“Honestly, I’m not sure how he’s lasted this long. Thankfully, he’s been unconscious the entire time. The pain would be immense if he were awake. You said you may be able to help him? Do you have medicine?” Shim’s shirt had been cut away, blood-drenched cloth spread to either side like crimson wings. The damage had easily passed through the skin he was in the process of shedding, cutting deep into his next layer of flesh.

“Something like that,” Soraya murmured, moving closer. At the same time, she was cursing herself for running away from the scene like she had. If she’d stayed, perhaps he’d already be on the road to a full recovery rather than on death’s doorstep. Normally, she’d avoid revealing any of her supply of godsblood to one who was not Forsworn, but this was an extreme situation where time was of the essence.

Thus, she retrieved a vial of godsblood, popping out the cork with her thumb. Then she parted Shim’s lips with her fingers and slowly emptied the contents into his mouth, drip by drip, allowing his throat time to swallow each naturally. She followed it up with another vial, this time dripping the liquid onto each of his individual punctures, until only half remained. “Help me,” she said to Sunny, who’d been watching with interest the entire time. The woman assisted her in maneuvering the large man onto his stomach so they could peel the rest of his mutilated shirt away and then she dripped what remained of the godsblood onto the rear exit wounds. Soraya couldn’t help but to cringe at the thought of the nightdemon’s long claws going all the way through her friend’s chest and out through his back.

Carefully, they rolled him back over and then they each slumped into a seat. “What is that stuff?” Sunny asked after a few moments of silence. “The glowing medicine.”

“A rare substance,” she hedged. She remembered the root leaking godsblood she’d stumbled upon in the forest. Maybe not so rare, she corrected in her head. “It will help him heal faster.” I hope, she added in her mind. “But given the extent of his injuries, it will still require time and rest. May we remain here for a while?”

“Of course,” Sunny said, gravity in her tone. “You are welcome as long as is required for your friend to recover.”

“Thank you,” Soraya said, giving away nothing with her expression, though she was all but certain she’d detected something akin to guilt in the woman’s sincere promise. Especially considering the way they’d been rejected before, when all they’d wanted to do was rent one of the many available rooms upstairs. Once more, she reached for her, trying to make the gesture seem as natural as possible, a small display of gratitude, one woman to the other.

Sunny shied away from her touch, disguising it as a motion to retrieve her washcloth and resume cleaning the blood from Shim’s chest and abdomen.