Chapter 46 Delayed
Chapter 46 Delayed
Aizurah had strange dreams as she healed, poppy dreams, as the physicians called them. The medicine in her system not only numbed the pain but her mind as well. She dreamed of riding Starlyght through a lightning storm. She dreamed of riding her prince on top of Varynx, blood and flames covering the ground beneath them as they came together over and over again.
When she woke, she was strangely aroused and very confused. The tent was empty, and she struggled to push herself up from the cot. Her mind was foggy, her thoughts scattered as she forced herself up from the bed, pain tearing through her midsection.
It took her ages, hours perhaps, to pull on her tunic and a pair of trousers. Her boots remained unlaced; she could barely put them on. She finally stepped out of the tent, squinting against the orange light of the setting sun. Aizurah was already sweating; the effort of dressing had quickly taken a toll on her. As she shuffled slowly down the path that had been carved through the camp, the men she passed paused to bow to her. It made her uncomfortable. She had done no more than anyone else in their army; sacrificed the same as any of the other men. They all deserved the same respect.
Zeidan’s mouth fell open as she approached the war table.
“Aizurah, what in the gods’ hells—”
“How long have I been in bed?” she asked, leaning against the table for support, trying to hide her exhaustion as she inhaled sharp breaths.
“Princess, your husband is right,” Lord Taevar told her, “You should be abed.”
“How long has it been?” she reiterated stubbornly.
“Two full days, princess.” Taevar finally replied. She sighed.
“I’m not going to continue to lie in that cot and be of no use. At the very least I can help you discuss strategy. Also, I would like to eat something solid…”
Maerus grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“You are an inspiration to us all, cousin…” he told her, giving her a soft squeeze. Aizurah smiled at him, despite the pain she was in. “You look terrible,” he whispered in her ear. She snorted indelicately and shook her head in amusement. At least someone was being blatantly honest with her…
“I must insist you return to bed, wife,” Zeidan practically growled at her. Neither of them moved as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. No one else around the table dared to breathe as their eyes battled for dominance.
Eventually, Aizurah relented. She huffed, turned on her heel, and tried to march away, only moving ten paces before she realized it was more of a waddle and she likely looked silly.
In the end, she barely made it to the campfire before her muscles were screaming and she could no longer continue to walk. She leaned against Arden’s shoulder for support and slowly lowered herself to the ground, grimacing and shaking her head when he tried to assist her. Her bum landed in the dirt with a soft thud, the impact vibrating through her body and causing her to groan.
“You should be resting, princess.”
“I swear,” she said through gritted teeth, “if one more person tells me that, I’m going to cut his cock off and feed it to Starlyght!” Warryk snorted his laughter into his bowl of stew.
“At least let me get you something to eat and drink,” Arden offered. She agreed with a thankful nod. He was back, in only a minute, with a hot bowl of stew in his hands. The trio ate in silence, finding comfort in one another’s company, regardless of the lack of conversation. The stew warmed her insides, the ale more so, and she settled against Arden’s side.
“How are you, Warryk?” she asked with a soft smile. He looked nearly as rough as she felt. His lip had been split, and he had a cut across his browbone that had crusted over.
“Couldn’t be better, princess,” he assured her with a smile. She turned to her sworn shield.
“Arden, what happened? After you saved me?” she asked. “Lord Taevar says I’ve been asleep for days…” Arden sighed, opened his mouth to speak, and then paused, as though considering his words.
“The moment I realized we were separated, I tried to find you, princess. The caves were… difficult to navigate, to say the least. And then I saw you there, on the ground, your face bloody… I thought—” He took a deep breath. “I thought you were dead.”
“For a moment, so did I…” she admitted. “What about after?”
“I realized you were still breathing and carried you out to Prince Zeidan. I’ve never seen him look scared in my life, but he looked absolutely petrified. I thought he might murder me on the spot, but he plucked you from my arms and pulled you up onto his dragon…”
“I meant the battle…” she said with a soft grin.
“Oh.” A flush of embarrassment bloomed on his skin, and she couldn’t help but laugh, the motion immediately making her wince. “Well, the caves have been completely flushed out. We had men remain on the beach and keep an eye out for anyone we might have missed. We have moved some of them to Jewelpointe for the remainder of our occupation. I know Lord Taevar wants to launch an attack on Starpointe, but he’s been waiting for Prince Zeidan.”
“What do you mean?” Aizurah set her cup down on the ground. “What has Zeidan been doing?”
“The prince has not left the camp since your injury, princess,” Warryk interjected. Aizurah blinked in surprise. What an idiot…
“Arden, help me up, please.” He did so without hesitation, and then she was hobbling back to the war table. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” she gritted out, slamming her hand on the table, not caring who witnessed the outburst. The men around the table grew silent, and irritation bloomed on Zeidan’s face. “You’ve been here for two days? Instead of out there?”
“My apologies for being concerned about my wife,” he sneered. Her insides bubbled with anger.
“You idiot,” she huffed, “Do you want to go home or not? I’m not going to die, and the more time you spend here, worrying for me, the longer we must remain on this piece of rock.” The Cyrrant men shared a wide-eyed look, clearly grateful they didn’t have wives with them to answer to. She let out an annoyed groan and left him there, staring after her.