Chapter 214: Strapped Down

Author’s note: Hey guys.

I hope you have a bearable Monday - here's a chapter to make it a little more bearable 😄

Enjoy!

Chapter 214: Strapped Down - link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/122985920

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Chapter 214: Strapped Down

Well, whatever the mossbears did, it worked. According to both healers, Marcus and his wife, our minds were clear - no trace of mind-mage meddling. In other words, we were more than ready to attend the evening's celebrations at the Drunken Filly.

Honestly, I had a feeling that even if I had to be bedridden, they would have either dragged me to the tavern or brought the party to me.

Speaking of being bedridden, Elira finally got to see her brother. From how she feared to see him, I expected a husk of a man, but aside from a touch of pallor, he looked fine. Sleeping soundly. That changed the instant she sat beside him. His breath hitched, his eyelids fluttered, and for a moment, his gaze drifted, uncertain. Then clarity took hold.

"El... Elira?"

As if some unseen spell had lifted, the fear melted from the guardswoman’s face. Tears spilled down her face as she flung herself at her brother, clinging tight. That was my cue to leave.

Didn’t mean I marched straight out of the barracks, though. No one said I couldn’t, but slipping off without a word to Rayden or my new mentor felt like begging for trouble.

No. Instead, I headed for the corner of the infirmary Marcus had told me about. More than a corner, it was another room separated by a wall from the rest. In fact, the whole place was a maze, twisting through at least half a dozen interconnected chambers. And this was just one floor. The infirmary spanned three. If nothing else, they were well-prepared for when things turned sour.

With good reason - this place was the closest thing to a city hospital when need arose. If what Marcus and Lieutenant Janina said was true, Castiana had nothing like a real hospital. The Seeker's companies kept their own healers, and some more willing than others to lend services to the common people - for a fair sum. But most folks turned to the alchemists when sickness came knocking.

The thought sent a shiver down my spine. 'Seriously, who in their right mind drinks a concoction willingly?' Sure, not all brews were the same - I had seen a potion drag Vara back from the brink. 'Still… if it came down to it, could I do the same? I wish I could say yes...'

“Ehm…” A sudden cough to my left scared the yelp right out of me. 

“More skittish than I remember, Grey. Not that I can blame you - not after what I let happen in Castiana."

Actually rubbing my eyes, half-convinced they were playing tricks on me, I ran my gaze over the man in the bed, taking in every detail. “Blaine? I - I mean, Lieutenant Blaine?”

It wasn’t his presence that threw me - I had come to see him, after all. What caught me off guard was how I found him. He looked fine, if a little pale, same as Elira’s brother. Unlike him, though, he was strapped to the bed. Leather restraints bound his chest and waist, with more locking his arms and legs in place.

'Was he… strapped down because he was dangerous? Like under the sway of mind mages?'

Blain, unfazed, just smiled. Like nothing was wrong. Like seeing me was a relief. "Heard you were back, but seeing is believing. Glad you made it through."

"Same," I stammered, a little lost on how to talk to him, what was safe to say in front of someone whose mind was... messed with.

His eyes widened. "You were worried about me? Damn. Guess I really fucked up this time."

"I thought you might be dead," I admitted, voice flat. The memories hit hard. "There was so much blood. The note and... shit, is Alley alright?"

"Don't worry, the cat's fine. Came by not long ago, sat on my chest, and gave me an earful. Meowed at me for a good while. Seriously, if that wasn’t her cursing me out, I don’t know what was."

That got a laugh out of me - easy to picture.

"Yeah, yeah, I had it coming. Got rusty."

"Did the Shadowbreakers do this to you? Or..."

"Nah. That damned mind mage."

"S-she..." I hesitated, my throat tightening. "Did she - did she get inside your head?"

"Tits, NO! I’d sooner end myself than let that happen.” His eyes flicked to mine, already a step ahead. “And no, I didn’t,” he added before I could even open my mouth. Read me like a damn book. Annoying as hell, but either I had to learn to live with - or learn to rein in my body language. 'Was this the problem all the Terr'den had?' Definitely something to ask.

"So, she..."

“Look, Grey, Shadowbreakers don’t make it this far by being idiots. Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Not exactly smart to associate with mind mages. The thing is, whether they caught on that we had eyes on you or were just extra cautious, they had that bitch sweep the area for me. And it worked. Half a dozen of those bastards came down on me like starved hounds," Blaine grunted, his fist clenching, the leather straps creaking under the strain. A breath later, he eased, jaw unclenching as he shot me an apologetic look. "I screwed up, Grey. No excuse for that. I got careless, soft - and you paid for it."

"Yeah," I said, not sure what else to give him. 'I should be pissed, shouldn't I?' Yet the anger wouldn’t come. Maybe because he barely made it out alive, maybe because the bitch fucked with his mind, or maybe just because things turned out fine in the end. Either way, I only bit my lip and gave him a nod instead of a tongue-lashing.

He got it, a small grin tugging at his lips. "Thanks. I owe you one, Grey."

"More than one, I'd say," my new mentor cut in, suddenly at my back, smirk on his face. "You put my apprentice in danger."

‘Danger?’ If he was going to sneak up like that, the only danger was me getting a heart attack.

"Your... apprentice?"

"Uh-hmm," Deckard hummed, clearly enjoying Blaine’s baffled look.

"Wait, you're serious? You’re actually taking her on?"

"Already have. Right, girl?"

"Y-yeah, he's my mas..." That bloody word curled on my tongue, but I choked it back. "He's my mentor."

Hoped he’d be more discreet. Talking like this, out in the open, wasn’t exactly subtle. Blaine had this side of the infirmary to himself, but a single wall stood between us and the rest. No doors to muffle words. On the other hand, not that it would stay hidden long, not with tonight’s party coming up.

"I’ll be damned." Blaine whistled, shifting his gaze between Deckard and me. "Took you long enough."

"Yeah, I guess it did. Heard they had to tie you down - had to see it with my own eyes."

"More like you wanted a good laugh, huh? Well, go on then."

"Huh? You what?!" Was Blaine serious? Deckard, my mentor, had come just to mock an injured friend?

"Don't get your tail in a knot, girl. Why d'you think they had to strap him down?"

"Wait," I turned to Blaine, squinting. "You... I mean, your mind... the mind-bitch didn’t mess with it?"

"Tits no! Told you I'd rather die first."

"Then why?" If it wasn’t mind magic, why was he tied up like a raving madman?

Deckard smirked. "Fool wouldn’t listen. As soon as they reattached his arm, he was dead set on running after you."

Blaine scowled, tugging at his bindings. "Well, you handled things, didn’t you? So how about getting me out of this damn bed, you two?"

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