Page 129 of Alchemised
Soren and Lila both emerged from the room behind Luc, fully armed. The paladins would never make the mistake of believing anywhere was safe for the Principate after what happened to Apollo.
“It’s not my blood,” Helena said. “Hospital shift. I just got off.”
“Oh, that’s a relief.” Luc was clearly distracted; he took her by the shoulders. “Did you hear the news?”
His voice was buoyant, and his eyes alight.
Helena couldn’t remember the last time he’d looked like this.
“We retook the trade district during the battle, means we’re on track to get the ports by summer.”
“Really?” She tried to force some excitement into her voice.
If Soren hadn’t mentioned that the battle had been considered a success, she would have sounded completely disbelieving. She knew it was strategically significant. City warfare was fraught with danger and complicated logistics. All the levels and districts and zones of the city were porous. Attacks could come from any direction. To have captured such a large district was a remarkable success.
But how could that battle be a victory, when so many had died?
Because the ports meant food, resources, and medical supplies. Everything that had been rationed for months. The supplies smuggled from Novis only ever took the edge off their shortages. If they had the ports in time for summer, they’d be able to get the quantities they were desperate for.
“We’ve got a new trick,” he said, and smiled again. “You know those lumithium pieces we find sometimes after burning the liches and Undying? If you can rip it out, it kills them. All their necrothralls, too.”
Helena stared at him in surprise. “How’d you figure that out?”
The only reliable method for permanently removing the Undying from combat was by burning them so hot and fast that they couldn’t regenerate, but when on fire, the Undying and the necrothralls would often plunge straight into the nearest cluster of combatants.
That was why there were always so many burn wounds.
“Heard a rumour about it, so we figured we’d give it a try. Lila got the first one.” Luc grinned, nodding over his shoulder. “We’re going out to celebrate. Just a few of us. You want to clean up and come?”
The no she knew she should give stuck in her throat. She didn’t want to be left alone with her thoughts. It would be so nice to see Luc happy.
“I—” she started to say, but she caught sight of Soren’s face, and he gave the faintest warning shake of his head.
The words died in her throat. Of course she couldn’t go. How had she already forgotten what she’d just done in front of the Council?
Even if people had been ordered to forget it, they wouldn’t if she was seen anywhere near Luc.
“I can’t,” she said.
His face fell. “Just for a little while,” he said, and attempted a conspiratorial smile, the way he used to grin when he was coaxing her away from homework. “You don’t have to stay long.”
Soren spoke up. “Let her sleep, Luc. She was probably in the hospital longer than we were fighting.”
Luc ignored him. “Breakfast,” he said, setting his jaw stubbornly. “At least breakfast. You’re never in the mess. Go wash up. We’ll wait.”
“No. I really can’t,” she said. “I need to sleep. Maybe next time, all right?”
Her voice wobbled.
His face fell. “All right, if you really don’t want to.” He stepped back and forced a smile. “I’m holding you to that, though. Next time.”
HELENA’S NORMALLY TIDY ROOM LOOKED as though a tornado had blown through. Lila had returned in full force, which meant there was a pile of filthy clothes, fireproof amiantos under-armour, and padding piled in one corner, while armour, weaponry, and holsters and harnesses were spread across Lila’s unmade bed as if she’d emptied her entire trunk getting dressed.
Despite the impression of coolheaded, sharp-eyed talent that Lila radiated as paladin, behind closed doors she could be chaos personified. Off duty, she was twitchy and incapable of keeping still or on any task that didn’t interest her, and she left things everywhere. Weeks after Lila departed, Helena would find her things in odd places. Mostly padding or pieces of scale mail or little gears for her rappelling harness that Helena had to hope weren’t important.
Helena stood, staring tiredly at the mess for a moment before wincing at the sight of her reflection in Lila’s vanity.
She was covered in dried blood. She wasn’t sure if her uniform could even be bleached clean. It was a pity that only amiantos fabric could be whitened by being thrown in fire.
