Page 52 of Orc's Pride
It all has my head spinning as I relay the information to Gor with Gathal backing me up with his own testimony to what he’d come upon in the forest as Ishta sought to strike me and Dana down.
The confusion on his face doesn’t begin to cover the amount of betrayal I’m sure we all feel at Ishta’s actions.
My only saving grace is Dana sticking right by my side the entire time, lending me her strength.
It isn’t long before Gor demands that I head home and rest, his promise to keep the base safe—along with Gathal chiming in that slightly overbearing way of is—leaves me feeling satisfied for the time being that our people will be left in good hands as I recover.
Which is all the better considering the longer I’m on my feet, the dizzier I grow.
With a gentle nudge, Dana takes me home.
Getting through the door is a chore and standing upright long enough for her to collapse me into the couch is a whole other beast. Her eyes are bloodshot from crying earlier and shestill has dried blood on her hands and clothes from me and the dark elves.
The sight of it has me feeling horrible.
“I should clean you.”
As I make to stand, she pushes me back down by the shoulders, forcing me to sit again. The effort isn’t hard on her part.
“No. I still need to clean you up.”
She leaves before I can question what she means, coming back to me a few minutes later with a first aid kit in her hands.
“You have cuts all over your face, Pitha. They’ll get infected if I don’t clean them.”
“What about you?”
She shakes her head at me, a determined frown settling on her face. “I’m fine.”
I don’t want to argue with her, not because I agree with her, but because I can tell she wants to do this—needs to, in a way.
I can understand the sentiment. Seeing someone almost die is an impossible feeling to comprehend. And what little grasp of control she has over this situation, I am more than happy to give her.
Guiding her into my lap, I lean back into the couch and allow her to dab at my cuts and smear cream over them. By the time tomorrow rolls around, I’ll be healed from them regardless of whether or not they’re taken care of, but I keep my mouth shut about that.
“Thank you,” I tell her quietly when she finally leans back to inspect her work.
Her shoulders sag, her frown still coloring her features, but by now it’s turned sad.
I lift a hand to brush some of her hair back. “Dana?”
“I’m sorry.” the words seem to spill out of her. “I’m so sorry.”
Baffled, I ask, “For what?”
Her eyes begin to tear up. “I… You’re hurt because of me.”
I sigh softly, chuckling at the end of it. “I would die a thousand deaths in order to keep you safe. You’ve done nothing but try and protect me. And for that, I should be thankingyou.”
This only seems to make her eyes water more. I run my fingers along her jaw and cheek gently. “But… I’m the one they were after in the first place.”
“You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Don’t blame yourself over that.”
She shakes her head, frustrated. “You don’t understand. They were lookingfor me.”
My hand pauses in stroking her cheek. “What?”
“They… I…” She swallows thickly. “I stole something from them.”