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AFTER THE INCIDENT IN FIFTH HARBOUR, Lianna was accompaning Nina every evening the Heartrender spent by Inej's side. She was not only worried about the Suli girl's well-being, but Nina's as well. Sometimes, Lianna's presence was enough for Zenik to fall asleep for a few hours, to dream peacefully knowing that the Wraith was taken care of. Sometimes, it wasn't, and then they'd talk for hours, distracting each other from the inevitable danger that would await them if Inej would not open her eyes before Fjerda.
A couple of nights in, Nina was drowsing on a stool tucked into the corner by the table. Lianna was almost asleep herself; he wished she had brought some books with her. The light in the tiny cabin was dim, but even squinting her eyes to see the words would have been more fun than sitting in silence.
Suddenly, she felt something touch her hand.
"Water," Inej croaked.
Lianna gasped when Nina elbowed her in the ribs as she jolted awake.
"I'm up!" she blurted, then peered blearily at Inej. "You're awake." She sat up straighter. "Oh, Saints, you're awake!"
And then Nina burst out crying. Lianna stood up to fetch something to drink to ignore the fact her eyes started getting teary, too.
"No, no," Nina said to Inej. "Don't try to move, just rest."
"Are you all okay?" the other girl asked, voice strained.
Nina started to laugh through her tears.
"We're alright," Lianna said. She found a cup full of fresh rain water and gave it to Nina. "You're the one who got stabbed."
Nina helped Inej raise her head and carefully brought the cup to the bronze girl's shivering lips.
"I don't know what's wrong with me. It's just so much easier to kill people than take care of them," Nina said after taking the bottle away.
Inej blinked, and then the three of them started laughing. Lianna didn't know why, but somehow, it felt right; as if the world gave her back something she did not know she was missing.
"Owwww," groaned Inej. "Don't make me laugh. That feels awful."
Nina winced. "How do you feel?"
"Sore, but not terrible. How long was I out?"
"Three days, almost four. Jesper is driving us all crazy. I don't think I've seen him sit still for more than two minutes together."
Inej chuckled and winced again, and Nina stood up abruptly, as if she just got reminded of something absolutely crucial.
"I need to tell Kaz you're awake! We thought—"
"Wait," Inej said, grabbing for Nina's hand. She caught Lianna's curious stare and bit her lip. "Just ... can we not tell him right away?"
