The Iron Butterfly (Iron Butterfly #1)(6)

“How are you doing?”

His strong fingers went to my brow to adjust the bandage that was wrapped around my head. I flinched with the contact. He made shushing noises as I tried to protest the cup of water he was putting to my lips. But once the cool water touched my dry throat I grasped his hand and began to drink greedily, moaning in protest when he pulled it away.

“No, that’s enough. I’m sure you have plenty of questions, and we have some for you, but let me assure you first and foremost that you are safe. And we won’t harm you. What’s your name?”

“Thalia.” I paused as I racked my brain helplessly for more. But that’s all I was able to give him.

“Well, Thalia, you can call me Joss. The funny looking man burning the soup is Darren Hamden.” He gestured to the brightly decorated man I was staring at earlier. My eyes skimmed Joss' outfit and saw that he too, was dressed in finely tailored clothes, although not as exuberant as Darren's clothes.

“Where are we?” I implored.

“Well, we are currently in Calandry,” he said as he pointed across the river, “right over there is Sinnendor, if that is where you would like to be?”

I stared blankly at Joss, waiting for him to elaborate. He bobbed his head as he hurriedly tried to explain.

“We stopped to water the horses and found you, injured and burning with fever on the riverbank.” Joss nodded in Darren’s direction. “Darren thought maybe you had a run in with some of Sinnendor's Elite.”

What I knew of Sinnendor was very little. It was a country run by a King that hated all Denai. So the Denai stayed clear of their borders and the blood thirsty king. But accidents happen and sometimes Sinnendor’s bloodline wasn’t always as pure as the King hoped. Those with mixed blood tried to escape at night to Calandry, where all races were welcome. Most never made it past the guards, or “The Elite,” Sinnendor's fiercest warriors that patrolled the borders and killed anyone trying to enter or leave the country on sight. Their sole purpose was to keep the scourge of the impure out of the country and kill those with it, trying to leave.

Joss interrupted my thoughts, “We don’t care much for the King of Sinnendor or how they run things, but that wouldn’t stop us from offering help.” The look he gave me was a questioning one, as if he himself was still trying to figure out where I fit in. “You were unconscious, so I took the liberty of healing your wounds.”

“So you are a Denai?” I looked at him surprised.

Joss nodded yes. In embarrassment he looked down at the ground before looking back up at me, and it made me realize he was probably only a year older than me.

Taking a quick breath he went on. “You had intensive internal injuries and I wasn't able to heal everything. So there will be scarring….” he looked solemn and nodded to my arms.

I glanced at my arms and saw that the cuts, burns and scars had faded to faint silvery lines where before they were a deep infected red. The black and blue bruises were gone. I hadn’t felt so good in a long time, but I felt a cold sweat start to break out at the thought of Joss using power on me, while I was unconscious. It was too similar to what the Septori had done. I quelled the fear in the pit of my stomach, and swallowed my pride.

I nodded to Joss in answer. “Let 'em be, scars can heal in their own time.” I was about to say more when Darren brought over a bowl of broth with small chopped up vegetables in it. My stomach growled over the broth and I immediately started drinking it right out of the bowl. I finished with only letting a little dribble down my chin, but my gaze was drawn to the meat roasting over the fire. When was the last time I had tasted meat?

“Well, well, well,” Darren laughed. “Hungry little thing, isn’t she? Don’t worry; you can have more broth in a little bit. It needs to settle to see if it’s going to stay down before you can have more.” He caught my gaze drifting to the meat again. His demeanor became more serious as he politely explained. “Your body isn’t ready for meat yet, little one; it will just come back up.”

I took in his appearance now that he was closer and I saw the neatly trimmed triangle of hair under his bottom lip. He sported one gold hoop earring with a single blue bead that added to the carefree rover look of him.

“Why don’t you explain how you ended up in the river and then we will give you some more broth, eh?” Darren interrupted. My thoughts immediately flashed back to my time as a prisoner and I began to uncontrollably shake.

“Now, now,” Darren said. “It’s okay, but I think it will get easier if you face your fears and talk about it.”

Glancing at Joss I saw that he had become quiet and sat back as if steeling himself for the news. I shrugged my shoulders in indifference. “I'll talk as long as Darren keeps my bowl filled.” Darren’s bold laughter eased the tension as he shook my hand to seal the deal.

Even though their friendly manner made me want to trust them, I wasn't ready to give them the whole truth. I was still a lone woman amongst two strangers and who knows, they could be lying about who they are? Maybe they lied and they were part of Sinnendor’s Elite. I decided to play it safe.

“I was running away… and I slipped and fell in the river.” I couldn't look either of them in the eye as I said it.

Darren's brows drew together and he frowned. It was as if he could sense my lie, and he pulled the bowl of broth back toward him, away from my grasp. “Sorry, girlie, I wasn't born yesterday. That's not the whole truth.”