TORTURED SOUL, general kirigan ✔

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Once they were inside the inn room, Liliya gave Daish the bed and he snuggled under. The redhead sat on the rickety chair and began to unbandage her wound. It was disgusting, puss-covered and dried blood. It even seemed to be black and her nose scrunched up at it. A soft huff escaping her lips before she just lifted her leg up. Allowing the air to get to it as she stared up at the ceiling.

The past few days had made her realise how stupid she truly was. There was a part of her that knew it was dangerous to go after the boy that day. That Ivan was going to betray her. That maybe.. .just maybe her father was alive but it all happened. It all happened and even Tomas had betrayed them. One of their own. He was dead now. Shot in some backforest where nobody would find him. Liliya was glad.

But she caught herself, the heels of her hands pushing against her eyes. The patterns appearing on her eyelids and she was briefly mesmerised before she let her hands fall. They were bloody and muddy. Brown and red smeared across her pale skin. Her veins were more obvious than ever before and she felt strange. She felt disgusting and she wanted nothing more than a shower and to be lying in bed with Kirigan. She missed him, she missed him more than anything.

Then there was a knock on the door and she limped up from where she was stood. She pulled the door open and a woman was stood on the other side. A smile on her face and a bag in her hand. Liliya pulled her eyebrows together.

"He-Hello," Liliya said, realising that she had begun to speak Shu. She was quick to correct herself and the woman smiled, "Is there anything I can do?" Liliya asked. The exhaustion lacing her tone. She just wanted to fall asleep.

"My little girl noticed your bandaged leg and in the state you're in, I assumed it wasn't bandaged properly. I assumed correctly," The woman said, glancing down at Liliya's bulletwound. The redhead shrugged and pressed her hand against the door frame as to not fall over. That would be one embarassing way to end a conversation.

"I don't need the help. It's okay," Liliya said softly, "Thank you but I'll just wrap it up and when I return to Os Alta, it'll be fine," Liliya attempted to reassure but she was sure she just sounded arrogant. The woman didn't look impressed so Liliya simply sighed, "I don't have anymore money," She added. The woman shrugged and then Liliya stepped back, allowing her in. The two of them sat down. The woman knelt on the floor and Liliya sat on the chair.

"My name is Polina," The woman said as she opened the satchel. Liliya smiled, a beautiful name for a beautiful woman. She was a little older than Liliya. More wrinkles on her face but she was still beautiful. A youthful twinkle in her eye and gorgeous sleek black hair that Liliya quickly found herself jealous of.

"Liliya. You really don't have to help," The redhead muttered. Polina shook her head and then poured some alcohol onto a cloth before pressing it against the wound. A soft cry escaped Liliya's lips as her head fell back. Daish was - thankfully - fast-asleep on the bed so didn't take any notice to the two speaking.

"If I may ask, how did you get this wound?" Polina asked as she wiped the blood away from the wound still. The pain had subsided again and Liliya sighed. There was some part of her that just wanted to spill the truth and tell Polina everything she possibly could but the better part of her knew it wasn't a good idea. Nobody could know the business of the Grisha. Most of the people of Ravka held some sort of dislike for the Grisha.

"I got into an altercation while trying to save the boy," Liliya said, gesturing vaguely towards the bed. Polina looked back for a momnet before she nodded and continued to wipe up the wound. Then she placed the cloth down.

"Is the boy injured?" Polina asked. Liliya shook her head and felt something cool pressed against her skin. Her head shot down to see a simple paste being applied to her skin. The redness and heat from the wound subsiding with the application.