Dust (Of Dust and Darkness) - By Devon Ashley Page 0,51
a few of the pixies back home, who like to work bare-chested under the sun. Jack is just like them, just a little larger all over.
“Sorry,” I say, genuinely meaning it. “I don’t think you’ll be able to clean this.” I toss his shirt towards him.
He crumples it up into a ball and tosses it aside. “That’s alright. Maybe if I walk pass Finley in it it’ll convince him I spent the day beating you.” He gives me a weak smile. “How’s your back now?”
I look left, then right. My wings are too damaged to open, and the clamp denies me that ability anyways, so I can only see the lower tips. It’s enough to make me cringe. The cartilage that lines my wings is broken in multiple places, as are a lot of the veins and crossveins, and the transparent material that holds the veins together is ragged and parched of nutrients. No shimmer anywhere. No magic. My eyes tear at the thought of never taking flight again. How can they possibly recover from this?
My tears cause Jack to jump to his feet and rush over, his eyes strained with concern. “What? Do they still hurt?”
I shake my head and sweep the tears away. “No, it’s not that. It’s just…I don’t see how they can come back from this.”
Jack squats back on his legs and releases a deep breath of air. “I wish I could tell you, Rosalie, but I don’t know either. I’ve never seen a fae with this much damage.
“But do they hurt?” he asks.
I shake my head again. “What did you do to them?” I know he did something while I was passed out.
He pulls a metal container from the satchel and unscrews it, showing me a firm, creamy substance with a hint of medicinal herbs strong enough to burn my nose when I inhale. “It’s a numbing salve that my mother makes. It’s got some stuff in it to help fight inflammation too.” He screws the lid shut again. “Sorry I didn’t get it on you in time. Usually you get twenty-four hours of relief, but I should have known with this much damage you wouldn’t make it.”
“You’ve put that on me before?”
“Yeah. Both days. Finley made me leave the day they broke your wings, but I came back the next morning and put it on you. And again yesterday. I guess it probably wore off at some point in between, but you must have been asleep when it did and didn’t notice. Had I gotten it on you first thing this morning, you probably would have woken up okay.”
My jaw slack, I just stare at him for a moment. Feeding me decent rations and not throwing my food and water at me was one thing, but giving me pain-relief medicine? Finley would kill him if he knew. And I didn’t really know what to say to that. Why’s he risking his neck for me? He doesn’t even know me. And he’s a faerie…they look down on pixies.
“Which reminds me… Be right back.” He takes off and disappears over the ledge but returns a moment later with the same canteen he gave me before. Handing it to me, he says, “Something a little hardier today. Cream of vegetable soup.” I wish my hand wouldn’t snatch it so greedily. “My sister made it.” With a wicked smile, he playfully adds, “She’s as annoying as a little sister can be, but her cooking makes it worth putting up with her.”
Yet another society with a strong family dynamic. What the heck was wrong with my Hollow? What happened to make them raise us the way they do today?
“I’d say tell her thank you, but I’m guessing you’ll keep this to yourself.” Jack makes his way back to the opposite side and gets as comfy as this rock structure will allow. “Wait. This isn’t your lunch you’re giving me every day, is it?” I motion to hand the canteen back, my stomach screaming at my arm for doing so.
Jack shakes his head, his cool green eyes fixed on me the whole time. “Don’t even think about it. I get breakfast, lunch, dinner and any snacks I want in between. You get a fistful of seeds in a single day, if you’re lucky. It won’t kill me to miss a meal. You, however…”
He stops himself from finishing, focusing in on my ribs for a second before catching himself. Then his eyes dart back to my face with guilt. But I