The Conduit: Illisian Chronicles, Book 1

Chapter 4: Springhaven, Part 2

Quinn

I take a seat outside the door and run a hand through my hair. Given the situation we found her in back at the inn, It was obvious DeReins had assaulted her, and likely not just once. I'm seriously regretting leaving Dersheim without putting an arrow through that man's head. The things that girl must have gone through daily. He's beaten her into submission. Brainwashed to avoid eye contact, only speaking when addressed directly, assuming that any beating she incurred was because she did something wrong. She's been thoroughly beaten down. I just hope the trials she's undergone haven't broken her entirely, and with time, she'll come to trust us and open up.

I look up as Xander enters and makes his way over from the front door. "Liam is stabling the horses and making arrangements at the inn. Then he'll meet us at the tailor's shop. How is she?"

I sigh and stand, running a hand through my hair again, Xander had closed off our mind link to give Cassie more privacy. "About as we suspected, cracked, possibly broken ribs and those burns seem to be the worst of the physical trauma. Cassie's done a good job of keeping the wounds clean, so the only injuries that we need to worry about are her hands. I'll push as much of my magic as I can get through her barriers to see if I can speed up healing any, but until she relaxes some, I doubt much will make it through."

Xander nods, "Until she trusts us, and I can learn more about her barriers, there will be very little magical aid we'll be able to provide her."

We both turn as the door behind us opens. Cassie comes out first, head turned down and arms clutching a small satchel against her stomach. Layla jerks her head, indicating she wants to speak with me.

Xander sees the motion and turns to Cassie, "Cassandra, come with me, and we'll go see if we can find you some warmer clothing, Quinn can catch up with us later."

As seems to be her norm, Cassie simply nods her head and obediently follows Xander from the store, never even lifting her gaze from the floor.

I turn to Layla, and she lets out a breath. "That girl has been through hell."

I let out a grunt in agreement, "Any other damage I need to be aware of?"

"She had some bruising, but nothing to be overly concerned about. I gave her a bundle of supplies. She made her own willow bark powder that she's been taking for the pain. I told her I'd give her some stronger pills instead. I'm also giving you a salve to apply to her hands and back as well as some antibiotics and vitamins. She's malnourished and underweight, as you no doubt noticed. She said a man named Charlie and his wife Evette would sneak her food whenever they could, but her master didn't like them wasting good food on her and would often punish her by withholding it. She's healing incredibly well from her injuries. With the extent of the damage to her hands, she's lucky not to need surgery. It probably has something to do with her genetics."

"Barring any complications, I'm hopeful they'll heal relatively well, but I'm worried about the potential long-term damage to the nerves if I can't assist her healing." I sigh.

"That was my conclusion as well. They should heal okay on their own, but they'd heal much better with magical assistance. Evette had given her a minor contraception charm to prevent pregnancy. I strengthened the enchantment and added a sigil of tracking. I disguised it as a part of the strengthening, so she doesn't know. You can move the binding to your team easily enough. The charm is a bead braided into her hair right at the base of her skull. I also found a tracking sigil tattooed on the inside of her upper thigh. I erased it so her former master can't use it to find her again. It was well glamoured. I wouldn't have even noticed it if I hadn't brushed up against it during the exam. It was so strong, I almost wasn't able to remove it myself."