Page 68 of Swords of Soul and Shadow (Gate Chronicles #3)

Stars. She hated that little seed of doubt. Why couldn’t her brain just allow her a little bit of happiness, a little bit of sunlight on the dark horizon?

She tucked herself closer to Kase and tried to shove the thoughts away. The current situation at hand was enough to distract her. One of the nurses took Fely and Saldr back to one of the tents.

Like an ant hive, the hospital overflowed with people.

Some constructed tents to house some patients or areas where surgery might be performed in relative privacy.

Others were lying prone on the floor or in scavenged bed rolls.

It was hard for Hallie to ignore the blood and frantic shouts of those waiting to be treated.

Hallie looked down at her hands. It was better to focus there.

A pair of shoes came into view a few minutes later, but Hallie didn’t look up. Her pulse had finally returned to normal.

“She’s breathing and stable, but I’d like a medic to look her over, if you would,” Kase told someone above her. He helped her stand and kept an arm around her. Hallie didn’t hear the person’s response, but Kase led her to the side where they could wait.

Once she was certain her daughter was not in any immediate danger, Zelda flagged down a passing nurse and asked what else could be done.

Like always, her mother could never sit still.

She always needed to feel useful—a blessing and a curse.

They needed more bandages, so her mother went off to make some.

Hallie and Kase didn’t talk as they waited for someone to come. Her brain was mostly blank. She barely held her intrusive thoughts at bay by trying to access a little bit of her power. It might help warm her up a little. She shivered. Kase’s arm tightened around her shoulders.

Her power didn’t respond to her prompting. It was as vacant as it had been before she’d taken it from the Lord Elder.

Hopefully it only meant she was tired. Her aching eyes supported that truth.

Hallie lost track of just how much time had passed.

She and Kase had waited in near silence.

She wished she could speak with him about what had happened before the planet had opened up, but with so many prying eyes and ears, she couldn’t risk it.

Everyone was so on edge after the bombing run and the newest cave-in that it would only make things worse if they believed anything Hallie said.

Of course, they might simply think she was a raving lunatic, which Hallie wasn’t entirely sure she would disagree with. Everything felt too unreal.

“Hello, I’m… Hallie !”

Hallie’s head shot up. Petra. It was Petra. Her usually immaculate hair was tied back in a messy bun. Her eyes sported dark circles underneath, but that all disappeared with the smile gracing her friend’s face.

Faster than Hallie could blink, Petra nearly tackled her. Hallie wrapped her own arms around her petite friend and held her tightly. It was nearly a minute before Petra extricated herself and gave Hallie a once-over.

“I’ve been worried sick.” Petra dabbed her eyes with the edge of her ragged sleeve.

She wore sensible trousers and a long-sleeved tunic that was at least one size too big underneath an apron of sorts.

A roll of bandages peeked out of one of the pockets as well as a pair of dainty shears.

“That note you left wasn’t helpful at all, and then with everything… ”

She then took notice of Kase standing to Hallie’s side. He held out his hand. “Good to see you’re okay, Miss Lieber.”

Petra’s face lost the joy it had held moments before. She stared at Kase’s hand and didn’t take it or offer her own for a kiss. “I’ve heard what you’ve done, Master Shackley, and the only reason I’m not kicking you out of this hospital ward right now is out of respect for my friend here.”

“Petra.” Hallie found Kase’s hand. “If you’ve heard about—”

“I know all about the fire.”

Hallie was taken back by her friend’s interruption.

It was very much unlike her to be rude to anyone at all—even if she didn’t particularly care for the other person.

She was sarcastic and a little petty, but this was different.

Hallie tried to think back. Had Petra lost anyone in the fire?

No, not that she knew of. But then again, it would have still affected her family in some capacity with her father’s properties.

The awkwardness of the moment didn’t thaw, but Kase ran the hand Petra didn’t take through his hair before bending down to Hallie’s ear. “I need to go meet with the Stradat Lord Kapitan.”

To Petra, he said, “I apologize for any harm my actions have caused. They were unintentional, and I hope to make it better soon.” He put a hand to Hallie’s back. “I know you’ll make sure Hallie is taken care of. I’ll be back to check on her.”

And then with a quick kiss to Hallie’s temple, he left.

She watched him go and resisted the urge to call him back.

He needed to speak with his father, she knew, but she hated that he had to go alone.

But she would only be a hindrance. The Stradat Lord Kapitan didn’t trust her.

The looks he’d given her during the meeting only confirmed it.

She just wished she knew why. Was it because she was unworthy of his son? Her Essence power? Both? Or something else?

“Let’s get you out of the way and checked out, shall we?” Petra asked as she gestured for Hallie to follow her.

Hallie chewed on the inside of her cheek. So much had happened since she’d last seen her friend. She’d sent her a letter when she’d left for Stoneset. Before that, they’d gone out for afternoon tea. Now they were both trapped underground like rats with enough scars to fill the Lenara Canyon.

They passed by some of the tents and into an area where the injuries weren’t quite so gruesome.

Petra had Hallie take a seat on an upturned bucket.

She pulled a few scraps of paper out of her other pocket, along with a pencil that was only but a nub.

“Besides the fact you’ve clearly lost all your senses, what else brings you to this lovely hospital ward today? ”

“Petra.”

Her friend looked up, her dark eyes unamused. “He’s half the reason we’re here, right?”

Hallie took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to explain everything without encroaching on Kase’s privacy, but Petra didn’t wait for her to come up with her answer. “Ellis is dead.”

Wait. What?

She must have heard incorrectly. Petra didn’t even temper her voice. She just said, matter-of-factly, “He testified against Harlan and Kase Shackley, and now he’s dead.”

“Petra…” Hallie still couldn’t comprehend the words. “Petra, how? How did that…”

Ellis. Not Ellis. She remembered what Kase had told her about his role in his flight from the capital with her, but he didn’t deserve…oh stars. Hallie stood and pulled her friend into another hug. Petra didn’t respond, only cried into Hallie’s shoulder.

After another minute, Petra pulled back and wiped her eyes and nose with a wad of bandages from her pocket.

She sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s just been a lot, and with you missing on top of everything…

and now I’ve ruined a roll of bandages when we’re running low.

They’re already talking about forcing some of the lower-city citizens back to the surface.

We can’t continue supporting them down here.

The spring planting was just starting outside the city, and those need people to tend them. It'll be a miracle if we survive this.”

Hallie took her friend’s hand. “What do you mean, they’re going to send people back to the surface?”

Petra’s cheeks pinked a shade darker. “Well, those who didn’t have much before the attack have even less down here—whether that’s supplies or influence.

I’ve heard talk among some that the wealthier inhabitants are demanding that the ‘load’ down here be ‘lightened.’ Not sure where the information is coming from, but it doesn’t seem too far-fetched.

We’re running out of supplies, but to go to the surface with the daily flyovers…

” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, I’m supposed to be making sure you’re okay and here I am just blabbering away. ”

Petra retrieved her parchment and pencil from where it had fallen to the floor. She wrote something down. “Now, you don’t seem to be bleeding or missing any body parts, so how can I help you today?”

That was one way to change the subject.

Hallie gave her a tentative smile. The information made sense, but it still bothered her.

Most of the wealthier families of Jayde had country estates they could escape to.

Those who called the lower city home did not.

She didn’t really have a solution either other than to figure out a way to negotiate with the Cerls.

That brought her back to her power and the scary sword she’d brought with her to Kyvena, the one that Correa wanted. “I’m fine. Get back to your work, and we’ll chat later?”

Petra stuffed her parchment away, as well as the soiled bandage. “Sure. Be careful of Shackley, would you? He’s not good news.”

Hallie wouldn’t, and she wished she could tell her friend everything.

But as Petra went back down the line checking on others, her tears only a memory, Hallie felt the gap between them grow.

It’d been there since she’d returned from Myrrai, when she’d been forced to lie to her friends about everything that had happened to her.

And now it seemed she might never be able to repair it. She ran her hands down her face and went to find her mother. She needed to rest and process, and she couldn’t very well do that in the hospital ward, the sights and smells reminding her of the fate she hadn’t suffered…but Ellis had.