Elemental Read Online Free PDF Page B

in
sight—but it was delicious, and my stomach ached for it. He
couldn’t bring the spoon to my mouth fast enough. I lifted the bowl
and brought it to my lips, carelessly letting the golden drink
spill past the corners of my mouth. Most of it made it down my
throat, though, and I ignored the searing pain of the much-too-hot
liquid. When it was gone, I smacked my lips and sighed. It was a very good soup—much better than my usual diet of stale bread
and water.
    Meir took the bowl and set it down on a
table next to my bed. He dabbed at my neck and cheeks with a cloth,
cleaning away what I’d spilled.
    I smiled at him again. I couldn’t help
it—for some reason, having him around made everything feel
okay—safe. I knew now that my rescue had been sincere; he had no
intention of turning me in for a reward. His eyes grew sad and the
crease between his brows returned. I tilted my head at him,
questioning.
    “What happened, Meir?” My voice barely
reached a whisper. “How did we get here?”
    He pressed his thick lips into a tight line
and shook his head. “I don’t really know what happened. After they
dragged me past the rocks, I blacked out. I woke up a little before
dawn and found you lying on the ground, ripped and bleeding,
surrounded by the charred and smoking remains of dozens of
Shakai.”
    I gulped. That part of the evening began to
come back to me with increasing clarity.
    “I tried to wake you,” he continued, “but
you wouldn’t respond. So I carried you the last few miles to Izbet,
snuck past the blockade, and brought you to my friend’s home.” He
grabbed a piece of my hair—a stray that had wound its way across my
neck—and pushed it behind my ear. “You’ve been asleep for hours.
The day is nearly over.”
    “Is your friend a Praeori, too? Does he know
I’m the Shadra?”
    A dark chuckle passed his lips. “No to both
questions, and it’s best that he doesn’t know.”
    “How did you convince him to help,
then?”
    “I saved his life many years ago, and now he
is bound to me by an Oath. Of course…” His black eyes went flat.
“Never mind.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I should
get you cleaned up.”
    Meir left the room, taking my empty bowl
with him, and returned minutes later with a large, metal tub of
steaming water and a bar of soap. He’d draped a thick, white towel
over his shoulder, tied the skirt of his robes above his knees, and
pushed his sleeves up above his elbows. He set the tub on the floor
at the side of my bed and dropped the soap into the water. He then
pulled a package of clean bandages out from the sash around his
waist and set it on the table.
    I sat myself up and swung my legs over the
side of the bed and let my feet skim the hot water. It was
euphoric. I moaned as I wiggled my toes and let the velvet liquid
lap around my parched skin.
    Meir began to unwrap my soiled bandages,
starting at my leg. His dark fingers brushed against my sickly pale
limb. I blushed, but let him take care of me. He was gentle and
careful around my wounds, like a surgeon, skilled and professional.
The warm flush of blood in my cheeks seeped away as he continued in
his care. I had no reason to be embarrassed. This was not a man who
looked upon me as a woman. No, his soft black eyes and tender hands
moved over my body much the same way a father’s would over his
beloved daughter. I smiled. Maybe Meir wanted the same thing I
did.
    Each wound—and there were many—was scrubbed
clean and then coated with a thick, clear gel that smelled of mint
and lavender. Instantly, my open sores began to cool under contact
with the herbal balm. He placed new bandages on my legs, arms, and
waist, scrubbed my face and cleaned the wounds there as well,
leaving the balm to soak into my skin. I was glad he chose not to
use bandages on my face—I was swollen enough as it was, making
movement difficult.
    He then handed me a white robe. With my
teeth clenched against the throbbing pain, I