Page 112 of The Study of Fire
Leif deflated.
“What did you do with those glass animals she gave you?” Valek asked.
“Oh, that’s right! Ah… They’re in my pack. Which is…” Leif cast about. “So much has happened.” He rubbed a hand through his short brown hair. “It’s in the wagon!”
“Where’s the wagon?”
“Last I saw it was parked next to the Administration building.”
“Thanks.” Valek ran into Ari on his way out. It was like hitting a brick wall.
“Whoa,” the big man said, steadying Valek.
“Are you injured?” So focused on Yelena, he hadn’t checked on his seconds.
“No. I’m just helping out. With so many wounded, the healers could use it. I even drafted Janco.”
“I’m sure he was thrilled.” Then Valek realized why there were so many in need of care. “The resistance?”
Ari frowned and his brow creased with grief. “Yeah. Without magicians on their side, they were hit pretty hard. About a dozen casualties.”
“And you feel responsible?”
“Of course. I motivated them. And it didn’t matter in the end. We didn’t need them.”
“We did. They pulled warpers from our fight, which gave us more time to keep them busy while Yelena did her thing.”
“Besides saving us all, whatexactlydid she do?”
“I’m not sure. We’ll have to ask her when she comes back.”
“Will she?”
“She will.” Valek refused to believe otherwise.
He found Leif’s pack in the wagon and returned to the infirmary. Handing one of the glass statues to Leif, he said, “See if you can talk to Yelena.”
Leif stared at the turtle for a long moment. His shoulders slumped. “No answer.”
“She might be busy, keep trying.”
“For how long?”
“For as long as it takes.” Valek almost snarled. Almost. She was Leif’s sister, and he was hurting as well. “Does it take a lot of energy?”
“No.”
“Then how about once an hour?”
“All right, I’ll try again.”
Valek had two more statues. He found Irys in her office. With her elbows on the desk, she rested her head in her hands.
She looked up when he approached. Her face was lined with exhaustion. “There is so much to do. I don’t know where to start.”
“Start with a council session. Explain what happened, assure them that their children and spouse are safe, and then delegate. Make a list of what needs to be done, then let each councilor handle a task. You can’t do everything.”
She gave him a tired smile. “Did you need something?”
