Solivagant

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Ouch."

"Stop moving," Serafina ordered, gently pulling away the last of the bandages. She sat back and frowned at Wade, drops of water sliding between her fingers as she harnessed her magic.

Wade made a face and leaned against a boulder, trying to ignore how icy the air felt against his skin. He stole a look at his chest, eyeing the dark line between his ribs. That was where the sword had exited his body. He could still feel the burning lines of pain the metal had traced, even after two days of Serafina's diligent care.

"It looks so thin," he said quietly.

"It does. But the internal damage..." Serafina grimaced and leaned forward, holding one hand against Wade's ribs. He flinched as freezing water raced across his skin, washing away the dirt and dried blood that had collected there. "Wade?"

"Yeah?"

"Try not to get stabbed again. For both our sakes."

Wade stifled a laugh; he'd grown to learn that simply breathing too deeply was an excruciating mistake. "I'll do my best."

Serafina wordlessly moved to his other side and began cleaning Wade's back. Biting his tongue against the resulting stab of pain, he lifted his eyes to the open sky. It was a deep, pure blue, traces of read spilling across the western half as the sun hesitated above the horizon. For once, branches and leaves didn't obscure the view—a few hours earlier, Aurum had led them up the base of one mountain, where rocky soil and slabs of stone replaced the endless sea of trees. They'd just taken a short break at the edge of a cliff; Wade had an excellent view of the forest, though since they had shed their leaves the trees had lost much of their grandeur.

I hate being so exposed, Aurum interjected. He was pacing along the ledge some distance away, his sharp gaze flitting between the mountains surrounding them. A soft growl grew in his throat, and his wings twitched. We should be very, very close now. I'm going to look around again.

Wade began to protest, but Aurum had already leapt off of the cliff. He drove his wings down and shot toward the darkening sky, scales glinting in the ruddy light.

Serafina let out a long sigh; Wade felt her breath brush against his neck. "Aurum's getting nervous."

"I don't blame him," Wade muttered. "He left his family for a year, and now he's coming back with a group of humans. Not the best situation for a reunion."

Serafina hummed her agreement and lowered her hands. She moved back into Wade's field of view, gathering the discarded bandages from the ground. More water gathered around her arms; she ran her hands across the cloth, her eyebrows drawn together.

Wade studied her face while she worked. The blue in her eyes seemed so vivid, a perfect mirror of the sky above. She hadn't bothered to tie back her hair; brown curls spilled across her shoulders, messy but beautiful nonetheless. Yet he couldn't help but notice the bags under her eyes, or the weariness that weighed her shoulders down, so heavy it was almost visible. She'd taken great care of him and Aurum over the past few days—thanks to her, Wade could stand and even walk on his own.

He just wished that she didn't pour so much of her energy into it.

She won't stop, Aurum observed, his words tinged with sadness. I've tried.

Oh. Wade glanced up, quickly finding the dragon's distant figure. You're still listening.

You rarely try to hide your thoughts, so I usually am.

Fair enough. Wade sighed. Aurum, should you be flying? I know you were hurt worse than you let on.

Aurum snorted. You worry too much. If I couldn't handle flying, I wouldn't.