lives. In the brief span she interacted with them, I learned more about their families and relationships than I had ever known before.

After the fourth female left, I stepped forward to claim Adela’s left hand as I had done between each patient.

“I might need to report that one’s husband,” I muttered as I interlaced our fingers, savoring the sensation of belonging that always came with touching her. “It sounds like he is abusing her.”

“He is.” Adela allowed me control of her non-dominant hand as she focused intently on making notes on the paper she kepton the counter for the purpose. Usually, she recorded the details of each visit. Normally it was to make it easy for me to review details with her after the fact, but having observed the patients myself, I didn’t bother peeking over her shoulder.

“Who would you report him to?” she asked. Although her tone remained casual, the slight tensing of her fingers betrayed an emotional response that she attempted to hide.

“I would speak to Illeron, and he would have his shadow elves investigate.”

Adela’s hand paused in its progress across the table. “And if the situation wasn’t safe for the mother?”

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