Page 84 of The Call of Crimson
Her eyes droop.
“We’ve got someone coming from the castle to help fix your leg,” I reassure her. “You just need to stay awake until they get here, okay?”
“Okay,” she whispers.
“Tell me about yourself, Rochelle,” I suggest. “How old are you?”
“Thirty-two,” she answers. Older than I expected, but still young.
“Well, you certainly age gracefully,” Ayden murmurs. “I wouldn’t have guessed you to be more than twenty-five.”
For once, Ayden’s subtle flirtations are just what is needed. A slight flush covers her cheeks.
“What do you do for a living?” I ask.
“I’m… a midwife,” Rochelle replies, alarm flaring her eyes wide. “I was on my way to check on a mother… She’s due any day… babe’s in the wrong position.”
“It’s okay,” I soothe, running a hand up and down her arm. “We’ll get someone else to her.”
“If you give me her name,” Ayden says, voice low and steady, “I’ll send the castle midwife to see to her personally.”
Rochelle rattles off the name and address, and Ayden relays it swiftly to another guard.
“See?” I murmur. “Everything is going to be okay.”
She nods weakly.
“Are you in pain?” I ask, scanning her for worsening signs of shock.
“Yes,” she whimpers.
Her tanned skin is clammy, her body trembling, and I know the shock has fully set in. We need to movefast.
It feels like hours, but finally, Aurelius arrives, Rowina right behind him on horseback.
“Thank the gods he brought Ro,” Ayden mutters, relief flashing across his face.
“What’s the damage?” Aurelius asks.
“Crushed leg,” I say, fast and grim. “Not sure if there are any breaks, but we can’t move the wood. If we do, she’ll bleed out. She’s already in shock.”
Rowina drops to the ground beside Rochelle, taking her hand and flashing her a warm, brilliant smile. “You have beautiful blue eyes, darling. Keep them on me, alright?”
Rochelle’s trembling eases, her muscles relaxing under Rowina’s Empath Gift.
Aurelius crouches next to Ayden, assessing the injury.
“Breyla, you apply pressure the second I pull it free. I can’t clot it until the object is removed. Ayden, you carry her to the carriage and get her to the castle. My Gift won’t hold indefinitely, so move fast.”
We nod, falling into place.
Aurelius meets my eyes, counting down from three. When he hits one, he slides the wood free. I slam both palms onto Rochelle’s thigh, trying to stem the flow of blood.
Her eyes widen, horror blooming across her face.
“Eyes on me,” Rowina commands sharply, and Rochelle blinks up at her, breathing in shallow gasps.
Aurelius’ Gift surges through the wound, slowly but surely, staunching the blood. By the time Rochelle’s stable enough to move, she’s concerningly pale.
