Page 46 of Bones
“No,” I said before Griz or Trey could say anything, “it’s fine. You need stitches?”
“I, uh, I think so,” the woman said. “Stupid knife slipped when I was cutting the soap.”
I went back to the sink, washing my hands and my face for good measure, relishing the feel of the cold water on my swelling eye and cheek. When I turned around, the woman studied my face. I remembered Clarity mentioning the soapmaker, but I couldn’t remember her name.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
“Looks worse than it is,” I tried to say lightly, but my voice sounded wooden even to my own ears. “Have a seat.” I gestured toward the exam chair as I got out my tools.
She frowned and glanced at Trey and Griz as she sat. “What happened?” she asked them.
“Lana paid two men to attack Bones,” Trey answered, his voice dark.
She looked back at me, her eyes wide. “Because of Exo?”
“Yeah,” Trey sighed.
“Exile?”
“All three of ’em.”
I moved to her side and focused on disinfecting the gash in her arm, trying to ignore them. My hands still trembled, and I attempted to steady them by sheer force of will. Trying to stitch a wound with shaking hands was shitty for everyone involved.
“I’m sorry, Bones,” the woman said. “My name is Mist by the way.”
I flicked my eyes to hers. She smiled, and I dropped my gaze again, wishing people would stop fucking talking to me. For a few minutes, I thought I got my wish, working in silence. I finally got her all prepped and sat on the stool, bending over her arm with my needle ready. I took a deep breath, relieved to see my hands were steadier.
“Is the lavender ok?” Mist asked.
I looked up, confused.
“The soap,” she clarified with a smile. “I have different scents if you don’t like it.”
“Oh,” I said, “no, I…I like it.”
She beamed. “Oh good. I was—fuck.” She winced as I made the first stitch.
“Sorry,” I murmured.
"S'ok," she sighed. "My own fault for not watching what I was fucking doing. I was gonna say I hoped a nice calming scent would be good for the med clinic. So I tracked down some wild lavender."
That thoughtful act made emotion flood me again. I stayed bent over her arm so I didn’t have to worry about my face. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I could hear the smile in her voice. “I’ll put it on my foraging list then.”
“Where do you forage?” I asked, hoping I sounded normal and not like I was fishing for information.
“In the woods,” she said cheerfully. “Hawk takes me once a week.”
It took me a second to remember Hawk was the leader of the other Safeguard crew. I tucked that information away.
“The rainwater barrels still working?” Trey asked.
Mist grinned at him. “Like a charm.” She back at me and caught me glancing between them. “Trey helped me build a couple rain barrels for making lye. Now I don’t have to trek down to the river and fill up buckets.”
I nodded like I understood, which I didn’t. They continued to chat about various things, and I let their voices fade into a pleasant background noise. After I finished, she thanked me warmly and said goodbye to all of us. Trey took my supplies and began to sterilize them. Griz wiped down the table as I washed up.
“Bones, I really think you should rest a beat,” Trey tried again.
