She was trembling. Terrified.
"Hhh-"
Her breath came in ragged bursts, trembling out of her chest until she startled herself awake. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was shaking the bed.
I'm… awake? My eyes, I can't open them. What happened? What was the last thing I remember? Right… I was being beaten.
"oh..I bent the Echo…"
Her voice came out hoarse and half-asleep as she blinked her eyes open. When her vision focused, she saw Darkov leaning over her , his eyes fixed on her, filled with something she couldn't quite name.
Was that… concern?
"Do you feel all right?"
His tone, despite himself, carried a rare gentleness. Under the soft lamplight, she saw the dark circles beneath his eyes, the faint tremor in his expression. He looked exhausted , like he hadn't slept in days.
A stray lock of hair had fallen across his forehead, framing a guilt he probably thought he hid well.
She tried to move , and a sharp, stabbing pain shot through her body. Her whole face throbbed; only her lips would move, barely. Her vision was blurry, edges flickering like heat haze.
"It hurts,"
she whispered.
This Darkov wasn't the same man she'd met just a few days ago. The idea of him being afraid was absurd , yet there he was, frozen, hesitating. Why? He hadn't attacked it, hadn't even raised his voice.
In the story she'd heard, the princess's region rarely saw any Death-Bringers at all , maybe that's why he'd been shocked, why it took him so long to understand what had happened.
And after Ravion's attack, she hadn't seen him again. Maybe he'd been hurt anyway.
Still… maybe this was a chance. A chance to tell Darkov the truth about who she really was.
The door creaked, and Cassira entered carrying a tray. On it sat several bundles of herbs and a small bowl of some greenish mixture.
"Oh? Good morning, handsome,"
she said with a soft, warming smile. Her voice had that light, almost musical warmth that somehow made the air feel easier to breathe. She set the tray down gently beside the bed before sitting at the edge of the mattress.
"You turned out stronger than I thought,"
Cassira said, studying her carefully.
"Your muscles tightened up, but softened after a while. At first I thought you were dead, but your body adapted. The muscle rigidity kept your bones from breaking."
I owe that to the Death-Bringer,
she thought bitterly.
If that thing hadn't strengthened this body, I'd be dead by now.
"I've got fractures,"
she murmured aloud.
"Costa septima and Costa duodecima , I can feel the breaks."
Cassira frowned, tilting her head in confusion. She didn't understand the words, but when she checked, she couldn't find any visible breaks.
"How do you even know that? There aren't any cracks."
Cassira crossed her arms with a bit of mock offense.
why did she ask this, no I shouldn't be angry, she doesn't know anything about me..
"I studied medicine. Well just for a while ,"
she muttered.
Cassira blinked, her curiosity flickering to life.
"Where did you train? Elyura? Or Aquaoris?"
"Eh?"
Before she could answer, Darkov exhaled heavily.
"Don't push her, Cassira. he needs rest."
Cassira sighed, clearly reluctant, and reached for the salve , but before she could touch it, the door slammed open with a bang that shook the walls. Every head turned toward the sound.
From where she lay, she could only stare up at the ceiling.
"Brother!! You're alive!"
Ravion burst in dramatically, dropping to his knees with both hands on his head. His chest and arms were wrapped in thick bandages, with a great dramatic face.
"I told you not to move around so much!"
Cassira snapped, half scolding, half exasperated.
Darkov ran a hand through his hair, sighing loudly , clearly done with both of them.
"While I apply the salve,"
he said dryly,
"why don't you two clean the bar?"
"Already did,"
Ravion answered immediately.
"Then cook something."
"I did,"
Cassira said.
"Then bring the food. She just woke up."
Ravion proudly lifted a food tray.
"Where the hell did you even get that?"
Darkov muttered, genuinely surprised, before almost grumbling under his breath,
"Forget it. I need to speak with her."
Ravion's grin widened.
"We're listening, Darkov."
Was he teasing him, or genuinely that dense? He couldn't tell.
"Alone,"
Darkov said, sharper this time.
And just like that, her stomach tightened. She didn't want them to leave. She wanted Ravion and Cassira to stay, even with all their noise and chaos. But the door shut behind them anyway, and the room fell heavy and still.
"I didn't know I could bend the Echo,"
she said quietly.
"I didn't mean to lie."
"You're not an Echo-Bender,"
he said simply.
Eh? What? Then… what had I done?
"But I did bend it-"
"No. To bend something, you have to control it."
"I did control it!"
"No."
Silence stretched between them , long enough that when he finally spoke again, his voice sounded almost strained, like he was choosing each word carefully.
"If you want,"
he said at last,
"after you recover…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
And for a moment, she wasn't sure if she wanted him to.