Chapter 10

“Seth,” someone said softly.

I tightened my grip without realizing it, every muscle screaming as I **** the man’s head to stay turned. “Seth,” the voice came again, closer. “He’s dead.”

A cool hand touched my shoulder, hesitant, then pulled away. “It’s okay, Seth. You can let him go now.”

The hand returned, gentle but insistent, trying to pry me loose. I resisted for several long moments before my strength finally gave out and I loosened my hold.

My hands had cramped into claws and refused to straighten. My arms burned like they’d been held over a fire. Heat and cold warred across my skin. The strength drained out of me all at once and I rolled onto my side, a sob tearing free as it happened.

The stone floor was cold and damp. It burned and soothed at the same time and I started shivering uncontrollably.

“Stay put, Seth,” the voice said. It sounded like Mirri, though I couldn’t be sure. I focused on breathing - slow, ragged pulls of air - until I could roll onto my back.

The cold hit me like a spear. My spine twisted away from the stone on instinct and I rolled again, coming to rest facing the circle.

The girl lay motionless within it. Eyes closed. Face streaked with dried tears.

Beyond her, Mirri knelt beside Ashlara.

I dragged myself toward them, concern outweighing the pain of my skin scraping across the rough stone.

The right side of Ashlara’s body was blackened, the flesh dry and cracked like overcooked meat. Her right leg and the inside of her left were charred. Her right hand looked like brittle bones left too long in a fire, and the rest of that arm and shoulder were seared raw. Half her face was blistered, most of her hair burned away.

Mirri’s hands glowed softly as they moved over the orc woman’s body. Her hair clung wetly to her face, tears tracking down her cheeks, her expression fiercely focused. Wherever her hands passed, the blackened flesh slowly receded - first across Ashlara’s chest and shoulder, then her face, her hand, and finally her legs. Over several agonizing minutes, burnt ruin gave way to the tender pink-green sheen of new flesh.

Ashlara’s eyes fluttered open. Her face twisted in pain.

Then she surged upright. “Seth!” she shouted, her gaze frantic as it searched the chamber.

“I’m here,” I croaked.

“Gods damn it, Seth!” Mirri snapped, startled when she noticed how close I was. “I told you to stay put! You stupid fuckin’ son of a bitch! Look at you!”

I managed a weak grin. “Did we win?”

Her hands clenched into fists and she sprang to her feet. “Don’t move!” she barked at me, then rounded on Ashlara. “Don’t let him fuckin’ move!” she shouted, already sprinting toward the cave entrance.

Ashlara looked down at me and smiled.

“Yeah,” she said softly. “We won.”

* * *

Turns out I got off easy. While Ashlara had nearly been incinerated, I just ended up with blisters all over my body. Blisters that I tore open crawling across the floor, leaving raw, angry skin exposed beneath.

Mirri wrapped me in a blanket and had Ashlara hold me, partly to keep me from hurting myself again and partly to keep me warm. She left for a while after that, and somewhere along the way I think I drifted off.

I woke with the deeply unpleasant sensation that my skin was being peeled loose from my flesh, like a turkey being prepped for the oven. When I cracked my eyes open, I found Mirri kneeling beside me, slathering a thick, cool paste over my burns - completely at odds with the sensation screaming through my nerves. Half of me was already swaddled in bandages, and once she finished coating my arms, she wrapped those too. By the time she was done, I felt like a papier-mâché mummy.

My gaze drifted to the circle.

The girl was sitting upright now, watching us. When our eyes met, hers snapped away and she curled in on herself, folding tight as if she could disappear by sheer will.

When Mirri finished, I tried to sit up.

Ashlara’s arms tightened around me, locking me against her chest with effortless strength.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going, shit-for-brains?” she growled, fixing me with a glare like she was daring a wolf to lunge.

“I was going to check on our new friend,” I said weakly, attempting what I hoped passed for a reassuring smile.

“The fuck you are, cocksucker.” She didn’t even look away from me. “Don’t let him fuckin’ move,” Mirri snapped.

Then Mirri turned and stormed toward the girl in the circle like she meant to tear her in half.

The girl scrambled back, panic written all over her face. Mirri stopped short, fists clenched, eyes squeezed shut. She drew in a long breath, then let it out slowly. When she opened her eyes again, her expression had softened into something gentle and warm.

“Hey,” she said quietly. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. Are you alright?”

The girl flinched like a beaten animal at first, but Mirri was patient. Slowly - inch by inch - she earned the girl’s trust, at least enough to give her a brief, superficial examination.

Watching from Ashlara’s arms, I got my first good look at her.

She wore a green dress with gold embroidery along the collar and sleeves. Though it was torn and filthy now, it had clearly once been fine clothing. Her eyes were a striking amber, a color I’d only ever seen on cats. Dirt and tear tracks streaked her heart-shaped face, but beneath it all she was undeniably beautiful - soft-featured and feminine, not waif-thin, but with an average build and gentle curves. Her bright crimson hair was tangled and wild, yet still clung to its tight barrel curls. Her skin was pale, like someone unaccustomed to the sun. All in all, she looked surprisingly… human. I’m not sure why that caught me off guard. Maybe it was that I’d met so few of them since I’d gotten here.

Eventually Mirri returned to us. “We should go,” she said quietly. “At least set up camp outside. This place gives me the fuckin’ creeps.”

Ashlara shifted and carefully lifted me into her arms.

Behind us, Mirri turned back to the girl.

* * *

By the time we made it back outside, the two guards were gone. I chose to believe that meant we’d only knocked them **** and not that something capable of eating a person in under an hour was prowling the woods.

Ashlara set me down against a rocky outcropping, told me softly to stay put, and then vanished back into the cave. I knew my clothes had caught fire, but there didn’t seem to be much left of them. I hadn’t seen my pack either. Maybe the straps burned through and it fell off somewhere. Maybe I’d dropped it. I honestly couldn’t remember.

The sun had climbed to hang over midway across the sky, putting it solidly in the afternoon. It had been before noon when we entered the cave, so I figured I’d been out for a couple of hours after the fight. By now the birds had returned, their calls filling the forest again, as if the place itself was trying to pretend nothing terrible had happened.

Mirri came over next, guiding the red-haired girl we’d rescued. The petite goblin shot me an irritated look before settling the girl near the fire site and starting to gather stones for a pit. Not long after, Ashlara returned with several packs and assorted gear. She moved efficiently, pitching three small tents and tossing mess kits and rations to Mirri, who set about making an early dinner.

I let out a slow breath, leaned my head back against the stone, and glanced toward the girl. She’d been watching me. When our eyes met, she startled and immediately looked away, fixing her attention on anything that wasn’t me.

“I’m Seth,” I said gently. “That’s Mirri, and that’s Ashlara,” I gestured to my companions.

She flinched at the sound of my voice and scooted a little farther from me.

I closed my eyes and leaned back again, deciding not to push it. She needed space more than reassurance right now.

* * *

The next morning, Mirri peeled away the makeshift bandages and inspected my skin with a critical eye. The blisters were gone, leaving only a few scattered scabs where I’d rubbed myself raw crawling across the cave floor.

I felt… good. Way better than I had any right to, considering the day before. The cute goblin insisted on escorting me to a nearby stream to wash off the healing paste she’d smeared all over me, despite my repeated assurances that I was fine. She was still mad, and apparently my opinion didn’t count for much.

The stream was shallow, only a few inches deep, fed by a small waterfall that half trickled, half tumbled over a short rocky drop from the creek above. I stepped in and sucked in a sharp breath. “Ho! Cold!”

She shot me an irritated glare. “Really? You can get cooked by fuckin’ necromantic fire, but cold water’s where you draw the line?” She shook her head. “Sit.”

I sat.

I must’ve seriously screwed up for her to still be this angry, but I couldn’t quite figure out how. If she was right and Hek had fractured my skull and crushed my ribcage, then this felt downright tame by comparison. And with her healing magic, I’d been good as new the next day. Ashlara had been far worse off after the fight, and the two of them seemed fine.

Mirri grabbed my arm, splashed water over it, and started scrubbing way harder than necessary. It stung—not enough to matter, but enough to notice.

“Mirri?” I tried, just to get her attention. She ignored me. “I’m sorry.”

She stopped scrubbing, but kept staring at my arm.

“I don’t know what I did, but I-”

“You don’t know what you did?” Her voice rose. “You don’t know what you fuckin’ did?” She was shouting now. “You almost got killed. Again. You just charged in, waving your sword. You know, the sword you don’t even fuckin’ know how to use! Gods, you really are brain damaged.” Her hands were shaking. “Ashie almost fuckin’ died. And you decided to dive into soul-burning fire!” Tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Mirri, come here,” I said softly.

She didn’t move, so I pulled her toward me. I was wet and slick with ointment, but I didn’t care - and judging by the way she collapsed against me, neither did she.

“Hey,” I murmured, stroking her back as she sobbed into my chest. “I’m still here. Ashlara’s still here. And that’s because of you.” I rocked her gently. “We’re a team. No one’s going anywhere. Not me. Not Ashlara. Not you.”

Her breathing hitched, but she stayed pressed against me.

“Yeah,” I continued quietly, “I was an idiot. I shouldn’t have rushed him when I saw the flames. But he was burning Ashlara. If I hadn’t gone after him, he would’ve killed her.”

She drew a few shuddering breaths.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you. Or to Ashlara,” I said. “I won’t let it. So yeah, sometimes I do stupid shit… but it’s because I have to.” I eased her back just enough to look her in the eyes. “And when I get in over my head, I’ve got you. And your magic.” I gave her a small smile.

Her expression hardened. She punched me in the chest, harder than I thought she possibly could.

“That’s the fuckin’ problem, moron!” she screamed, breaking down again. “My magic doesn’t work on you!”

I blinked, rubbing at my chest. “What?” I asked.

“You heard me, dick-for-brains! My magic. Doesn’t. Fuckin’. Work! On you!” she shouted. “I try and nothing happens. It’s like you’re not even there. It’s like trying to heal the wind or some shit!”

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” I said.

“You’re damn right it doesn’t make any sense, you cunt-headed moron! And still you throw yourself into danger. You don’t have a **** wish, you dumb shit - you’re trying to fuck **** like a horny teenager with blueballs!”

“If your magic doesn’t work on me,” I said slowly, “how am I still here? How did I bounce back after Hek kicked the shit out of me?”

“I DON’T KNOW!” she screamed back. “I don’t know why you heal so fast, but it’s not me! I healed Ashie and she still barely has any hair, but look at you—your hair’s already back! You’re fine! That fire should’ve killed you. Ashie was in it for a second and it nearly burned her body and soul to dust. And you were in there for—what—thirty seconds?”

She rushed me and I flinched, bracing for another hit. Instead she wrapped her arms around me and buried her face in my chest.

“You can’t die,” she said, muffled. “We need you. I need you. You’re supposed to…”

I wrapped my arms around her and held tight. “It’s okay, Mirri. I’m still here. We’ll figure this out.”

We stayed like that for a while, her grip never loosening. Part of me wanted to keep her there in my arms forever - safe. But my legs were going numb in the frigid stream, rocks were biting into my ass, I was still slick with whatever ointment she’d slathered on me, and I really, really had to pee.

“Are you gonna be okay?” I asked. No answer. “You’ll be okay,” I said gently. “But I might not be if I don’t get up to pee.”

“Go in the water,” she said flatly, still clinging to me.

“It’s bad enough I’m half-naked in a freezing stream,” I protested. “You want me to pee myself too?”

She nodded into my chest. “It’s not like you’ve got anything I haven’t already seen.”

Heat rushed to my face. I mean, she’d taken care of me for a week. Cleaned blood, dirt, and grime. I didn’t remember getting up to go to the bathroom while I was out, but still…

“I’m not doing that,” I said. “I need to preserve what little dignity I have left.”

She snorted into my armpit, sniffed back tears, and finally pulled away. “Like you’ve got any of that left,” she smirked.

I cupped her cheek, relieved to see the smile. “Okgottagonow!” I blurted, scrambling out of the stream and bolting for the nearest tree.