Page 71 of Knight's End
What’s the first?I asked.
I sent a spy to see if the sea-sprite’s magic cost her breath. I thought, perhaps like Sedara’s princes who blow the air, she might blow the waters and lose her breath. But my man reported back that she held up in battle for over an hour. So, we still don’t know her price.
I nodded, disappointed. It wasn’t good news. But it wasn’t the worst. It didn’t warrant Quinn’s downtrodden face.
What’s the other news?I asked.
It’s Ryan,he thought.
I didn’t even ask what had happened. I just started to run as I screamed in my head,Where is he?
We ran the entire way to the castle healer’s work chamber. The man had been frozen during the attack on the castle. His stiff form had been shoved in the corner; arms raised as if he were about to enchant a bandage he held. Apparently, Declan had called up a magical healer from Marscha. The new man had laid out his black bag and tools on the worktable that lined the side of the stone room. Ryan was laid out on a large surgical table in the middle of the room, shirt off, pants cut open. His ankles and wrists were tied down by leather straps. That was the first time I could see exactly what Isla’s bears had done to my love.
If I had seen it sooner, I never would have made the treaty with Corinna.
Horror, pity, and fury filled me as I walked toward Ryan, who cringed and moaned as the healer worked on the massive scar that laced his side and the top half of his leg. The scar was at least three inches thick and a dark, gruesome shade of pink. It didn’t look healthy. Or fully healed. The healer was spreading a grey paste over it.
Fear trumpeted in my ear like a herald. I didn’t want to know what came next. But I needed to know. I had to be able to help my Ryan any way I could. I latched onto his huge hand; my palm hardly covered three of his huge fingers. “What is it?”
Ryan cringed again, so it was Declan who answered. “The bear got him good. Connor healed him enough to save him. But the scar tissue,” he shook his head. “It’s too thick.”
“That means?”
“Right now, it means he can’t walk, Bloss.”
Oh gods.
I felt like I’d been shot through with an arrow, like my insides were pierced. My breath grew shallow. And I met Ryan’s eyes. I saw fear in them that matched my own. My warrior. What would he do if he couldn’t walk?
How can he lead his men? How can he … my thoughts trailed off as disbelief clouded me. This couldn’t be happening.
My eyes flew to the healer. “You can fix it, right?”
The man glanced up at me as he continued to apply a paste as thick as porridge. “I’m doing my best.”
That wasn’t good enough.
I looked at Declan. “Get three more healers, get a dozen in here—”
Declan held up a hand, “I’m trying. I’ve sent out—”
“Bloss,” Ryan’s hand squeezed mine.
I squeezed his back and turned to Quinn. I fingered the black ring on my thumb. “We could use a wish.”
“No!” Ryan’s voice boomed and echoed in the small room. “No wishes.”
I turned to him. “But—”
Ryan glared at me. “We don’t have enough wishes to heal everyone, Bloss.”
“You’re not everyone!”
“I won’t get treated better than my men.”
“I won’t let you—”
Ryan cut me off, and his tone was full of fury. “It isn’t your choice!”
