Page 10 of Kingdom of Ashes & Bone
Oleria tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, exposing her scarred face all the more. At least she wasn’t self-conscious about it. “I would have liked to see you try,” she chuckled darkly. “You remember where we had our … examination?”
An unconscious shiver went down my spine. I tried not to, but it was branded in my memory forever. Seeing that look in my eyes, Oleria’s eyes darted to the floor.
“Well, they kept me down there to ‘recover.’ I don’t really think they wanted me to get better, though. It seemed like I was a giant inconvenience.”
I snorted. “Wouldn’t go quietly into that great beyond, eh?”
Her brow furrowed. “You think that was it? They were hoping I’d just die?”
My shoulders shrugged. “Did they feed you? Wrap your wounds? Give you a goddamn poultice?”
Oleria winced. “No. I … fuck.”
My eyes widened as the expletive tumbled from her lips. I was used to being the only girl who swore, which was unlike these gently bred ladies from the other quarters.
“What is it?” I asked.
Her eyes closed halfway, deep in thought. “I’d figured they had been the ones to wrap my wounds, you know? It happened days and days after they’d first brought me back to the room and left me there, but you’re right; that doesn’t make sense. I … I think …” She frowned.
I was impatient to press her further, but held it in. She’d get there on her own time.
“I think Zephyr did it. He was the one who carried me here and saved me. I never realized he bandaged me as well, but it makes sense, doesn’t it?”
Yeah, it did. He likely had some basic medical training from his studies in the Seat.
“What do you remember about it?” I asked.
She sighed. “Pain that didn’t abate until someone put a poultice on my hands and face and wrapped it. I remember dark hair bent over me and being carried. Then nothing until I woke up here.”
I frowned. It sounded like Zephyr.
“Well, however it happened, I’m glad it got done. I’m happy to see you made it.”
Oleria beamed up at me, and I decided the fire hadn’t disfigured her at all. She was just as beautiful as she’d always been—perhaps, even more so, because now we were free.
“I’m so happy you’re here, Mari. We need someone like you around.” She stood and gave me another hug before straightening and pulling away.
“Thanks,” I managed bashfully.
Oleria nodded. “No problem. I’m going to check on some things, then I’ll be right back. Let me know if you need anything at all.”
I ducked inside my tent as she disappeared down the row. There was already a small cot inside with a thin folded blanket on top. The tent fabric itself was thin, but it was clean. And it was mine.
I sat down carefully on the cot’s edge. It beat the dirt floor in my mother’s hut any day. Unfolding the blanket with a snap of my wrist, carefully I stretched out on my back. My eyes drifted shut immediately. This would be good for me, right? I could continue to explore the secrets of the tunnels, the demons, and the curse with Zephyr’s knowledge, and then I could work with him to help Zion and Zariah. I would go back for the other girls when I could. I—
A piercing scream cut through the air: high-pitched and terrified. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I jumped straight up from the cot, nearly falling on my face as I tripped over it in my hurry to get outside the tent. I ran down the row in the same direction Oleria had gone; curious heads stuck out from nearby tents as I raced by.
“What’s going on? Is it code black?” one young woman yelled at me, her young son clutching tightly to her skirts.
“Maybe!” I yelled back over my shoulder, figuring it was a safe answer since I had no idea what the hell she was talking about. Watching as she and the others around her exploded into action, it seemed to be the right call. Either way, I ran toward the screaming, which sounded just in front of me before it cut off abruptly in the middle of the cluster of sick Nobles’ tents.
I skidded to a stop in front of a tent that had been torn down and ripped to shreds. A demon creature snarled at me, completely ashen with black scales and red eyes. A gold necklace around its neck winked at me, scraps of a fine tunic clinging to its frame. The creature spat and hissed, fangs dripping with blood. At its feet lay what was left of Oleria.
Out of all the terrible things I’d seen and witnessed in my life, this was the worst, bringing my entire mind and body to a screeching halt.
I screamed.
And screamed, and screamed.
