The Girl Who Fell From The Sky - Rebecca Royce Page 0,33

for a long time. I’d pretty much given up on him ever speaking to me again. He seemed to have a very mercurial appreciation for my intellect—I could read these books, great, but I couldn’t question his illogical social planning? He was no better than the Union and the inquisitors—just swallow anything we tell you, little girl, and don’t bother questioning. Clearly, that was the sort of woman Torrin was used to.

Well, he was going to get an education, courtesy of me.

Righteous fury boiled in the back of my mouth the whole rest of the ride back, and by the time he shut down the engine, swung out his side, and then came over to me, I was ready to spew a lot of criticism in his general direction.

He opened the door and reached out a hand. To help me out.

He was big and intimidating, but also—how did I not notice this before—he looked really, really tired, and he still carried his hurt arm gingerly. The weight of his responsibilities clearly rode him hard.

The stinging critique I’d prepared smothered itself, and I took his hand, letting him help me down to the ground. He reached in behind me to retrieve the bundle of green-cloth-wrapped plant cuttings.

“We divide our forces,” he said, walking only a half step ahead of me, but he did slow his stride so I didn’t have to run to keep up. “A work detail and its guards farm for fourteen days, and then they return, and the next detail goes out. We never abandon this place. It is ours. We have been here, right here, for more than a hundred years. The bones of my forebears for eight generations make up the scion throne, which I have noticed you staring at as if you would mock it. For a woman who has been treated with nothing but respect and care, you make many assumptions about us.”

Chapter Nine

Torrin’s words took up space in my head, but I had no chance to really digest them. Astor had been returned, seemingly unharmed, and we got to work preparing the remedy for Nox. As the only one who could read to him exactly what was needed, my attention had to stay on the task at hand.

The time came to administer the medicine, which meant getting Nox to drink it. It was a two-pronged cure. First, he had to drink it, and then we had to seal up the wound with the remaining batch.

I chewed on my lip. “I am suddenly nervous,” I spoke to the room, which included Torrin, Astor, and Mattis. Everyone else had been told to leave. When it came down to it, it really seemed like the four of them formed a unit separate from the rest of the world. “We don’t know the validity of this book. I mean, there were once books claiming that the universe had floating monsters by the suns.”

Mattis blinked. “There aren’t?”

I opened my mouth, and he held out his hand. “I’m kidding.”

“He is going to die and soon from his injuries, this can’t make it worse.”

I supposed that was true. I sat on the edge of the bed. “Nox?” I rubbed his arm gently and then more firmly when he didn’t rouse.

His eyes fluttered open. “Bianca?”

“We have medicine for you. I need you to try to drink it down.”

I wasn’t sure he was really hearing me, but Torrin stepped forward, looking down at Nox over my shoulder. “Open your mouth, and let her help you drink this.”

Nox nodded. In slow pours, I helped Nox drink down what I hoped would fix him and not kill him in a more painful way. Finally, he was finished.

Torrin squeezed my shoulder. “Good. Apply it to his leg and we shall see.”

I did as instructed, turning to look at Astor as I did. Shouldn’t he have been doing this? I was sure he’d be vastly more appropriate. For the most part, he’d been quiet since his return.

“Are you okay?” I asked him.

He nodded. “Yes. If he lives, it’s thanks to you.” He visibly swallowed. “Torrin, I…”

His brother waved his hand. “You helped Mattis find us. If once again your head was somewhere else and you managed to get captured, I suppose it’s just a standard day. I’ll have to punish Baron, again. Someone wake me when Nox rouses. Bianca, you’re with me.”

I was?

As if it were a live thing, I could feel the almost-healed scar on my arm, reminding me that, yes, yes, I was with