Page 50 of Nightingale

“I have absolutely no chance of getting past the Blacklegs by myself.” She snapped up at him as she made for the nearest tree to hook Onyx to before the horse could dart away. “Of course I want to keep you alive for that. Then, if it suits you, you can go and die a stupid death. I know it would please me.”

“I’m wounded!” Rian slapped his pectoral in mock dramatics, barely missing his stab wound.

“Yes,” She chidded impatiently, “You are.”

“Well yes, bythat.”The Prince sourly agreed with a bitter look in her direction that nearly made her smile.Nearly. “But by your infinite desperation to see my life ended in payment for your capture, for your freedom as well.”

She ignored him.

“We’re camping here for the night, and you’re going to let me look at your cut.” Vrea returned for Kohl, repeating the same motion and tossing the harness lead over the branch, flipping it under and securing it in a knot that she knew wouldn’t let go unless one of them untied it. “That’s not up for negotiation.”

Because she didn’t want to feel as though she owed him. He’d freed her from Hawksmoor, and she’d killed his attempted murderer in return. Now the playing field was even and he could sweep out a favour from her as easily as saving her life from the Blacklegs. Here, now, if she helped him live, would mean thatheowedher.And Vrea highly preferred having one stored in the vault to be used at a later time to that slight chance of owing him at all.

That wasn’t going to happen.

There was a small clearing of trees nearby that was dotted with wildflowers along the jade grass, enough that gave her hope for some medicinal properties to use. An idea formed within a snap.

“Get the rolls set up and I’ll take a look for some herbs that I can use for hastening the healing process. The very last thing we need is you ripping the cut open whilst we pass through the caverns and having the salt smell of it lead the Blacklegs directly to us.” She ordered him about, unhooking the rolls and tossing them at him.

He caught the first one, narrowly avoiding dropping the second. “I don’t need some sort of flower paste on my side in order to cause it to scab up quicker. I’ll be fine.”

“I won’t risk it getting an infection. You don’t know what was on that spear tip. Set up the camp and I’ll be back before dark.” With the position of the sun, Vrea guessed that she had about three hours before night would fall in full force. Plenty of time to explore the small forest towards the north. Besides, the horses were still far too spooked to consider letting either of them on their backs again, which meant that not much progress would have been made anyways.

She checked her hips for her daggers, pulled a black cloak out from her bag and clasped it around her shoulders, tugging the hood up over her brown locks and made sure that there was enough room in her pockets for gathering herbs.

Even if she took more than they required for his wound, it wouldn’t hurt to have more for the journey ahead. Especially with the Blackleg portion ahead. There was enough room in her green belt to fold the flowers in, as well as an inner pocket in the cloak that was hidden from all but the wearer.

Rian untied the first roll, hers- she caught hold of and flattened it along the ground until there were no wrinkles or creases. “I’ll get a fire started. I think we have enough water inour skeins to use a bit for cleansing. The third and fourth are still completely full from when we refilled them by the river, and if we ration it correctly then it should be enough to get us to the Niroulian war camps. We can refill them again there before setting off for Vasthold.”

“There should be plenty of branches around here to start the fire, and the flint is in my pack. If you need more, just break some off the tree that the horses are tethered to. No leaves though, because they’ll create a nasty smoke that could alert others to our location.” She informed the male before heading for the woods.

“I do know how to properly create a fire, you know.” He mused with a hint of mirth in his medium, resonance. “Or do I need to remind you about the first fire we made together?”

Vrea didn’t verbally respond, flipping him off instead before disappearing into the covering of the small forest.

Twenty Five

She returned an hour and a half later, just as the sun yawned with emboldened rays of pastel pink and burnt orange, swapping out places with the luminary moon of silver and ivory. Even stars began to appear in the lavender skies, winking down at her as she trekked back through the trees. Vrea loved the night, perhaps more than she loved the day. There was an indescribable beauty within the midnight that called to her, one that the sun and clouds could never replicate.

Others might have been afraid of the dark, but not her. She thrived in darkness.

There hadn’t been much in terms of usable herbs that could soothe the ache of a stab wound, which would find him within that night thanks to the quick feel of it that she’d gotten before convincing him to stop for the evening. She’d acted quick enough that hopefully no fever would set from infection but Vrea wasn’t the sort to take unnecessary risks so she’d grabbed the large yellow plant known as the Carylim Canna. The petals could be mashed into a thick paste and applied or swallowed to avoid the hot rash that followed illness.

She paid no heed to the shrubs with no berries, or the acorn trees that would spread come summer and the breeze. She found a few handfuls of wild mint which could help staunch any infection or swelling, as well as headache. Which if she was stuck with Rian and his incessant rambling and randomisedflirtations, she might require eventually.

Castil had often brought her books in her time stuck inside the room, ones that she eventually read after enough time had passed for it to be of her own volition to read them, and not because he insisted. A few of them had been on tactics and warfare, a couple on the history of the lost Kingdoms before the war began and a handful had been about flora and fauna. Healing ones and hurting ones, with thousands of poisons and several concoctions that could be made from both sides of the spectrum.

Vrea had knowledge about plants from her studies back in Niroula, but the books she poured over helped expand it. They were never too big, always readable within a day and easy to understand. Even if she hadn’t been able to put the knowledge to the test in her confinement, there were still bits and pieces that jumbled around in her brain that she used now.

Such as the medicinal properties of elderflower.

Vrea found the creamy flower by its bushy appearance, the prickly petals that were actually soft. The powdery texture that the plant left behind was commonly used for healing remedies which made her take a handful before she could think too long on it. Worst case, she could always pack it for another time if they didn’t require it for his wound.

Past those three items, there was nothing.

Castil might have been the one to show her to novels, but there was no way in any of the seven hells that she would thank him for the help. Even if he wasn’t here to hear it, it was the principle of the matter.

Vrea wandered back until the opening was a couple feet ahead of her and she could spot the bright pulse of a fire from within the forest. When she emerged, Rian had taken off his shirt and used a spare linen cloth to dab away the bloody flakes that had dried. He’d almost removed it all, save for a small section aroundthe cut itself that he winced as he touched.

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