I didn’t remember reaching the healer’s tent.
One moment I was in Sebastian's arms, my arms too weak to hold on, the rhythm of his feet a dull drumbeat beneath me. The world tilted at odd angles, trees blending into shadows, sky smeared with smoke and blood and too many memories.
The next, I was surrounded by light.
Warmth. Voices. Chaos.
Hands were on me, too many hands. Tugging at my clothes. Lifting. Shifting. Unwrapping.
Fingers pressing into wounds. Tearing fabric. Trying to be gentle, but everything hurt. Everything burned.
Someone whispered my name, over and over, like a prayer laced with panic.
“Ava...careful, she’s still bleeding”
“Get the tincture....no, the other one.....moonroot first”
“Hold her still....she’s going into shock”
Their voices came from every direction,
