The Woven Crown (Completed)

Chapter 29

Ryla groaned and turned over. She cracked her eyes open, but the light pricked them like needles.

"Ryla? Are you awake?" Killian. He was sitting up in a cot beside her own. Where were they? Had they stopped at an inn along the way? A cool breeze brushed a few strands of hair off her cheek. She opened her eyes again to look for the open window that let in the breeze and instead saw the tops of the stone forest. The Hive! Ryla tried to sit up, but her muscles complained at the slightest movement.

"Lie down," came Killian's voice again.

"What's happened?" she asked. He looked well enough, if a little tired. He had a few bandages wrapped diagonally around his chest.

"Just a few stitches and a couple of scrapes," he said when he saw her looking. "You healed most of it already."

The battle came rushing back to her in bright flashes of memory: the Ravellers closing in on her, the feeling of seeing so many threads at once, the army running away, running from her. And... Piper. Ryla grasped the wooden sides of her cot and lifted herself up again to look around. She didn't see Harlow anywhere.

"Here, drink this." A healer placed a cup in her hand. Suddenly, her thirst was overwhelming. She gulped down the cool melith tea in only a few swallows. The healer checked her over with gentle hands, the same one who she'd spoken to about Killian when she'd first arrived back at the Hive. "All seems to be in order." The healer scratched his head. "Not a scrape on you, in fact. You slept a great deal. You'll be needing to take it easy these next few days." He refilled her cup and set it on the floor beside her, then left to attend some of the others.

Ryla looked over at Killian again. "How long was I asleep?" She could already feel the melith working its way into her muscles, massaging the sore spots and lending strength where it was needed.

"Two days. At least that's what I was told. I slept through one of them myself." He paused and looked at her, sheepish. "Ryla, you were incredible."

Ryla didn't know what to say. So much had happened. Her mind was still trying to muddle its way through all of it. She glanced around the Hive again. A few of the hivers smiled broadly at her, nodding in her direction, but every once in a while, when she caught someone's eye, they would look away as if her gaze had burned them. "I don't feel incredible."

"What, them?" Killian gestured to the hivers going about their work. "Some of them are a little... frightened of you. But they'll get over it soon enough. Everyone's been telling stories about what you did. They're immensely grateful for you, they just don't know quite how to show it yet. You saved us all."

Not everyone, Ryla thought. She hadn't been able to save Piper. And she knew there were others laid out somewhere, waiting to be buried.

Killian continued. "What exactly did you do, to kill the Ravellers? You were... glowing. I've never seen anything like it."

Ryla dropped her eyes. "I'm not really sure." She didn't quite feel like talking about it yet. She wasn't sure if she could describe it if she'd wanted to anyway. She would need to speak to Oran or Elira about this. "It's all just sort of a blur right now," she said to Killian.

"I understand. I'm just glad you did it, or else I wouldn't be here."

"How did you know where I was anyway?" she asked Killian. "You almost got yourself killed!"

"The hivers told me where you'd be stationed and when I saw the Ravellers all taking off in the same direction, I knew they'd found you. I'm sorry I wasn't much help. It was all I could do."