The Wind's Call (The Broken Lands #4) - T.A. White Page 0,93

have allies and friends. Remember that when things seem lost."

Eva had forgotten Hanna was part of the snake clan. Rumors of the clan abounded, and its members were treated with stiff-armed hesitance.

It was worse after their clan leader betrayed Fallon and tried to assassinate him.

Hanna had most likely faced worse than what Eva was going through when her clan fell.

"How badly was Ollie hurt?" Eva forced herself to ask the question that had been weighing on her mind. Jason had said he was alright, but he wasn't always the most reliable of sources.

"He'll live," Hanna said. "He'll have scars, but he should heal."

Thank all the gods. She didn't know what she would have done if he hadn't made it. He was a kind soul in a world that was often cruel. It would have been a darker place without him in it.

"I'll take you to him," Hanna said.

"Really?" Eva was almost afraid to hope.

Hanna's smile was fleeting, but it was there. "Yeah, follow me."

Hanna led her to where several Trateri were lying flat, limbs bandaged, a few with burned skin open to the air.

"Ollie, look who I found wandering around," Hanna said.

On a narrow pallet at the very edge, lay Ollie, pale, his arm and leg looking three times their normal size, wrapped in bandages with a splint around them.

At Hanna's words, he tried to heave himself to sitting, only making it part of the way up before lowering back down with a groan.

"I told you not to move," a strident voice said from where the healer knelt next to another patient. "If you can't listen, I'll tell these two to take themselves away until you're healed."

"I'm not moving. See. Look." Ollie made a show of putting his head back down.

The healer watched him with narrowed eyes before shaking his head. "See that you don't. Or else."

"Mad man on a power trip," Ollie muttered.

"I heard that."

"You were meant to!" Ollie growled.

Eva fell to her knees on the ground beside him. Relief coursed through her. The tears that had been absent through everything so far, finally found an outlet as she bowed her head, trying to keep the others from seeing. The last thing she wanted was for them to think she was weak after the welcome she'd received.

Ollie's hand found its way to the top of her head. "Enough of that now. I'm still alive."

"I'm sorry I left you," she said.

"That's not exactly how I remember it," Ollie said in a wry voice. Eva could still hear the pain he was hiding, below the surface. "You saved me. If you hadn't attacked that water sprite, I would have been pulled under and likely drowned."

Eva dipped her head in assent. Maybe so, but if she had remained, maybe she could have prevented his other injuries.

Ollie laid his head back down on his pillow. "Guilt is a useless emotion. You do what you can in the moment and hope it's enough. You did what you had to; no shame in that."

"Everyone thinks I betrayed them," she said in a soft voice.

Ollie snorted. "Then they’re fools and it’s a good thing we know different."

Her smile was tremulous and waterlogged.

"I'm going to be laid out for a couple of days."

"Weeks," the healer interjected.

Ollie rolled his eyes but didn't argue. "You and Jason will need to work together to take care of everything."

Her smile slipped and she couldn't help her grimace.

"None of that now. He's actually not so bad. If you'd give him half a chance, you'd see that," Ollie advised.

Eva, pressed her lips together, not wanting to argue with her friend but also not agreeing.

He let out a snicker that quickly trailed off as he shifted in pain. "You're so quick to judge. You did it with the Anateri commander; you do it with everyone. You let first impressions rule you too much. One misstep and you write them off."

"I don't do that," she protested.

He fixed her with a hard look and her shoulders slumped. Maybe she did.

"Once people let you down, you never give them a second chance. I think you're missing a lot of great things because of it," he said softly.

She looked down at her hands and didn't answer him immediately.

He nudged her. "I'm not saying you don't have reason, but maybe take a second look every once in a while. You might be surprised by what you find."

She lifted her gaze and gave him a small nod. She'd think about his words. That was all she could promise. The scars