Hyacinth (Tamlin's Healing Arc)

Chapter Twenty Six

Pain exploded through Cin's body as the wind was knocked clean out of her lungs.

She clenched her teeth, wrapping her arms around her head as the boar trampled over her, rolling her beneath its weight until she was flung into the rocky border of the clearing. Wincing, she felt a fresh wave of pain shoot through her arms and a blinding ache on the exposed side of her head.

Cin heard a rushing sound, followed by a sharp THWACK!, a thud, and then the rushing sound again.

"Cin, talk to me," Tamlin panted. Despite her efforts, she couldn't respond. Her breathing was ragged, the pain too intense to form a coherent answer. She couldn't even find the strength to uncover her face.

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm right here," Tamlin murmured softly as he slid his arms beneath her shoulders and knees.

He cradled her against his chest, his heart pounding frantically against her. Cin couldn't explain how, but somehow—somehow—they vanished. Well, not exactly vanished. Cin felt weightless, translucent, as if her body had turned to dust—into nothingness—and then, all at once, she was whole again, standing in front of the Healer's hub in Orchis.

The pain returned with even greater force, stabbing through her like a sword, slicing through every part of her before settling in her arms and forehead once more. Cin realized the pain had surged through her body, struggling to find its rightful place.

Tamlin shouldered the doors open, pausing only at the sight of Freda lounging against the desk. "Whatever reservations you have about me, she's innocent. Please, help her." His plea was the last thing Cin heard before being submerged underwater—or at least, that's what it sounded like, what it felt like.

The next time she surfaced, Cin felt the flat surface of a bed beneath her. There were too many voices around her, too many voices shouting, all overlapping and overwhelming.

She sensed the cold touch of shears along her arms as the ruined sleeves of her lilac dress were cut away.

"I had no idea the Woods around here were inhabited by such large boars," Tamlin said, his breathing labored but his voice strong. Cin clung to it as a lifeline, helping her stay afloat amidst the chaos.

She heard a scoff and then Freda's voice saying, "Why would you? Abina, please escort him to the garden. I don't need him hovering here while I work." Abina must have been there too.

"Please, I just—" Tamlin began.

"Abina!" Freda snapped, cutting off whatever Tamlin intended to say. And once again, Cin was submerged beneath the water.

*****

When Cin awoke once more, only a dull ache lingered across her forehead.

It was manageable, something she could ignore. She had experienced period cramps that hurt worse, this was bearable.

Across the room, illuminated by a flickering candle, Cin caught sight of Tamlin. He sat hunched over in his chair, elbows resting on his knees. His golden hair cascaded loosely over one shoulder, tucked behind his ear.

Even in the dim light, he took her breath away. Cin could gaze at him for hours if it wouldn't be strange. She hadn't realized how much his face had transformed since he started taking care of himself. The gauntness had disappeared, the perpetual look of bewilderment was gone, replaced by a resolute man, a face loved by generations.

"You're awake," he exhaled slowly, as if he had been holding his breath for longer than she realized.

"What happened? How long have we been here?" Cin attempted to sit up, but Tamlin swiftly rose to his feet and placed a hand behind her back, lifting her until she was almost upright.