Several visitors later, Cora sat on the cot, fiddling with the soft hem of the dress and watching the sleeping boy on the other cot. He hadn’t made any other noise or movements. Only the steady rise and fall of his chest let her know he was still alive.

“Hey!” Seth popped his head in the door, startling her.

She crossed her arms and glared at him. “What do you want?”

“Mattias says we should switch places. You need a break.” He threw a look behind him that made Cora think he would rather not take a turn.

“Fine,” she said, sliding off the cot. She slipped past Seth and out the door into the main room where Mattias stirred a bowl over a small fire on the table. “What’s that?” she asked.

“It’s a healing salve. Our visitors earlier, Lizzy and Bay, brought the herbs I need to make more.” The fire sat in a clay basin on the table with the bowl propped up on stones above it. “It’s the same cream I put on your shoulder.” He looked up at her. “How is your shoulder?”

Cora shrugged. “Better.” She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice when the movement brought none of the pain from before.

Mattias smiled. “Good. I’ll unwrap your arm then so you can use it.” He turned and wiped his hands on a rag on the counter, then approached Cora. He unwrapped her arm with careful hands.

When the wrap was finally off, she rolled her shoulders and stretched out her arm. It felt stiff, but it didn’t hurt like it had when she had followed Seth out of the city. “Wow,” she uttered to herself.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, regaining Cora’s attention.

She shook her head. “Not really.”

“Then I have a job for you,” he said, stepping over to the counter and pulling out the bowl he had used for grinding herbs. He set it in front of her and held out what looked like an oddly smooth rock. “Use a circular motion to grind the leaves in the bowl.” When she took the rock, he returned to the counter and reached up to pull down a dried bundle of herbs.

Cora scrunched her nose at the smell as he crunched up the leaves and dropped them into the bowl. “What are they for?” she asked, staring at the pungent plant.

“Nausea.” Mattias answered, turning his attention back to the fire.

She watched him add a small sick to the fire, then took a slow breath and put the rock in the bowl and moved it in a circle over the herbs. The sensation of rock against rock sent goosebumps along her arms when the next knock came at the door.

She looked up to watch as Mattias hurried to open it.

The girl in the purple cloak was back. This time, she was not alone.

Using her shoulders as a crutch, a man with long brown hair tied back in a bun and a matching purple cloak entered with her.

“Welcome back,” Mattias said, closing the door behind them.

“Thank you,” the girl said. Her eyes found Cora almost instantly.

“Come on back, Liam. I’ll look at your leg.” Mattias grabbed a cane from a rack by the cushions and passed it to the man. “Give Delta a break.”

“Thanks,” the man said with a wry smile. He took the cane and let go of the woman to follow Mattias through the house.

The girl didn’t wait for them to disappear into the other room before lowering her hood and walking over to the table where Cora stood. “You’re still here,” she observed.

“Yeah,” Cora answered.

“You’re not from here,” she continued.

Cora shook her head, then she looked up. From the cot room, Mattias chastised Liam for his poor choice. She half expected Seth to come rushing out of the room.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“My name is Delta,” the girl said.

Cora turned her attention back to the bowl in front of her. “Cora.”

“What brings you here?” Delta asked.

Cora narrowed her eyes. “I hurt my shoulder.” There was no way she was giving a stranger more than the bare minimum.

“You came to the right place.”

Cora nodded. “Yeah.” She thought of the city and its unforgiving streets. Not like I had a lot of options.

Silence fell around them, and Cora ground pressed harder into the bowl, grinding the herbs.

“What are you working on?” Delta asked.

Cora paused and glanced up to meet her gaze. “Oh, um, I’m grinding this herb, for Mattias.”

“May I?” Delta reached for the bowl.

Cora slid it over and handed her the rock.

She took it and began working it over the leaves with skilled hands. As she worked, Cora noticed a gold band around her wrist. It stood out beneath the purple cloak, catching the sunlight.

“Do you have a Shield?” she asked without looking up.

The question took Cora by surprise. “No. Why?”

“You don’t have magic.” Delta’s answer came quickly as if it had been an obvious lack. When Cora did not respond she continued, eyes on the herbs as she worked. “Be careful who you choose. They are not all kind. Once the choice is made, it cannot be changed.”

Cora glanced over at her from the corner of her eye. “What—”

“Alright.” Liam spoke with loud relief as they exited the cot room, Seth following behind.

Delta straightened, handed the stone back to Cora, and stepped away from the table. “Good,” she said, fixing a smile on her face.

“I’m sorry. I never should have sent you out alone,” he said to her. “I’ll be more careful next time.”

To Cora’s ears, the casual apology sounded less than sincere. Then he met her eyes.

“Who’s this?” He glanced from Cora to Mattias.

“Cora is a friend of Seth’s,” Mattias answered, ushering them toward the door. “She’s just helping me out this morning.”

“I see.” The man looked at her once more and then reached for Delta. “Come on. We have to stop by the market on our way back.”

“It’s not on the way,” she said, moving to join him.

“Close enough.” The man took her hand, a grin on his face.

They paused at the door and Delta caught Cora’s eye while Liam thanked Mattias again.

“No problem. Any time you need something, you can always come find me,” he said, touching a hand to Delta’s shoulder as they left.

Cora watched in silence as he went to the counter to wash his hands again.

Across the table, Seth added a stick to the fire and stirred the bowl sitting above the flames. “How long do you think it’ll be until she’s back?” he asked.

Mattias shook his head and sighed, turning to face them. “It’s not for us to say.”

“Why not?” The more she thought about the look in his eyes, the more she disliked Liam.

“Because I can’t help her if she doesn’t want me to,” he answered.

Cora narrowed her eyes. “Why not? You’re some great healer, I thought you were supposed to help people, but then you just ignore the problem? What the hell?” Anger rose with the accusations. This place was no better than the city.

She was ready to yell when Mattias spoke up, his usually calm voice hard. “Listen, Cora. I have done all I can for her. No one can help someone who does not want it.”

Cora opened her mouth, then closed it again, anger boiling in her stomach. “No.” She backed away from the table. “No way. If you cared, you would do something.”

She ran for the cot room and slammed the door behind her.

Leaning against the door, she closed her eyes and fought the emotions that threatened to show. Tears were for the weak, and she refused to be weak. She had been foolish to think that this place might be better than the city.

I should just go back.

She pushed herself off the door and walked over to the cot where her old clothes were balled up. When she put her hand on them, she couldn’t make herself pick them up. It would be wintertime soon in the city with heavy snowfall and bitter cold. There was never enough food or shelter for the Rats and she wasn’t about to go back to the warehouse where she had grown up.

She didn’t notice the tears until they splashed onto her hand. Gritting her teeth, she swiped at them, determined to stop the flow.

A whimper came from the other cot and she whipped her head around. The boy’s face scrunched up and his chest moved with short shallow breaths. He moaned and then whimpered again, turning his head as if trying to get away from something.

When the door opened, she backed up and the backs of her knees hit the empty cot, knocking her down to sit on the edge.

Mattias went straight to the boy without looking at her. He wiped the boy’s face with a wet cloth and then rested a hand on his chest. After a moment, the boy’s breathing slowed, and his face relaxed. The healer turned then and faced Cora, his expression unreadable.

“I don’t know what the rules are where you are from, but here in Phaedra people have choices. Delta is no exception. If you think I haven’t tried to convince her to break the bond and start over, then you haven’t been listening.” He kept his voice even and held her gaze as he spoke.

“You think I want to send you back to a city that will only bring you more harm?" he asked.

Cora opened her mouth to answer, but he kept going.

"I don’t, but it is not my choice to make any more than Delta’s is. All I can do is offer a better choice.”

Cora stared at the healer, lost for words.

It had never occurred to her that he might feel the same way about both her and Delta, or that she had the same choice to make as the other woman.

Never in her life had she had to worry about other people, what they were feeling or thinking, what they needed. She had never had the time or energy to spare. Sure, she had cared about the other kids in the warehouse, but that was hardly the same thing.

He moved toward the door and rested a hand against its smooth surface. “Next time, pause and think before you make accusations.” Then he walked out, leaving Cora with her thoughts.