The Book of Glass

The Poultice (13)

Ingrid was still nowhere to be seen, but Emory's conditione had worsened. She had managed to fall asleep, but Shay quickly noticed even in the dark that she wasn't resting well. She let out a small groan every few minutes, and when Shay pressed her hand to her friend's skin she realized just how warm she had become. Sweat dripped down along her eyebrows, and reappeared seconds after Shay wiped off her head.

    Something told her that waiting for Ingrid was a bad idea, and so she moved to the mouth of the cave, hoping that she could call out to her and draw her back. Maybe she had gotten lost.

    But, when Shay stepped out to the trees, she noticed a small fire off in the near distance. Curiously, Shay started towards it, moving slowly to ensure she wasn't too close to what could potentially be the people who had attacked them earlier. The closer she got, though, the faster her heart beat. She stepped on a stick, and her stomach dropped. The people around the fire rose up, turning their backs towards one another to watch the forest around them.

    "Show yourself, and we won't hurt you."

    Shay pressed her lips together and let out a breath. "I'm over here. Just... I don't have any weapons on me." She moved out from behind the tree she was at and stepped out of the treeline. Everything about this was a bad idea, and now she understood the importance of the lesson Emory had been trying to teach her just days ago.

Shay held both her hands up to the group of people huddling around a fire. They weren't the people she thought had been chasing after them, and they also weren't raiders. They all turned to face her, reaching for their waists for any weapons. "I don't mean any harm. I just saw your fire. My friend is injured and she needs a poultice." She spoke softly, her voice rising and falling melodiously. The people looked to one another, and one of them gestured for her to come closer, removing their hand from their waist.

    Shay stepped into the light of the fire and looked closer. The person who had motioned her forward was not from Eden at all. They were from The Unholy. An etching of the sun decorated their armor, and Shay backed up. "I..."

    "We aren't going to hurt you," the person said. It was a woman's voice.

    "I'm having a hard time believing that." Shay's voice shook, but she tried to stand her ground.

    The person removed their helmet, and their once shaded features were illuminated in the firelight. Her eyes were two strikingly different colors of blue and hazel, and Shay couldn't look away. She was beautiful, but everything about her looked as if she were assessing Shay, deciding whether or not she wanted to toy with her meal before she ate it. "If your friend really needs a poultice, we can help. I can leave my weapons here if that makes you feel any better." She gestured to her group, and one of the other women shook her head.

    Shay looked back over her shoulder, then again to the Unholy. "Is there any way for you to leave your armor here? I don't think my friend is in a very friendly state after what happened."

    The woman smiled and nodded her head.

    Shay didn't hesitate to lead the woman back to the cave. She had taken off her armor and left any weapons that Shay could see, but she still worried what Shay would do. "She's fevering. We were with someone else but they left and haven't come back yet."

    "What happened exactly?"

    "She was shot by an arrow."

    "By who?"

    "Raiders," Shay lied. She looked over to the woman, who only sighed and pursed her lips.

    "I don't mean to offend you, but Eden is in too much turmoil right now. Don't you ever think about leaving?"