Yu became a watcher and listener again.
But why?
He could not stand it; watching Bubs prioritise a human over a person. With every second it disturbed him more.
Why is he doing this?
Deltington and the krynn were no distraction. Their voices had gone quiet; the krynn was busy hauling their luggage from the walkway into the common room. All Yu heard now were his own suspicions; a messed up heap of —
Oh no.
What if the selder knows?
What if he KNOWS?
They are guides. They travel the Snowtrail as guides. He is young, but still, if he was here before, recently, maybe with his elders … then he will see.
He will see as soon as he wakes up.
He will see that the guards are fake.
Yu’s whole body knotted tight. His beak clamped shut, but his tongue pressed hard against the back of it. He held his breath, but at the same time clenched his stomach to push it out.
They will let him die.
They will kill him.
But still, Yu said nothing.
He said nothing and he did nothing, as it the panic overflowed and flooded everything else in his mind, until there was only one thought left.
Get out.
To get out of this alive, he needed to be stupid.
Compliant. Useful.
And so he stood.
And he stared.
And he unclenched his beak.
And he drew in another breath.
While the shaman set the potion down. And Bubs finally worked the boot loose enough to peel it off by the sole.
The human now lay clothed only in her undergarments from the waist down. The splint remained, strapped tight from knee to ankle, with bandaging visible underneath. Yu had already glimpsed the mottled bruising around the break and the swelling above the ankle. The foot, as he saw now, was no better.
Seeing the full extent of the damage, Yu understood Bubs’ intent with the boot. You would never have been able to pull it off without cutting it apart. The other leg was equally discoloured; there was deep red, pale yellow, and in places around the foot, blackened frost. The toes looked like they were made of wax. Skin peeled off everywhere.
Pages:
Pages:
Pages: