Bonds of Light and Fire

79. Vows

The artwork above is not mine.

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    Luciana sat back on her heels, wiping sweat from her forehead. She ignored the blood that smeared in its stead. She'd been working on healing injured soldiers for hours now. At first, the task was a little exciting. She was eager to experiment with her healing abilities. She'd been thrilled to see that it didn't take much time or energy for her to heal small sounds, but larger ones took more of both. Now, the awe of her new skill had worn off and she was simply exhausted.

    She'd slept all night and most of the morning after they returned to the camp. Luciana had demanded to know why no one woke her earlier, but Vaughan merely said Aelin had sought a healer's advice on her behalf and the healer thought more sleep would do her good. Afterwards, it took her close to three hours to convince Vaughan, Aelin, and Aeron that she was fit to look after the wounded.

    As soon as she arrived in the medical ward, the healers had directed her to the soldiers who had more palpable injuries. When she pointed out that her magic could quickly fix up more traumatic injuries, the healers firmly said no. Their reasoning was that she didn't need to be more distressed than she had already been in the past several weeks. Luciana had gone about her work without another complaint, fearing they'd forbid her from helping at all if she pressed her point further.

    A nose bumped against her cheek. Luciana blinked rapidly, in an attempt to clear her thoughts. She rested a hand on Brin's neck and leveled her other palm over a soldier's wound. He'd suffered an ax to the arm. The weapon had cut clear to his bone. It was a miracle he hadn't bled out before now. Luciana finished healing the wound and rose on shaky legs. Brin leaned against her.

    "Luci!" Aeron hollered. He ignored the sharp looks several healers threw him. Aeron wove through the rows of wounded soldiers and grabbed her hand. "Come on."

    "Where are we going?"

    "Kyllian is here. We're going to see him, and then you are going to the palace with Vaughan, Aelin, Rowan, and Aedion."

    "But there's still so much to be done here," Luciana protested.

    "Elgan, Kyllian, and I will handle it. The rest of Aelin's Court will be arriving as soon as the Revolutionists in their territory are dealt with, so that we can explain what happened and make a plan for moving forward."

    "Why isn't Lorcan coming to the palace now? I thought he was here."

    "He was, but he went back to Perranth as soon as the fighting ended."

    "To check on Elide I presume?"

    Aeron nodded. They both fell silent as they worked their way through the remnants of the camp. Already, tents had been taken down and supplies were being divvied up to be sent to refugee settlements. Luciana caught sight of Vaughan and Rowan up ahead. They were speaking with a brown haired Human. Aeron released her and ran.

    Kyllian shoved past Vaughan and Rowan without warning. He caught Aeron in a tight embrace, which they held for several long minutes. At last, Aeron brushed his lips across Kyllian's and drew back. Luciana joined them and hugged Kyllian as well.

    "I'm glad you're all right," she said.

    "You too. I heard that a lot of unusual things happened when you confronted your father."

    "That's one word for it," Luciana chuckled. She shot Brin a warning look when the dog sat down beside her, growling faintly. "Don't mind her," she said, spying Kyllian's confused expression. "She's just as overbearing and protective as the Fae males I surround myself with."