Page 6

Shade stumbled back, her breath catching as she watched Quint race at a speed that she did not expect his weakened condition would allow, and yet it didn’t stop him. He raised his sword with ease and delivered a blow to the man before he could raise his weapon that he already gripped in his hand, and it shocked and worried her. His healing would suffer for this.

A second strike of Quint’s sword and the man was dead, and she hurried to him, spotting a slight tilt in his stance. She quicklyslipped her shoulder beneath his arm to give him some support and she felt his weight bear down on her. He had exhausted himself and disturbed his wounds.

“I need to get his body into the woods,” Quint said, “or it will attract animals.”

“You need to get back in bed,” she ordered.

“You and that bed, woman, will you never stop wanting to get me in it?”

“I want you in it so I can get you out of it,” she snapped and felt a raindrop hit her. “Inside! Before it starts pouring.”

“After I see to him,” Quint said, regaining some strength thanks to her help. “Take my sword into the cottage while I get this done.” He handed it to her.

She took it and let it fall to the ground. “You cannot do this alone.” She leaned over and grabbed the dead man’s arm.

“Be gone with you, woman. I can do this myself,” Quint ordered.

Shade ignored him, grabbed the other arm, and started dragging the body herself.

Quint shook his head, shoved her hand off the man’s arm and grabbed it. “You are a stubborn woman.”

“No more stubborn than you are or as foolish as you to be out here naked in the rain when you are still feverish and using what strength you have left to do this when you should be reserving it to heal.”

“I have confidence in my healer,” Quint said, surprised at her strength, though it was probably that he was slower, the fight having definitely taken its toll on him.

“If that were true, then you would do as she tells you,” Shade said, and saw that he had slowed down and appeared a bit pale. “This is far enough. The animals will drag him away.”

That he didn’t argue confirmed what Shade suspected. He had exhausted himself.

“Do not think I will lean on you on our way back,” he warned when she stepped up beside him.

“You said you had confidence in me. We need to get you out of this rain as fast as possible. Please trust me on this,” she said and didn’t wait. She slipped her shoulder beneath his arm and her arm around his waist.

Quint slipped his arm around her waist, his own body betraying him and leaning on her for support as they walked to the cottage. “You do know if I collapse you will go down with me and you will not have the strength to drag me to the cottage.”

“Aye, but I have the strength to roll you there. Now hurry your steps before I decide to do just that.”

CHAPTER 3

“I’m too tired to eat,” Quint said after Shade got done examining his wounds and finding no serious damage had been done, she applied clean bandages.

The fight had robbed him of more strength than he wanted to admit, and it annoyed him that he had to rely on the healer for help. He never relied on anyone. Though that wasn’t completely true. He had once but never again would he do that. The consequences were far too painful.

“I can spoon feed you the broth,” Shade said, prepared for his reaction.

“I am not a bairn, woman,” he snapped, thinking he had felt like one when she insisted on washing his feet and part of his legs to rid him of the forest debris before he got back in bed.

“Then don’t act like one. You need your strength. Eat,” she said and handed him the bowl of broth.

He sipped at it and one taste had him drinking more.

She returned to the bed with a cloth she dropped on his lap and placed a chunk of bread on it. She then felt his brow. “Your fever lingers.”

“Aye, I can feel it inside me,” he said and once again found her cool hand comforting.

“Sleep some after you eat,” she said. “Rest will help heal you.”

“You are not curious about the man I killed or his dead brother?” he asked as she walked away from the bed.