Page 14 of Blood of the Fallen
CHAPTER 6
Atsomepoint,Imust’ve fallen asleep because the din of conversation and movement outside the tent woke me up with a start. I sat up, heart pounding, eyes darting in every direction.
Everything’s fine, Jaz,I told myself, then shook my head at the name that had automatically sparked in my thoughts.
But Jazmin Bronte didn’t exist anymore. Most of her had died that last day at the Academy, and what little had remained was incinerated out of existence in that horrible pyre. But was I Sheela? I didn’t know. If so, I still didn’t feel entirely like her, even if it didn’t bother me when everyone called me that.
Maki and Novuk were gone, but Kall still lay on the pelt in the same position. The bandage that covered his eye was clean, evidence that Ila had already been here this morning. Further evidence was the clay cup resting atop the embers at the edge of the pit.
Without hesitation, I emptied the tea’s last drop. My stomach twisted, and that bitter taste filled my mouth. I wrinkled my nose.
As I stretched to my full height, my bones popped and the tense tendons in my back complained. I needed to use thefacilities, but I didn’t want to leave Kall alone.
I was about to poke my head through the door flap to see if someone could keep him company, when behind me, Kall let out a drawn-out groan. I whirled, took two long strides, and kneeled in front of him.
“Kall?” I watched his face intently. His bandaged eye was facing up, so I leaned sideways to look at the eye facing the ground.
It was opened!
“Kall!”
He groaned again.
“Do you hurt anywhere?” I stupidly asked.
Besides my head, you mean?
I grabbed my temples in relief, then blinked in surprise.
What is it?Kall asked, trying to lift his head to look at me. Clearly, he had registered my surprise through the communication link even though I hadn’t tried to express it in words.
“Um, I just realized I’m completely bald. My hair must’ve… burned off.”
And just when you were starting to look like a girl.
I huffed, that animosity that seemed to assault me every time Kall and I spoke rearing its head.I guess you don’t feel too awful if you can be a jerk as soon as you wake up.
I’m still on my deathbed, and this is how I get treated?
You can speak seri—
Maki and Novuk rushed through the door flap, crashing into each other and staggering at either side of me.
“About time,” Maki huffed.
“Yeah,” Novuk echoed, “we thought your lazy bones wanted to get carried all the way to Tanisi.”
Letting out little groans of pain, Kall sat up, his green eye blinking up at us. The light and energy I was used to seeing there were dim.
“Too weak to shift?” Novuk asked.
Kall nodded his big wolf head.
“Want to eat something? I got a deer flank with your name on it,” Maki offered.
This time, Kall shook his head, looking the way I felt at the mention of a deer flank. It had made my stomach clench and spasm in pain.
“So what?” Maki said. “Did your eyeball grow back? Can you feel it in there?”
