UNGLOVED

Chapter Nine

"Who is next?" she asked Dor.

"This one here," he replied, pointing to another bloody body on a stretcher.

A basin and towel were placed beside Liriel, and she dipped her soiled hands in the clear water, scrubbing them with soap until they were clean, then rinsing them in another basin of fresh water. She turned to the next soldier. Her fingers began to twitch. She lifted her hands up in front of her, spread out the fingers to see their condition. The skin was chafed raw from washing and her hands were trembling badly now.

Liriel wanted to ignore the trembling. There were still so many who needed her here, but Dor caught sight of her checking and came over to her.

"You are done for today. Go and rest," he ordered. The gruffness of his tone made Liriel feel as if she had failed in some way.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Dor softened. "You didn't start this war, little bird, and you can't patch up every soldier injured in the fighting, although I suspect you might secretly wish to."

He was right. Liriel didn't like to accept defeat, but she usually lasted longer than this.

He nudged her out of the tent.

#

Liriel woke one night at the end of her first week at the army encampment. The place was a tidy village of canvas tents, lined row upon row creating streets and avenues in between them. All afternoon she had been excited. Tonight she hoped to see Lorenzo.

Before they parted, he had placed a clear image in her mind of a room in a small house somewhere in Castillon. They had agreed to meet when the southern star, Safilia, first climbed over the horizon at the beginning of the month. It might not always be possible to make their way each time, but they agreed to keep coming back. It was the only way they could contact each other.

She checked herself to make sure she had replenished her maru before leaving. The house was near the border, so she wouldn't have to travel too far, but she wanted to avoid restoring her maru by siphoning from plants. It hadn't felt right the last few times she's done it.

She called up the image Lorenzo had shared with her, a humble shack, really, nestled in the woods, a distance away from several others to avoid notice. She gathered up her strength of will and pushed.

It took a long time, longer than any other transport she had attempted, but it was farther than she had previously travelled. Seconds passed while she remained in a black, airless emptiness. She held her breath as she waited to appear. As the moments passed in the dark and her desire to breathe grew, Liriel had to suppress the urge to panic. Empty space pressed against her ears. She wanted to scream. At last a dim light blossomed around her as she appeared in a tiny bedroom in a humble hut.

She gasped for air as soon as she realized she had arrived. The room began to spin, bringing her down, but before she could fall, strong arms caught her and swept her up. 

"Lorenzo!" 

He eased her down to the bed. 

"My lady." He crouched down and leaned his crossed arms on the edge of the bed. She turned to see his bright eyes sparkle in the dim candle light. He took her hand and kissed it.

Liriel cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. "I'm so glad to find you here."

"It wasn't easy to convince my fighters to let me leave, but I chose this house for a reason. They wouldn't question or follow me here.

"Is there something significant about this little house?" Liriel sat up now that she was able. She checked her maru. It had dipped significantly, but not dangerously. She would eat a little and rest a while before returning.