I leaned on Christina. A few inches shorter than me, her left shoulder fit right under my arm. As we passed the fire, Odd sprang to his feet. He supported my other side. The world spun.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Christina answered, but her words faded into a buzzing noise. Black-and-white spots swarmed around me like flies. My legs refused to hold my weight. Then fresh air roused me for a moment.

Odd’s voice cleared. “...doesn’t make sense, it’s warmer inside... Oh.”

The sweet smell of spring sunshine engulfed me. I sank into it.

* * *

“...message for me,” Ryne said. “Private Tori remembers being tortured by the Skeleton King. He grilled her on our defenses and locations and when she refused to answer, he’d bite and lick her, claiming he was tasting her. An effective method. She eventually told him all she knows.” He sounded defeated.

“Did she learn anything about his forces?” Kerrick asked.

“They blindfolded her, so she doesn’t remember much about where she was or details about his troops. Her patrol had been assigned to sweep down near the border with Tobory and Sectven Realms. I didn’t expect them to encounter any trouble. The Skeleton King is much closer than my estimate.”

Another problem to deal with. I wondered if I kept my eyes closed, maybe all our problems would go away. I ached from head to toe. Cocooned in softness and warmth, I considered giving into the desire to return to sleep.

“Once Avry’s recovered, I can scout for you and find out exactly where the Skeleton King’s been hiding,” Kerrick said.

Oh, no. He wasn’t going anywhere. My eyes wouldn’t open so I reached out through the blankets, blindly seeking Kerrick.

“Avry? Can you hear me?” he asked, clasping my hand. His magic tingled along my skin.

My throat refused to work. I nodded instead.

“You’ve absorbed a very potent poison. It will take some time for all your senses to return.”

I longed to ask how long, but all I managed was a squeak.

Kerrick’s voice deepened with emotion. “You’ve been sick for three days. You struggled just as bad as when you healed Belen.”

Belen’s injuries had almost killed me. If Kerrick hadn’t stayed with me either time... I squeezed his hand in gratitude.

“Flea helped. He shared energy with you when I depleted mine.”

Oh, Kerrick. “You...” The word hissed from my tight throat. Better than a squeak.

Kerrick smoothed my hair away from my forehead. “Don’t lecture me unless you want me to return the favor.”

A blurry orange blob smeared the blackness. It pulsed, growing brighter. Firelight? Guess my eyes were open after all.

“Ryne’s here,” Kerrick said. “He arrived this morning.”

“Hello, Avry. Good to see you...er...recovering,” Ryne said.