Tenderfoot

29 ~ Remembering the Kiss

"The best thing for chills is a hot, herbal bath." 

Tam sits on her bed, handing out advice as she reclines against the wall. She looks pretty rough, gazing at me through tired, bloodshot eyes. Even her golden curls are limp. But that's what happens after you've been hit with a stunning spell delivered by a wicked witch.

I figure I'm not looking like a daisy on a spring morning, either. My eyes burn, which means they're probably bloodshot too, I've got a dandy bruise on my hip where it met with that stone railing during my battle with Della, and my gimpy arm is in a sling. But, at least, I'm safely ensconced inside the commune, with a roof over my head and a soft bed under my back.

"Don't you think you should get some rest, Tam? A stunning spell that strong does serious damage to a person. You're probably going to feel funky for a couple of days."

"I'll just sleep in. Rosemary won't mind."

"Rosemary's not going to let me join the commune is she? Not after I ran away and had a fight with a murderous lunatic. She probably thinks I'm an idiot."

"She doesn't think you're an idiot. She was worried sick about you, which did make her a little angry. But it only proves she cares. She told me that herself."

I nod, remembering how my family reacted the same way. "What about the airfield? Is it still on fire?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't been awake that long. If you really want to know, I can check."

"No, you just stay right there. I'm sure Bastian and Nate are fine. I just hope Jammi's okay. He's Bastian's cook."

"We still don't know if it was Bastian's airship that burned," Tam says. "Don't worry until you have to."

"But I do know it was his airship. Della told me she set it on fire right before she threw me over the wall."

Tam hugs herself with her arm and shivers. "Don't say that, Ivy. I don't want to picture you falling. Della is a horrible person. She doesn't deserve to be a caster.

There's a knock at the door and Tam yells, "Go away. People are trying to recuperate in here."

"Would you like me to wait outside?" Rosemary calls from the other side.

Tam slaps her hand over her mouth and pops off her bed like she's been miraculously cured. She flings herself at the door and swings it open. "I'm sorry, Rosemary. I didn't know it was you."

"Obviously." Rosemary pats Tam on the head as she shuffles into the room. The ancient elder looks tired, but her kind eyes twinkle at me in the lantern light. She's holding a mug of something hot, based on the steam billowing up from it. "I just wanted to check on you two before I retire. How's the shoulder, Ivy?"

"Still attached." I sit up to reassure her that I haven't been crippled, and she nods as she waits for Tam to pull a chair across the floor for her.

"I hear you were the target of a very unpleasant witch. Both of you." Rosemary sits, placing the mug on the floor. "Poor Tam woke up in the broom closet."

"The mice are still there, by the way," Tam says weakly.

Rosemary nods but her eyes don't leave my face. "The Fates were with you this evening, Ivy. Not many have survived falls from the top of the wall. Sadly, it's often how troubled people end their lives. The fact that you weren't already dead before you went over meant you showed great skill and strength fighting off your enemy. Della managed to escape Lazarus when he gave chase, and that's not an easy task I can tell you." She doesn't have to tell me. I already know Lazarus isn't easy to escape.