Dean raises his arm. "Cut him down. Now."
This time, the vampires do pay attention. They pause. "Apologies, your Grace," says the big one. "But this one is my slave. I can do what I like with my property."
"You will cut him down," Dean says, and intensity in his eyes I’ve not seen before. "Or I will take your hand with my blade."
"Maybe we should, Roge," says the smallest of the three.
Roge, the big one, nods. "Very well. I meant no offense. Release him." They untie the rope, setting the Fae free.
I run to the man’s aid, helping him stand and whispering an incantation to help with his pain. He is covered with purple bruises, and my spell does not do enough. "I need to take him to a healer. Is there one nearby?"
Dean points to a tree in the distance. "There’s a healer in the building there. Faster than trying to find Baldar."
I nod and help the Fae forward as his accusers disappear down an alley.
"I’ll come with you," says Fen.
"No. I’ll be fine. You’re of more use here, planning how to retake Stonehill."
He pauses, then nods and returns to the courtyard with Dean.
I venture forward with the Fae, making small talk, and learn his name is Lars. The sky grows grey as we walk, and mist begins to form around our feet. "A storm be coming," says Lars. The words send him into a coughing fit, and we rest for a moment before continuing.
As we approach the tree, I see it's far larger than I imagined, towering over the nearby houses. It is grey and dead, and I wonder if this is one of the great trees Baldar spoke of. I notice holes and passages carved into the trunk high above, and I wonder if that's where he lived.
At the base of the tree stands a structure of white and gray stone, built so part of it wraps around the trunk. It's a large location and full of space. Inside, I see dozens of beds filled with men and women suffering from various injuries and ailments. There are vampire, Fae, and Shade. It seems all are welcome here. Healers scurry about, their white gowns grey with dust and sometimes red with blood. One woman catches my eye. "Seri?"
She finds my gaze, her short bob pinned away from her face. She was the one who taught me basic healing in Asher’s realm. But… "What are you doing here?" I ask.
She blinks twice. "Excuse me. Do I know you?"
Right. The illusion. I want to tell her who I am, but I can’t be sure who’s listening. Any one of these patients could let the information spread. "I helped to treat the wounded at Sky Castle. You taught me how."
"Oh. I’m sorry. I don’t remember."
I shrug, smiling. "I wasn’t there very long. This man, he needs help."
"Of course," says Seri. She helps Lars to a bed and gives him a tonic for pain. I bring clean sheets and examine his wounds. The whole time, her face seems confused, and I think perhaps she is sensing I am more than I appear.
After a minute, Lars doses off, resting with the remedies we gave him, and Seri turns to me. "You want to stay a while? I need more like you."
"Sure." I know Varis will not be happy, since he needs to train me, but I need to feel helpful in the moment. I need something to ease the pain of my nightmares. Of what I allowed to happen to Daison. Of what I may allow still.
"What's your name again, I don't remember?" asks Seri.
"Um… Diana."
"Very well. Nice to meet you Diana. Come, I need help with another patient."
I nod, following her to another bed, and help set a woman’s broken leg. "So many injured," I say later, sitting on an empty cot, looking around.
Seri leans against the wall, eating some kind of leaves from the pack tied around her waist. "Most were injured in the battle of Stonehill, fighting against the Fae. Others are just unlucky or careless."
She offers me a leaf, and I accept. The chewing is difficult, but the taste is nice and it's surprisingly filling. "What brought you here?" I ask. "Aren’t you Keeper to Prince Asher?"
Seri sighs, leaving a leaf half eaten. "Things are changing up north for Fae and Shade. People are being hung and beaten for no reason under Levi’s rule, and his influence is spreading. Asher allowed me to travel south for my own safety."
I think of Lars, almost hung on that tree. He healed enough to leave a few minutes ago, and I wished him well. "It seems, even here, Fae are in danger like never before."
Seri shrugs. "Times have been hard for our folk before. We always survive."
Her words touch me more deeply than she can know. For I am the reason things are changing for the worse, and I am the one who must make it better. Instead I sit here, talking, eating tasty food. "Seri, I—"