Lyra's POV
The following day, I buried myself in my healing duties. One by one, people came seeking treatment for their wounds and ailments ranging from minor cuts to deeper injuries sustained during the battles. I moved through each patient with precision, my hands busy, my mind focused — or at least, I tried to make it seem that way. But no matter how many people I helped, no matter how many herbs I mixed or bandages I tied, my thoughts kept drifting back to Ranio.
Where was he? Why hadn’t he come to see me?
I thought that by immersing myself in work, I could forget about him, or at least push him from my mind for a while. But it was useless. Every face I tended to, every voice I heard, wasn’t his. I kept expecting him to walk through the door, to check on me like he used to. To show
