Page 11 of The Lies of Lena (The Otacian Chronicles #1)

Chapter Ten

Q uill just stood there, breathing heavily and trembling as he gaped down at the bodies of the men he just killed. The blood on his sword was dripping atop the blades of grass he stood on.

He shifted to me, his look filled with nothing but shame. He stared back down at the bodies, and I knew immediately I needed to comfort him. I exited the pond, quickly squeezed out my hair, and dressed while Quill still fixated on the deceased men.

I softly touched the back of his shoulder. “I’m so sorry you had to do that, Quill…” my voice cracked. He turned towards me, and my eyes flashed down to his chest, which was still bleeding.

“Fuck,” I said under my breath. I grabbed my dagger and used it to cut off the bottom of my dress.

“What are you doing? ”

“This will soak through quickly, but it’s better than nothing.” I wrapped the fabric over his wound and around his shoulder, tying it together. He winced.

Gods, my palms, they were burning. Why were they burning?

“I’m sorry you had to see me do that…” His voice was hoarse and laced with shame.

I touched his cheek and met his eyes, ignoring the ache in my hands.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” My eyes trailed back to the bodies before us. They weren't the first dead bodies I had seen, not the first people to be slayed to save my life. I suppressed a shudder.

“We need to get to my house and get you stitched up,” I said as I examined the gash across his chest.

“No.” He shook his head. “I-I need to get home—”

“Absolutely not, Quill!”

I’m sure his parents would want that, but Mother and I knew how to do stitches well, and we also had healing elixirs that were better than anything anyone could give him in the kingdom.

I wish Mother could just heal him. I wish I knew how to heal him.

I sighed. But stitches and an elixir would do.

Quill bent down and wiped his sword on one of the men’s shirts, clenching his jaw as he did it.

“Let me carry your sword for you.”

“Lena—” he began, and I gave him an annoyed look. He sighed. “Very well.”

I slung his sword carrier over my body, and he sheathed it for me. It was heavier than I expected. He slipped on his shirt and cloak, wincing in pain, and we gave one last look at the men and all the blood before we left.

Between Quill’s black shirt and dark cloak, it was fairly simple making it back without alerting anyone he was injured. We strode as hastily as we could without arousing suspicion, Quill keeping his face a mask of calm.

Mother greeted us with a big grin as we entered the house, which turned into a frown when she observed my torn dress. I instructed Quill to sit on the couch in our living area and to take off his shirt, and Mother’s expression then went from confusion to shock as she saw Quill’s bloodied make-shift bandage.

“My Gods, what happened?” she breathed as she placed a hand on her chest.

I went into one of our cabinets that contained our first-aid supplies.

Towels, a bucket, rags, a healing elixir, needle and thread, and bandages.

“Assholes from Serpent’s Cove, that’s what happened,” I muttered as I grabbed all of the necessary items and stood up to face her. Mother walked up to Quill and took his bloodied shirt from his hands, a shameful expression on his face. Thank the Gods he wore a black shirt today because even after cleaning a lighter shirt, it would’ve been impossible to sneak back into the kingdom without alerting authorities .

“They were going to hurt me, but Quill stopped them,” I added softly, washing my hands under the cold stream from our sink. It did nothing to calm the burning in my hands. I sighed and added water to the bucket.

“Then, once again, you have my thanks, Quill.” Mother smiled, but it quickly faded. “How…how exactly did you stop them?”

He looked at me. Those men may have been monsters, but we could still get in trouble if anyone found out he had killed them. I clenched my jaw.

“Quill fought well and disarmed them all,” I quickly said. Mother turned to me, and I tried to keep my face neutral. “They got scared and left,” I lied.

Quill gave me a thankful look, but I could sense how terrible he felt about it.

“Well…I hope they don’t change their mind and come back,” Mother said, eyes worried as she glanced at our front door.

“They won’t,” I mumbled softly as I approached Quill. I had him scoot over onto a towel and sat next to him. I untied my torn bit of dress to expose his horrid gash.

Mother gasped. “Do you want me to stitch it?”

“No. I can do it,” I said. Quill gazed into my eyes and smiled gently. It meant a lot knowing he trusted me. I had given Mother stitches many times on the road. Even though she could heal herself, she insisted it was a skill I needed to know. She would always remove them and heal herself afterward.

I dampened one of the rags in the bucket and brought both up to his chest. I let the water drip down, cleaning away the excess blood. He winced at the cold, his stomach flexing in response. “I’m sorry,” I cringed.

Mother began scrubbing the blood from Quill’s shirt in the sink.

“This is going to sting a little,” I said apologetically after placing the rag and bucket down and reaching for the healing elixir. He just nodded, and I placed a dry rag on his stomach, pulled off the cork to the bottle, and then poured it on his gash. The elixir bubbled as it hit the swollen cut, causing him to hiss. “I know it hurts, but I promise it will help.”

He let out a breathy laugh. “It’s already starting to feel better.”

“There are numbing properties to this one, so hopefully, the stitches won’t be too unbearable. It might even prevent it from scarring.”

I readied my needle and began stitching, neatly weaving the thread through his wound.

“That’s amazing,” he whispered. “I don’t feel a thing.”

I smiled but didn’t meet his eyes. Word getting out to the Inner Ring has been a blessing financially, but the elixirs in our home were more potent than those we sold. Those for sale eased pain, but couldn’t erase it as this one had.

“It’s probably the adrenaline. Surely you feel something?” I asked dishonestly.

“No, I feel nothing.”

Quill just continued to study me as I sewed his wound.

“What would I do without you?” he teased, and I glanced up to see his lazy smile.

“Certainly perish,” I teased back, continuing to stitch his wound. “I think I should be the one saying that to you,” I said quietly enough that Mother couldn’t hear over the running water. I paused and looked at him intently. “Thank you. For doing what you had to. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

His brows knitted. “Actually, it was one of the easiest things I’ve ever done.” I blinked at the remark, and then he lowered his voice. “The thought of them doing anything to you, especially…what they were suggesting…It would’ve taken a great effort not to kill them.”

I flushed and resumed my work.

“Do you think I’m a monster?” he whispered, and I glimpsed up at him, noting his worried expression.

“The furthest thing from it.”

As I finished the stitches, Mother walked over, holding his clean shirt.

“It’s damp, but the stains are less noticeable, and the smell is gone. Thankfully, you wore a dark shade.” She examined the shirt. “Your cloak should conceal it well enough. But do you wish to stay until it is dry?”

“No, that is all right. I really need to get going.” He stood up and retrieved the shirt, putting it on. “Thank you both so much for your help.”

“Thank you for protecting Lena again.” Mother went to hug Quill, and he winced. “Oh, sorry!” Mother cringed.

Quill just laughed softly. “I shall give you my hug of thanks next time,” he bowed, then turned to me. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” he said quietly before strolling outside, the door clicking shut behind him.

“That boy…he is so special,” Mother whispered, looking out our window.

“He is…” And I knew I couldn’t deny him for long. What would have happened in the pond had those guys not appeared…we would have gone all the way. I needed to make sure pregnancy was not an option.

More importantly, with the danger that had begun to appear as of late, it was time for me to learn something new. If not for my own sake, then to protect Quill if it came down to it.

“Mother?” I said with my eyes on my palms.

“Yes?” she replied, turning her gaze from the window to me.

I exhaled and met her stare. “I want to learn enchantment.”