Master Damien was below in a yard I’d never seen before. He was beating what Looked Like a purple
and red pulp into the ground. When I realized all the red was blood I Lurched back from the window.
The man named Andre was unrecognizable. I swore to myself never to make Master Damien angry
again.
ALL the men were at the window now,menting on the end of the fight.
“Brother, unless you want Andre dead, you should stop this,” one of them said seriously.
I backed into the sitting room as the General called down into the courtyard. I found a kneeling ce
and sank into it gratefully. My stomach wasn’t weak, but I did feel queasy. I wasn’t used to seeing quite
that much violence.
One of the men noticed me and came back with a small jug. He tilted it to my Lips and told me to take a
drink. I recognized the root drink and was d for it’s rxing effect. As a took a secondrger gulp, I
felt itpletely wash over me. I wondered absently when I would go home and if my Warriors would
be angry with me.
The General and his brothers sat and talked around the fire. It was starting to gette and I was sleepy,
especially so thanks to the root drink. I found myself less kneeling and more sitting, leaning on the
General. He didn’t seem in the least perturbed by my position. He Lightly stroked my hair and my back.
“This earth ve is definitely sensitive to the drink. I will have to let Damien know,” he saidughing. It
was a strange sound out of such a stern man.
I tried to Lift my head when I heard a Light rapping at the door, but couldn’t quite manage. I was
stunned to find Master Damien’s face in mine a momentter. He and the General spoke before Master
Damien Lifted me up and handed me to Master Evan.
It felt like I was floating across the courtyard. I yed with a strand of Master Evan’s long hair before
he snatched it away. The next thing I knew I was in bed. Christof Lay behind me and was soothingly
stroking my back. Master Damien’s angry countenance was in front of me.
It was really confusing.
ninjanovel
“I’m sorry, Master Damien,” I tried to say to him, but he just looked at me quizzically.
Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.
“Ciara, whatnguage are you speaking?” he asked me.
I shrugged and tried to answer him. His half amused, half angry face was thest thing I saw that night.
“Ciara!” I heard someone shout and I opened my eyes to peer at him. For a moment I didn’t recognize
who it was and thought I was dreaming.
“Who are you?” I managed to get out between dry lips.
The blue eyed man looked stunned and left the room without another word. It took a minute for
everything toe back to me. By the time it did Master Damien was stalking in looking very
concerned. I shuffled out of the bed and fell to my knees at the edge of it. About that time the nausea
hit and I stumbled out running for the bathroom. I barely made it.
“Call the healer,” I heard Master Damien say from the main room.
The floor of the bathroom was cool, so it was a good ce to lie.
Master Kein picked me up off of it and the nausea hit again. He was nice enough to hold my hair back
this time.
I must have smelled something awful because they turned on the shower and washed me. The Healers
came in and saw me in the bathroom. They looked me over and gave Master Damien a whole bag of
things. I threw up again just thinking about what might be in the bag.
The men fed me bits of things from the bag intermittently. It tasted like dried bits of root, but whatever it
was settled my stomach. Twice, I tried to sleep on the cool floor in the bathroom, but they wouldn’t let
me.
A basin was set beside the bed and I was told to Lay on the bed. Small sips of cool liquid were poured
into my mouth all day. I epted their ministrations and tried not to whine. They seemed to be doing
what the healer had told them to do, but caring for an invalid was not what they usually did.
This wasn’t how I expected to be treated. It gave credence to their words that my health was important
to them. I was struck with how resolutely they stuck to their ideals.