Free Book of Curses (The Renning Chronicles) by L.D. Hutchinson

everything, and I really hoped we got there before it was fully dark out.
     
    Starting forward a bit faster I noticed a shape in the shadows, it sat back from where we were. The closer we'd gotten to it, the more I could make out the fact that it was a building of sorts, and it wasn't all that big. When we were almost on top of it, it dawned on me that it was a barn.
     
    Felan looked back at me, then Tom, as she spoke directly to him. She was giving him a dark smile. “Like I said, not far.”
     
    “Ok, there’s a spring out back, bandages inside… clothes I think as well.” Eyloff grunted as he started walking faster, almost moving into a sprint leaving us to follow him.
     
    The wolves could move faster, taking giant steps across the ground until they were a few steps from the barn. Tom and I, on the other hand, were practically panting by the time we managed to get to it. "We'll sleep here tonight, start out in the morning and head to the Air region, Felan you can find the clan again then.” Eyloff grumbled to us, then went inside without another word.
     
    “Fine.” She grunted, limping her way inside the barn with her head held as high up as possible, she had a look on her face that dared someone to ask if she was ok. I admired her for her strength and determination, but that attitude; it needed to go.
     
    Dolphus helped me inside. He was moving me as fast as I could go, but not giving me a second to complain to him like I wanted to about how I didn't need the help. He helped me to sit down on a bale of hay and then made me hold still, disappearing around a corner for a few minutes, he reappeared with a box in hand. He was smiling a little as he held the box up and hiked a thumb back behind him. “Bath, or bandages first?”
     
    “Bandage, it’s only my arm really.” I instantly replied. I just wanted it over with. A bath sounded nice, to get all this blood and dirt off me, but I really just wanted to sleep and hope that I'd wake up back home on my couch.
     
    “Your leg?” He asked me, arching an eyebrow almost instantly and tilting his head in the direction of my leg. He was eyeing it suspiciously as he did, and I inwardly cursed myself.
     
    “Probably just sprained, I’ll be fine with some rest, promise.” Putting on the best fake smile I could for him, I tried to keep him from worrying any more than he was, I really could handle myself.
     
    Shrugging his shoulders slightly he accepted that what I said was true, and nodded at my shredded shirt. I didn't understand at first, then he explained why he was doing that. “You got a nice bruise across your ribs.” There was a frown on his face.
     
    Looking down at the same moment, he'd said that, I began pulling at the gaping hole that exposed my blackening skin that was crusted with blood. Blushing brightly when I realized that my top barely covered anything on my upper body anymore, hell it wasn't even a shirt now, it was a cloth.
     
    I admit; I panicked a bit and started trying to figure out how to cover myself up. Just what I needed, ripped up clothes and men all over the place. Yeah, fun, so much fun. I started to look around for something to put on and just saw hay, horses and stalls.
     
    “Don’t get embarrassed, I admire the fact that you can get that way; I must be at least decent looking,” He pursed his lips, smiling a kind of thoughtful smile for a moment. Then shaking his head at me for a moment, he started to laugh, which only flustered me more. “But I’m interested in men, thank you.”
     
    He lifted my arm with his hand, careful not to hurt me any more than he had to, and started to wipe off the blood with a dam p cloth. Turning my arm this way and that he scanned it for a long moment, and then he started to bandage the wound as carefully as he could. “If you don’t mind, I need a bath too, so I may join you and Felan, you two don’t have anything I haven’t seen before anyway.” He said as he stood up, patting my