"I call my own!'' Rowan spoke up, charging toward the unsettled beasts. The other pirates stayed put, wondering what to do with themselves.
“Claim an animal and take stock of our supplies. Terrin and I will take care of Kai,” Elurra reassured them as she gathered her strength. They all mumbled in agreement and followed Rowan, who was already soothing the horses.
“Are you sure you can walk?” Snore asked. Elurra wasn’t sure, but she nodded anyway.
Snore gently let go of her, and with unsteady steps she made it over to Terrin. He tried to hide his anxiety from the others, but Elurra could see it clearly in his eyes. She felt the same way. If Kai was too badly beaten, their options to stop the Amorian army would be severely limited. She leaned against Terrin and rested her head on his arm while she took deep breaths.
“Are you okay?”
She closed her eyes and controlled her breathing. “Give me a moment. That took a lot out of me,” she breathed.
“You were amazing,” Terrin replied with a grin.
“You were the one who did the real work.”
“Nonsense. I almost died,” he retorted with a shudder as he gently helped her over to Kai and Aleah.
“That piece of trash was not going to take you away from me,” Elurra said with surprising force. She blushed, but Terrin simply smiled softly and escorted her over to the beaten prince.
Tears streamed down Aleah’s face and dripped onto Kai’s bloody cheeks as she gently cradled his head in her lap. He was already forming twin black eyes, and his cheeks were swelling, the tender flesh turning unnatural colors. Terrin bent down and helped Elurra sit before studying Kai carefully. Elurra bit her lip, waiting for his analysis. Terrin leaned in closer to Kai and gingerly ran his fingers over the blossoming bruises. As gentle as Terrin was, Kai still flinched. Next, he held open one of the prince's eyelids, then the other, looking for pupil dilation that responded to the light.
“He was lucky,” Terrin announced. “If they had crushed his nose or knocked out a few teeth we might’ve had a problem, but these punches were terribly landed. That thug was either drunk with rage or had very bad aim.” She smiled, but he held up his hand. “I said he was lucky; I didn’t say he wasn’t injured. Having a big man like that beat you is going to cause damage either way. I bet two coins he has a nasty concussion and serious swelling,” Terrin informed her. Elurra’s smile faded.
“What can we do for him?” Aleah asked timidly.
“I have some herbs in my pack that will help with swelling and bruising. Hopefully that will be enough.”
Terrin was rummaging around in his medical bag when Kai moaned in Aleah’s arms and shocked everyone by coming to.
“Ouch…what happened?” he asked thickly.
Terrin raised his eyebrows, astonished. “That’s unexpected,” he mumbled to himself. “Here, Your Esteemed Highness, eat this,” he said as he shoved leaves between Kai’s parted lips. Kai automatically started to spit them out, but Terrin covered his mouth and forced him to swallow.
“I feel like my face got stepped on by a horse,” he groaned, choking on residual herbs.
“You look even worse,” Elurra added as she examined his face.
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“Those should help a bit with both the looks and feeling. Aleah, wet some cloth and see if you can clean him up. Let’s grab some snow and press it against the worst patches. We need to get out of here before those goons collect themselves and come back,” Terrin said.
Aleah helped Kai make his way to the horses. There were only six in total. She volunteered to ride with Kai, and because there was only one left, Terrin and Elurra took the other.
“Where did you get those herbs? I did not expect you to have any,” she asked.
Terrin grinned at her. “Don’t tell Plague, but I used some from the satchel Jon gave me for his ailments. There’s a bit of everything in there.”
“Leave it to Kai to slug a guy two times his size,” she replied.
He chuckled softly as he escorted Elurra to their mount before turning his attention to Aleah. As he helped her get Kai onto the horse, Elurra turned to Snore, who was readying her and Terrin’s ride.
“You collapsed because you were the one casting the spells. Are you a witch?” Snore asked abruptly.
Elurra took a step back in alarm. “Of course not. I—I do not know what I am, but I am no witch. I was born with magic. I cannot control it.”
She was shaken by his accusation because she’d always considered her aunt a witch. He turned to her then, and for the first time she realized he had disconcertingly clear silver-blue eyes.
“I see now,” he breathed. “You’re snowborn.”
She wrinkled her brow, wishing people would stop calling her that.
“What does that mean to you? Everyone seems to have a different definition,” Elurra asked.
He grinned at her. “It could mean you’re beautiful and fair-skinned like the creators, which you are. It may mean you were born in Lur Alava, which you were. It sometimes means you’re a gift from the gods and meant to do important works as their prophet during your lifetime. But I don’t believe in the old gods and their myths. I believe in the magic of the Guardians, which they gifted to those who deserved it during the war to help them fight. I bet you have some Guardian in you,” he said as he turned to adjust the straps on the horse.
She wasn’t about to assume she had Guardian blood in her veins, but she supposed it wasn’t impossible.
“You will keep my secret?” Elurra asked anxiously.
Commoners always seemed wary of magic, since many people abused it. She was afraid of the other dwarfs’ reactions, although it would be hard to avoid their questions after the spectacle. She dreaded the talk she’d inevitably have with Aleah when she stopped fretting over Kai. He smiled reassuringly.
“I guarantee I won’t tell a soul.”
Elurra gave him a strange look. “Why is that?”
He grinned widely. “Francis.” She gave him a puzzled look before understanding lit up in her eyes as she realized he was disclosing his real name. A smile broke out on her face. “If you don’t tell, I won’t,” he promised as he turned and walked away.
She looked after him for a moment, then decided she’d made a good choice in bringing him along. She still felt weak, but she managed to mount the horse with minimal trouble. She glanced over at Terrin, who looked like he was chatting with Kai and Aleah.
How are we going to explain that show to everyone else? she wondered.
“Come on, Terrin. We are wasting daylight,” she called. He waved in acknowledgment and parted with the prince and governess. Terrin arrived beside the horse and reached for the reins.
“What do you think you are doing?” Elurra asked, her tone layered with obvious distaste. He looked up at her, puzzled by her attitude.
“Getting on the horse?” he asked, wondering what he could have done wrong.
“I am steering, so get on the back.”
Terrin smirked. “You’re being ridiculous and wasting time. I’m riding in front, and I’m steering.”
Elurra stuck her arm in front of him, blocking the way. “I got on first, so I get to steer.” The horse nickered and tossed his head as if to say, “Stop your bickering!”
“We have to get moving,” Plague said irritably. “Hurry up, Terrin!” His horse neighed in agreement. Elurra looked over at him, and Terrin took that moment to slide in front of her.
“Well, I’m the tamer of the sea and the leviathan trainer and all that, so I get to direct the horse,” he said, tossing her a grin.
She glared daggers at his back. “You cannot see it, but I am rolling my eyes.”
Terrin laughed and urged the horse into a gallop. The others followed.
“Don’t be so temperamental. You need a rest after that fantastic display you put on back there,” he pointed out. The wind blew her hair out behind her, and she relaxed.
The ride was bumpy, and eventually their hips and bums became sore and bruised. Elurra’s eyes grew weary watching the never-ending forest flash past, blurring as the road curved. She wrapped her arms around Terrin’s waist and yawned. He is a great pillow, she thought, closing her eyes. Despite her aching muscles, her exhaustion won out, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.