A Web of Steam & Puppet Strings (Sevastyan #1)

Chapter Nineteen

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The door slid open and I jerked from deep sleep. A heavy daze clung to my eyes and my bones ached and my leg throbbed, but Aris heaved me upright and propped me up against the wall with a tray in my lap. I slurped little of the rice porridge. My appetite had been kicked in the face.

I washed down a lumpy mouthful with several gulps of water. I didn't realize how thirsty I was until Aris caught my arm and lowered the cup from my face. "Pace yourself. Hypothermia causes you to lose a lot of water, but don't replenish it all at once." He had resumed his spot on the edge of the cot with Eliza sitting cross-legged on the floor beside me and Lazar by the door again.

But Aris pulled out the box of medical supplies and rummaged around as I watched with narrowed eyes. He set out fresh gauze and then—a needle. The tray jerked in my lap and I said, "Why?"

Aris shrugged. "You're not sleeping well enough even when you do let yourself sleep, so I'm drugging you—now that we know what this is and all."

I didn't have a choice. As soon as I had consumed enough liquid and sustenance, after another toilet break that I so very needed, he swiped the sensitive skin in the crook of my forearm with something that smelled of alcohol, and then the needle went in. I didn't have the chance to watch him finish tending to re-wrapping my leg before I was out again.

I came to later just long enough to hear Eliza and Katya talking quietly to each other.

"...a break, Eliza," Katya said. "You need one. Your eyes are tired and you look halfway to sleep already."

"I've taken breaks."

"To see the daylight for two minutes and then come right back?" She huffed. "Didn't you hear Aristarkh? You can't take care of anyone until you take care of yourself first. Let me cover you for a little while."

"He might wake up."

"I highly doubt it. Look at him."

I drifted off before I found out if she accepted the offer.

The next time I came to, it was to Eliza's distant voice. "Lights out is in about an hour."

A groan escaped me and I shifted my stiff body. Took a few more grunts before I could manage mostly coherent speech. "How long...have I slept?"

"A while." Lazar resumed his post near the door, leaning against the wall, arms folded. "You've needed it."

I fought against the reins of sleep yanking on my heavy head. I blinked and blinked, but the realization dumped ice water onto me: it was nearly lights out.

It was nearly the time when she switched on her machine.

I stared straight up at the ceiling but I saw right past it, to Ivan accusing me of knocking out Valery and dragging him through the doors. Bittersweet bile prickled at the back of my tongue. "What if she summons me to do something tonight? She knows. She knows I know now. She didn't try to hide it with the message she left."

She didn't give up Aris for no reason.

Aris dragged his fingers through his mess of brown tangles. "You said you attach yourself to Eliza at night? Then there's our answer. I'll sleep in here with you and you can tie your other arm to me."

My fingers stiffened. I shoved the blanket aside. "I-I don't think—"

"That's a terrible idea." Lazar's eyebrow twitched. "Two people can barely fit in here, and as miniscule as you are, fitting comfortably is farfetched."