Runaway Girl - The Secrets of Avelina Chronicles 1

Chapter 27

Up in her room, Emily helped the girls strip her bed. Trey paced the floor, worried about his best friend. He was desperate to help, but in the state Damian was in, Emily thought it best for him to stand by and wait until he regained consciousness.

Quickly, she sterilized a needle she had found in one of the older women's sewing boxes. Then she looked for thread in a spare first aid kit that the surgeon had left at the house to treat injuries after minor squabbles, but the war was no squabble. It was an all out free for all.

Just when Emily was about to start, her grandfather came in and gave her the recipe and ingredients to a spell he knew would heal the head wound better than stitches ever could. She was in the middle of adding the ingredients together when Damian woke up calling out for Katie, who Trey had already explained was his girlfriend.

"You're going to be okay. I couldn't wait for the surgeon. I'm sorry if it hurts," Emily said, stopping momentarily, taking Damian's hand into hers. Trey stepped up to the bed, hoping to make sure that he was alright. When Damian tried to talk again, Emily saw the pain in his eyes and urged him not even to try. Ignoring her, he forced out a few quiet words, saying that he needed Katie. Since Emily was ordered not to let anyone leave the house, there wasn't much she could do about it. "I'll do my best to bring her here when it's safe. Soon, I promise," she swore, letting go of his hand as he drifted back into unconsciousness, as she finished making up the potion for his head.

It took over an hour to mix and apply the potion and to see to the rest of his wounds. She tried to convince Trey that he should be left to rest, as it was a success. Damian stayed unconscious through the whole operation, even during the reattachment of his missing finger. Filipe had brought it to her just as she was trying to figure out how best to bandage the open wound. Another soldier found it as Damian was carried off to safety. It had taken almost another half hour to reattach it. She tried as best she could so that it was still useable, then bandaged the joint to make sure that it stayed in place while it healed. Eventually the skin would grow over the joint and reattach naturally. Knowing there was nothing more she could do, she waited on the other side of the room with Trey for Damian to wake. They fell asleep together after the chaos of the day.

Filipe waited until the rest of his men were taken care of before inquiring about Damian. When he heard that he was still unconscious, he ventured to Emily's room to see if she needed anything brought to her, knowing that she wouldn't leave an injured man to wake alone in a strange place. But when he found her snuggled into Trey on the sofa, he knew that she was over Tyler and the painful way that he had been ripped away from her.

Filipe sat in the rocking chair by the bed and watched Damian curiously for a while. He always thought that Damian would be the one to fall for Emily. A few minutes later, Damian woke and Filipe hoped to get some answers. "It's good to see you awake again," he said with a smile. Filipe was glad to see that he managed to return the smile, though it seemed painful for him to do so.

Damian didn't bother attempting to sit up, knowing it was futile, but he admitted that he was glad to see that Filipe was still alive. "Is the war still raging or has it stopped?" Damian asked.

"No, it's all quiet for now. Your friend, Trey, is safe. He's here, waiting for you to recover. I also wanted to thank you for taking such good care of my daughter. She told me this evening that you and Trey helped her recruit for the war and that she wasn't doing a very good job without you." Filipe shook his head in amusement, then continued, "Damian, Emily is my daughter, and I'm quite sure that she is the girl in the legend. Trey told me you discovered it?"

Everything was suddenly starting to make sense. "Then it's true. And the master?" Damian wondered curiously.

"Cezar is her grandfather," Filipe replied. "You need to rest, Damian."