Page 116 of Golden Queen
"Oh, shut up," I told her, though in my ruined voice, it came out sounding weak and thready. I saw a look of surprise cross her features that I had spoken so harshly.
I had the sense that my anger would not help with the tension that already existed between us, so I forced myself to look contritely at her. "He will carry me," I added, more evenly.
"Are you sure?" Aben asked, directing the question to Io.
"I'm sure," he said, confidently.
I directed him to the inconspicuous door in the corner that led to the unused stairs and the balcony.
Before we reached the door, the guard moved in front of me. "I have to get back to my men, Your Majesty. It has been my honor to serve you and the house of Lithaway."
He bowed respectfully as a knot of pure, aching despair formed in my throat. I reached from inside Io's coat, clenching my teeth against the pain as the guard took my hand gently. He leaned forward, holding the back of my fingers against his sweat-slickened brow for a moment. And then he straightened, placing his sword against his heart. "Long live the Queen," he said and then strode across the marble steps in the direction of the battle as tears rolled down my cheeks.
When we were out in the open air of the little balcony, the bright light surprised me. I realized it was broad daylight. The smoke outside the gate had made me think it was evening—edging toward sunset. Above the line of the buildings, the sky was a clear, vivid blue.
My dragon launched herself into the sky. I tracked her as the white blur disappeared into the blue.
Aben and Britaxia stood for a moment at the edge of the balcony, looking down at the city, but I didn't even want to know what they saw as sudden exhaustion blanketed me.
Aben climbed up onto the roof and then balancing on the stone balustrade, Io handed me gingerly up to his cousin's waiting arms.
I cried out as my body moved, sudden intense agony rolling down my arms and through my feet as they were jostled.
Aben carefully laid me down on the roof and then stripped off his own coat to pillow it under my head.
Everything hurt and now that the adrenaline was gone, the pain and anger came rushing back into me, making me shake.
My arms hurt the most, but the dull throb that had started up in the back of my head was enough to make me grit my teeth and close my eyes.
I groaned as nausea rolled through me and the bitter taste of bile crawled up the back of my throat.
I felt Io's hand on my face and warmth pressing into me, flooding my body like clear water washing away the pain. I stopped shaking again as relief coursed through me.
I realized that he had been doing that the entire time—using his magic to calm and soothe me—to dull the agony down to a bearable state. The momentary break in contact between us had been all it took to bring the ruined state of my body back into sharp focus.
I looked up at him and sighed. "That's better."
He smiled, releasing a long breath as he lowered himself to sit beside me without breaking the contact with my skin.
Aben was watching him intently, and I wondered briefly what he saw or whether he was disapproving of the touch, the tenderness between us. He had to know that Io was only trying to help me.
"I won't be able to take the pain away while I heal your body," Io said apologetically. "I'll start with the worst though—and that should help. I'll do as much as I can in the time until the dragons get here."
"Can't Aben or Britaxia help?" I asked, feeling almost frantically fearful of the pain that would come. "Can't they take away the pain while you—?"
He cut me off, wincing. "I'm sorry, Sera. I'm the only one who can do it." He looked like the idea of hurting me was as abhorrent to him as it was to me.
I smiled reassuringly. "I'll be fine. It's not so bad really." I wanted to take away that haunted look in his eyes.
He shook his head, smiling as though exasperated. "Ridiculous, brave girl," he said as he smoothed the hair back from my temple with his free hand.
His hands on my face felt more like an embrace to me than when I had been in his arms. I savored it, closing my eyes against the tears that were trying to gather in my eyes.
I forgot all about stemming the tide of my tears or trying to reassure him when he took his hand away and the pain came back full force. My body seemed to rebound sharply from the moment of joy I'd felt with his hands against my skin. I had to grit my teeth to keep from screaming as he worked.
He did not need to ask which was the worst injury. He went straight to my flayed arms.
I couldn’t even feel the warmth of the healing magic I knew would be radiating from his hands as he worked. The pain was all encompassing.
