Page 108 of Beast and Remedy
Worry clouds my mind that she’s still upset with me, and I can’t help but ask, “Are you alright?”
She inhales and slowly expels it. “I didn’t realize how exhausted I was until I sat on the bed.” She pats beside her, and I smile, joining her.
My muscles groan as we both arch back, our sighs filling the quiet as I fold my hands over my stomach. Yet I can’t help but roll to my side and face Marian.
Her eyes are closed and sweat beads along her hairline. She works her jaw as she struggles with something. Maybe she is upset, or maybe her symptoms are returning.
Her irritability as of late has worried me, and with the occasional fever coming on, Beau has been healing her every morning. But I can’t help the fear clogging my throat as she gets worse.
Soon, we will be near the border of Unterkirch and maybe brewing lavender tea along with Beau’s magic can help relieve her symptoms.
I barely touch her forehead before she smacks it off.
“I’m fine, Vi.”
I shake my head. “Your skin is molten, Marian. Your fever is back.”
She grumbles. “Can you give me a moment to breathe? I told you I’m fine.” She crosses her arms and looks away. “All I want to do is bathe, eat, and sleep. In that order. Nothing else. Okay?”
Despite the infection fueling her mood, I can understand where she is coming from.
But I’ll be damned if I don’t get Beau to check her tonight. Glancing at the door and my packs, I wonder if staying up here and eating and monitoring her could help.
Maybe I can finally tell her about the esprit.
She angles toward me, her mouth tight in a grimace.
“Let’s freshen up first and how about I bring up our meal to eat in bed together?” I ask.
She relaxes. “Good. Because you stink, and I can’t even begin to imagine how awful I must smell, too.”
“Can you not smell yourself?”
I wonder if this is a new symptom. Maybe monitoring her tonight is exactly what I need to do. Bathe, eat, and watch her.
And have Beau check on her.
Then I can snuggle in bed and read while she sleeps. The thought lifts my lips.
“I can smell just fine,” Marian says, giving me a once-over before she scrunches her nose. “It’s your stench hogging all the air up at the moment.”
I sniff my armpit, and Marian howls in a fit of laughter when I grimace.
Shit, I do stink.
24
The Panic
Washing the day away and dunking my waves in the scalding water was the perfect way to wind down for the evening. It was glorious, but not as much as the roasted vegetables, warm bread, and stew we enjoyed after bathing. The quiet upstairs was more peaceful than the loud clamoring and drunken cackles echoing up to our chambers.
Marian pinches her temples at every other jump scare we hear below, and I worry aggravation will revisit her soon.
When I snuck downstairs, I asked Jules to explain to the others as well as to ask Beau to come check on Marian. But he hasn’t stopped by yet, and the impatience of waiting mixed with the booming voices stirs me to seek him out.
“Where are you going?” Marian demands.
“I’m going to have Beau check on you.”
