Page 84 of Once the Skies Fade

By the time we reached the closed door of the infirmary, the ache in my feet had traveled up my legs until they were shaking with fatigue. My shoulders throbbed from the heavy load, and my fingers—their tips severely chafed from gripping him by the rough leather he wore—finally gave up, dropping him to the floor with a dull thud. It took every bit of energy I had left not to crumple to the ground beside him.

Resisting the urge to kick him, I rounded on the door and knocked.

I leaned forward, straining to hear any trace of a footstep, but there was nothing but silence. Hadn’t I just been here? Had Ami left? And if so, had she not witnessed Korben’s attack?

Pushing out a pained sigh, I let my shoulders fall heavily with the realization that I’d have to keep moving him by myself. I flexed my hands a few times and rubbed my fingertips against my thumbs, trying to soothe away the discomfort before I had to lift him again.

I had just gotten his shoulders and head off the ground when a pair of footsteps pulled my attention around behind me. Ami and another female rounded the corner. Their eyes flashed from Korben to me as they approached, though no sign of alarm showed on their faces.

“What happened here, general?” Ami asked.

Her words, while not terribly loud, bounced painfully around my head, forcing me to clench my eyes shut as I turned back to Korben and let him fall at my feet. Touching my fingers to my temple, I worked to massage away the throbbing headache as I moved to speak with the healers.

I gestured to my still-swollen face. “Korben happened.”

The females exchanged a quick glance. The younger one—her cheeks dotted by warm freckles and framed by a cascade of dark red hair—eyed me curiously.

“And what happened to him?” she asked.

“He attacked the wrong male,” I said, frowning casually.

“You did this?” Ami asked. “In your condition?”

“Never underestimate what someone can do when their life is threatened,” I explained, lifting a shoulder in a painful shrug.

“Let’s get him inside,” Ami said. “General, could you get the door for us?”

I started to protest and offer to help carry him, but the pain in my ribs flared up as if my body begged me not to do more until I was healed. Sliding the door open, I watched in a bit of amazement at how easily the two females lifted the male and carried him inside to a cot opposite the one that had been mine.

“Don’t look so impressed,” Ami said, winking as she passed by me. “It’s a bit easier when you have someone else helping.”

“Or when you’re not recently injured—or poisoned,” chimed in the other.

“And you are Jocelyn, I presume?”

She nodded, smiling sweetly, though not going pink as Brit had.

After they settled him onto the cot, Ami looked over his face and neck, shifting his head from side to side. She didn’t look up at me when she asked, “And you did this?”

“He was about to stab me,” I said, nodding.

She peered up at me from where she was still hunched over Korben. “That’s not an answer.”

Smirking, I narrowed my eyes at her. “You miss nothing, do you?” She gave no response, not even a slight lift of a brow or tiny twitch of the mouth, so I dipped my chin. “Yes, I did.”

Her gaze slid over to Jocelyn, who stood on the other side of the cot, checking Korben’s pulse.

“We will take it from here,” Ami said. “You still need to find General Marlowe, no?”

“Indeed. Will he be okay though?”

This time it was Jocelyn who answered. “He should be fine. Not the first time we’ve seen?—”

“He’ll be fine,” Ami interrupted, shooting a glare Jocelyn’s way.

I pretended not to notice the silent reprimand. “Good. I’d hate for him to miss out on the next trial.”

Jocelyn smiled, ignoring the way Ami still glowered at her disapprovingly. “Well, they’ve postponed it several days for you already. No doubt they’ll do the same for Mr. Hoff here as well.”

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