“Are you all right?” she asked again.
I nodded. She turned away and rushed to her husband’s side. I remained where I was, eyes nailed to the balcony, the image of that large beast soaring through the air imprinted in my mind. The drop from here was over five stories. Would Kalyll be okay?
I shook my head at the stupid question. He had just fought a marble statue and won.
“Hurry,” Belasha urged. “He’s going to bleed to death.”
As if under a spell, I rose to my feet and made my way toward the king. There were no thoughts in my mind. The fear had stripped it bare, and something other than conscious thought drove me there.
It wasn’t until I saw the gaping wound in the king’s chest that everything snapped back into place, and my training and instincts took over.
CHAPTER 25
Idroppedtomyknees in front of the king.
“The queen is right. You need to hurry, or he will die,” I said, itching to jump in, but knowing that I would be out of place to intervene.
The Fae healer’s eyes snapped up in anger. His expression was like an open letter that expressed his blatant disgust for my kind. It was the same look I’d seen in that female who didn’t help me when I was first kidnapped. His magicwashealing the wound, but for all his haughtiness, if this was the best he could do, he had no business attending to the King of the Summer Court.
He kept working, making no significant progress.
Jeondar glanced from the male to me, and so did the queen. He seemed conflicted for a moment, then made up his mind.
“Let her do it,” Jeondar said, pushing the Fae healer away to give me room.
“I will not be held responsiblewhenthe king dies,” the offended healer snapped.
But I ignored him, and without hesitation, got to work saving the king. Thankfully, and as difficult as it was without a visual aid, I’d had enough time to make a full assessment of his wounds and knew that the first order of business was to heal the descending aorta to immediately stop the bleeding.
The Fae healer seemed to have no knowledge of anatomy and had been trying to heal the entire wound rather than focus on what mattered most.
My hands glowed with a familiar light as I focused on mending that essential artery. It was a matter of seconds before it was sealed and the worst of the bleeding contained. After that, I worked on repairing the punctured right lung and lacerated liver. Those took longer to set right. I wished for equipment to suction the mess and give me a better view. This was the way that Stale doctors and Skew healers worked in my realm, but I had no such advantage here. Instead, I needed to rely solely on my skill. I didn’t have much practice healing this sort of wound without visual aid. This way it was slower than having other hands assist in keeping things mess-free, but I had what it took.
The entire time I kept a watch on the king’s vitals, the bulk of my skill wrapped around his body to assess the severity of his condition and ensure his well-being.
“By Erilena,” the queen whispered as King Elladan’s wound sealed and his breathing grew steadier once his lung sealed.
My head grew woozy with the effort, and I braced a hand against the floor, continuing to let my healing energy flow into the king. I pulled back just as I became faint. Jeondar was there, bracing me up, and regarding me in awe.
“He needs more—” I started, but Jeondar cut me off.
“Golred can do the rest.” He nodded toward the astonished-looking Fae healer, who blinked and sheepishly let his healing energy flow into the king.
I took several deep breaths to regain my strength and watched with relief as Jeondar’s father opened his eyes and looked around.
Belasha threw her arms around her husband. Quietly weeping, she thanked a deity I was unfamiliar with.
“You saved him,” Jeondar said, his amber eyes brimming with gratitude and relief. “How can I ever repay you?”
I shook my head. “I swore an oath. It’s my duty.”
“What do you need?” he asked.
“Just a little rest and water, lots of water.”
The king tried to sit up, even as he fought against the results of the debilitating blood loss.
“Don’t.” I placed a hand on his arm. “You need rest, too.”