ALDRIC
The medic Omega worked quietly on my hand. Her fingers were gentle as she pulled glass from my knuckles. Each shard clinked into a metal tray beside her. The sound was methodical. Almost soothing.
I watched her work without really seeing it. My mind was elsewhere. Calculating. Waiting.
How had my little play against Fia gone? Had Elara been vicious enough? Had she pushed hard enough to make the girl crack?
The door burst open.
Elara rushed in. Her face was blotchy. Red. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her breathing came in short gasps like she had run the entire way.
I stood immediately. The medic's hands fell away from mine.
"What happened?"
Elara's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. No words came out. Just a strangled sound that might have been a sob.
My pulse quickened. Not from concern. From curiosity. From the need to know what had transpired. What pieces had moved on the board while I was here getting bandaged.
