Page 44 of Magic in the Woods
I looked around the cavern. The witches had cleared out and retreated to their rooms. It was almost empty.
“No.” I looked at the muddy floor. “Don’t crawl.”
There was only one other person in the cavern. One I didn’t want to look at, much less ask a favor of. I looked down at Brooke and then back to the set of wooden doors that was the exit—it was far away. Even if I got her to the doors, we’d stillhave to get back to our room on the third floor. There were two sets of spiral stairs. I wouldn’t be able to get her back by myself.
I turned to face Gideon, keeping my eyes closed. I didn’t want to see his face. I breathed in through my nose and then out of my mouth. Unfortunately, this was the only way.
“It’d be really great if you could help me get her back to our room,” I said.
There was silence.
I cracked open one of my eyes just to see Gideon’s smirk. I quickly shut it.
“I’d be happy to save the day,” he said. “Like a certain knight in?—”
“Quit it,” I snapped, popping both of my eyes open. I gave him the nastiest glare I could muster. He could help me, but he wasn’t going to enjoy it.
Gideon grabbed ahold of Brooke’s arm on the injured side, and I took the other. We easily lifted her into a standing position.
“I still don’t trust you,” I said as we led my friend out of the cavern.
He peered around the front of Brooke, catching my eyes. “Then I’ll earn your trust.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Dafni
I unlockedthe door to my dorm with one hand, while supporting Brooke with the other. Gideon and I got her onto the bed, sitting her upright along the edge. I winced at the mud that had already trailed into our room and was now on the bed I shared with her.
Gideon backed away, glancing around the room, taking in what little we had to fill the small space.
“I know it’s not like your giant room,” I said as I bent down and began untying Brooke’s boots for her.
“It’s small,” he said, continuing to look around.
I pulled off one of Brooke’s boots. She sucked in a breath as cool air hit her injured ankle. The skin was red and broken in some places from the way the vine had squeezed her.
“You can go now,” I said as I walked past Gideon toward the bathroom. Maybe there were bandages or something belowthe sink. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gideon crouch down near the bed, running his fingers along the wall.
I couldn’t find a first-aid kit, of course, but we had a bar of soap in the bathroom, and I found an old cloth that we could use to wrap her foot.
“May I?” Gideon asked, motioning to the wall.
I walked over with my supplies, stopping to look at what he was asking. There, in the brick, was the lightest of etchings; one of the words he collected.
I shrugged, and Gideon pulled a white sheet of paper and piece of black chalk from his pocket. He crouched down next to the wall as I did the same next to Brooke. We were close, although facing opposite directions.
“You shouldn’t be living in such a small room with two other people,” he said as he rubbed the chalk back and forth against the paper. “You shouldn’t have to share a bed with Brooke.”
“And where else would I sleep?” I lathered the wet bar of soap in my hands.
“Is it going to hurt?” Brooke asked, eyeing the suds forming.
“We have to clean the wounds,” I said.
Gideon cleared his throat. “You could sleep in my room.”
I lost grip of the soap, juggling the bar between my hands for a moment before I regained control of it.
