Page 42 of Fragile Oath

Though it should have been impossible, somehow the knowledge that Gallagher could heal felt right, less jarring than the rest of the events of the day. It fit with what I knew of the girl who had miraculously recovered from her head wounds after the rebel attack, the way Gallagher could diagnose without so much as spotting an injury. Even today.

I glanced up at Ruby who was yawning and leaning her head on her friend’s shoulder while they laughed about something Cray was saying. Alexei had stabbed her. She was badly bleeding out on the road less than an hour ago.

Still, the idea was…unfathomable.

“I’m not sure I understand,” I admitted.

“Well,” he said, pitching his voice low, “the logistics are easy. I can coax your body to heal itself, within reason. Though, it does take energy from us both. Some wounds or illnesses are beyond my reach. Thehowis a longer story, one that involves more secrets than are mine to tell.”

“Davin?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Has no secret abilities hiding anywhere. But for whatever it’s worth, he didn’t need them to put things together. He figured it out nearly as fast as I did, and I had an obvious advantage.”

I filed that away, not ready to face the implications of it yet, the exposed feeling of being constantly laid bare before Davin.

“Did you always know, then?” I asked, averting my gaze.

He must have. He had helped me onto my horse when I first arrived. For some reason, the realization made my cheeks burn to consider. All the work I had put into hiding the state I was in, and he had always known.

“That you had been hurt?” His tone was gentler than his blunt words. “Yes. I can tell by touching someone where their injuries are.”

“So that’s why you were so nice to me,” I mused aloud.

“No,” he said firmly. “I was nice to you because I liked you, and because I, not being half as blind as either of my cousins, could tell that you loved Davin.” He raised an eyebrow. “Now, are you done looking for reasons to chase everyone away?”

I hardly had to look for reasons, but the truth of his words sank in anyway.

“Likely not,” I said, returning the honesty he had just given me in spades.

“Look,” he remarked, all false airiness. “We’re trusting each other already.”

I shook my head again. I shouldn’t have felt even the slightest bit lighter. The smoke from Alexei’s corpse seemed to follow us into the forest, mingling with Davin’s ire and the weight of my mistakes.

Maybe it was Gallagher’s friendship, or maybe it was the unblemished skin on my wrist, the revelation that I would never have to wear Alexei’s brand again, but somewhere sitting on a log in the middle of a band of outlaws, I almost started to feel like I could breathe again.

ChapterTwenty

DAVIN

I should have knownthat something was off the day before – would have, if I hadn’t been so distracted. It was in the look exchanged between Sai and Cray, the way even Fia insisted we rest at their camp for the night, the mead she had brought me herself.

Even now, the camp was oddly quiet for a typical bustling morning with this many people present.

But I didn’t put those things together until I heard the sound of thundering footsteps right outside of my tent. I didn’t have time to react, or even sneak out the other side of my tent before two massive hands ripped apart the sides of the opening, letting an obscenely bright burst of light shine through, followed abruptly by a massive shadow.

“Fancy finding you here,” a familiar voice boomed.

It was my luck, really, enduring everything that had happened with Galina and the Viper and stars-blasted-damned Tavish only to wind up here, facing down the most feared man in our entire kingdom when I was less than half awake.

“Good morning, Uncle Logan.” I sat up, wincing.

Stars, I hadn’t had that much to drink last night. Though more than I should have, since the thieves had apparently been luring us into a false sense of security until my uncle showed up.

“Ach. It’s a good morning when I don’t have to drag my men to Thieves Forest to track down both of my eejit nephews,” he bellowed, stepping further into the tent. “Dinna fash, though. You were easy enough to find, once I followed the trail of smoke from the corpses ye left behind.”

That last part was clearly for dramatic effect since my uncle knew perfectly well where the Thieves Forest was.

My gaze moved behind him of its own accord, pulled in the direction of Galina’s tent.

---