Page 15 of Blood of the Fallen
Novuk reached out behind me and slapped Maki in the back of the head.
“Ow, what was that for?” Maki demanded.
I shook my head. “Insensitive much?”
A frown cut through Maki’s forehead. “You talk strange.”
Kall’s entire demeanor was crestfallen. I exchanged a look with Novuk, who was certainly the most sensitive of the three and could probably read the sadness in Kall’s expression—unlike Maki who was as sensitive as a rock.
I fought the urge to pet Kall’s head, wondering if the sorrow meant his eye was lost.
Sheela, can you remove the bandage, please?Kall spoke in my mind.
Once more, Novuk and I looked at each other, our deep concern seeming to shudder between us. Slowly, I reached for the bandage around Kall’s head and found the spot where Ila had tied the frayed ends together.
My fingers trembled as I undid the knot. I wanted to stop, to let someone else do this, but I couldn’t cower, not when he’d come to rescue me, when he’d fought and was injured because of me. When the knot came loose, I carefully started unwinding the bandage, which went around his head and neck. When the last bit of it came off, I stood back and almost gasped at the sight of the dry blood matting the fur around his eye and making the socket look damaged.
Kall’s eye focused on my expression.That bad?
“Can you open it?” Maki asked, reaching over as if he meant to pull his eyelid back.
I put an arm across his chest to stop him. Did he have no sense? I was scrambling for something to say when Ila walked in.
“What are you doing?” She walked further in and noticed her patient was finally awake.
“Kall!” she exclaimed, rushing to his side and kneeling in front of him. Her hands hovered close to his head but didn’t touch him. “Who removed the bandage?
“He asked me to,” I said in a rush of air, feeling like a naughty child.
“It’s fine,” she said. “It’s better this way.” She reached for a pile of neatly folded bandages, picked one up, and dipped it in the pot of warm water hanging over the pit.
“Stay still. I’m going to clean your eye.”
Ever so gently, she began wiping Kall’s fur, going in circles around his eye. Gradually, she removed the dried-up blood, leaving behind pristine white hair.
As she got closer to his eyes, she asked, “Does it hurt?”
He made a sound in the back of his throat that sounded like ano, so she went over his closed eyelid, her hands more tender still.
When she was done and pulled away, a scar that cut vertically across Kall’s eye was revealed. It was a jagged line of pink tissue that tarnished his handsome features.
A lump got stuck in my throat as I feared his reaction to the mark.
“You lucky, bastard!” Maki exclaimed. “He gets all the attentionanda battle scar.”
Ila sighed in frustration. “The two of you. Out of here. Now!”
Maki let out a small growl. “As I was saying.” He stomped past the door flap, followed closely by Novuk.
When they were gone, Ila returned her attention to Kall. “I have a special salve that may get rid of the scar.”
He shook his shoulders as if to say the scar didn’t matter.
“Can you try to open your eye?”
Blowing air through his nose, he shook his head.
“Let me…” Ila lifted both hands, reaching for his face.
