[WARNING! Unedited! Don't buy!]
The inn was noisy when they arrived—laughter spilling from the tavern below, tankards slamming, and music playing off-key. But upstairs, in the quiet of a small rented room, the weight of the battle pressed down like a heavy cloak.
Lucian set Selis gently on the bed. Her skin was pale, her lips parted in shallow breaths. The wound at her shoulder had already soaked through the cloth he'd pressed against it.
"Stay awake," he ordered, voice clipped as he dug through the healer's satchel.
Selis cracked an eye open, her grin faint but intact. "Bossy as ever. Don't worry, Captain… takes more than a love tap from Count Bloodbath to finish me off."
He shot her a glare that would have silenced anyone else. She only winked.
Lucian didn't waste words. He uncorked a vial of salve, the pungent scent of herbs filling the room, and spread it across the wound. Selis hissed, her fingers digging into the blanket beneath her.
