Page 34 of Dishonor Among Thieves
Neo hovered beside the settee, staring down at Elgit. He ran a hand over the man’s forehead without actually touching his skin. “May the goddesses of your mountains guide you.” He looked at me. “I won’t be long.” Then he and Rain left, closing the door firmly behind them.
Once we were alone, Gia stood beside my chair. “Do I want to know why Neo took you to a goblin sanctum on your wedding night?”
“Introducing me to the family business.” I gave her a weak smile then stroked the deep crevices in the skin of Elgit’s fingers. I wanted to make a joke, to tease that my new husband would prefer the site of a massacre to a night alone with me, but I simply couldn’t. Couldn’t laugh or smile. Could only contemplate the painful journey this creature was embarking upon. I only hoped he had the strength and the blessings of the gods to return to this Realm. I did not want to fathom the alternative. Even worse would be the attention and danger I’d bring upon the household if our charge indeed did not survive.
I tried not to consider the worst. The small hand in mine was still warm. There was still life in Elgit. I would pray that healing and care would coax that small glimmer of soul into resisting the hasty mist of death. Gia moved toward the window, staring out over the glowing hills of the Oderisi land.
My eyelids must have drooped, because the next thing that aroused me was a firm hand on my shoulder.
“Antonia has a fresh bath ready for you.” Neo was dressed in a loose pair of ankle-length breeches and a waist-length tunic, his still-damp hair as smooth as a pond on a windless night.
“No, thank you.” As blissful as a hot bath sounded, as long as I could stay awake, I would. I looked down at my hand, my fingers still laced with Elgit’s. “I’ll wait until Odile is back. I’m sorry to waste the hot water, though. I’ll use it cold later. I’m well used to cold baths.”
Neo kneeled beside me and rested his hand atop mine and Elgit’s. “Brex, I’m not going to try to talk you out of being here for him. A bath will be a few minutes well spent. The entire household is awake. On my honor, I will retrieve you should there be any change.” He gently unwound my fingers from Elgit’s and then took the goblin’s hand in his. “I’ll stay here in your stead.”
He threw a look over his shoulder at Antonia, who shuffled over.
“Come, love,” she said to me. “We won’t be but a few moments.”
I looked down at my filthy clothing and messed hair. Gone were the pretty smells and careful finishes of the wedding feast. I bore the stains of what I’d seen tonight, not only on my heart but all over my clothing. Neo had a point. Cleaning up would be good for me, and I would be a better guardian if I was fresh and alert. Too weary to say anything more, I nodded at Neo. Something passed between us then, a look so full of meaning, I could not take the time to unravel the layers. I looked at his hand, so enormous beside the goblin’s, and on impulse, I wordlessly leaned over and placed a kiss on Neo’s cheek. My legs and feet felt like wood, my hand cold without the small, weak one within it. But I wanted him to know that what he was doing mattered to me. That I was grateful. Perhaps more than words could have accomplished.
I followed Antonia through the manor, up the stairs, and into Neo’s room—our room—where I let the kind woman help peel away my filthy clothes.
“Your charm, milady,” she said. I appreciated the more formal address while I stood in a strange room, naked and trembling with fatigue and cold. “Shall I set it aside for safekeeping?”
I gripped the charm in my hand and shook my head. “No, thank you. It brings me comfort, and the water won’t damage it.”
She did not argue. Simply took my hand and helped me into the tub then stood behind me scrubbing oil into my wet hair. While she worked, I closed my eyes and finally let the tears fall. How long I’d been in the bath silently weeping I did not know. It seemed like Antonia had scarcely rinsed my hair when there was a pounding at the door. Gia let herself in, her eyes immediately finding mine.
“Come, sister,” she said to me. “Hurry. Odile has returned.”
* * *
Cladin yet another outfit of clothes that did not belong to me, I did not bother covering my feet and took off running for the stairs. My hair was drenched and soaked through the light-colored tunic I wore, but I did not care. I had a hand on my charm and my heart in my throat as I entered the sitting room.
Neo was still holding Elgit’s hand, but his gaze raked over my body as I bolted toward the settee. Odile was examining the nightmare under the blankets and speaking in a low voice.
“He needs a surgeon.” Her words tightened like a fist around my heart. “But I know of none to be trusted with a goblin.” She turned a sour frown on Neo. “Do you?” she asked. “Where are the others? Perhaps we can send for someone?”
Neo shook his head. “At least a full day’s journey away on a capable horse. Likely longer. And I cannot guarantee I wouldn’t be killed upon site if I went alone. Without Vlareq to make an introduction, I am not sure how I’d be received. The sanctum was an outpost. A safe place where Vlareq could conduct business without having to endure the risk of traveling back and forth on the roads between the shires and the mountains of Skickligera. Perhaps if I brought Elgit there, they would admit me or take him and treat him.”
Odile shook her head. “He should not be moved. I cannot believe he survived the journey on horseback. Even a few moments of jostling should have…”
“Neo carried him. Went to great pains to hold him steady, at the cost of his own safety.” The pride in my words surprised me.
“The gods indeed guided your way.” She asked us to turn away and give her a bit of privacy while she moved aside Elgit’s pants and shirt to assess what might be done for him. She moved quickly, her voice focused as she asked Antonia and Gia to gather rags and a certain ointment from her room. I knew where nothing was. I was a member of this household and yet a stranger. I hadn’t even seen the other rooms yet, so I was essentially useless. I stayed close to the healer, worrying the charm between my fingers and trying to slow the chattering of my teeth.
“You’re cold.” Neo draped a blanket from the bedding Antonia had brought over my shoulders. “Stand by the fire until your hair dries.”
I did as he suggested, since Odile needed space to move without me hovering. Once she had dressed the wounds and applied ointment and tonics to his belly, forehead, throat, wrists, and chest, she cleaned her hands in a fresh bucket of water and mopped her sweating brow with the back of her sleeve.
“Leave him to rest now,” she urged.
“Alone?” I felt all eyes in the room on me. I’d interrupted her, and I lowered my chin politely. “I feel responsible for him. I insisted we take him from the sanctum. I feel I should stay with him. Should he wake in a strange place, possibly in great pain…”
Her smile was weakened by fatigue, but her words were warm. “You did right, sister. No creature should make the journey from this Realm alone, and in such a state of suffering. It happens, of course, but my heart would have been led as yours was. You did well.” She cleared her throat. “Antonia, could I trouble you for a bit of tea? I’d like to take a bit myself and rest. I expect I’ll be needed in the morning, if not for our guest here, for the child back in the village.”
Antonia went to fix the tea, while Gia and Rain bid us goodnight. “Should you need us, do not hesitate,” Rain said. He clapped his brother in a rough hug and then stood by the fire with me. “Let’s hope the second day of your marriage is far less eventful.” He nodded to me, and Gia waved goodnight.
