Chapter 3
Once the stranger was stretched out on his table, Catli winced. The clothes weren’t salvageable, no matter how they were repaired. Blood soaked through around the burn holes in the brown fabric and glittering dirt was ground deep into the seams and folds. Maybe it was a good thing Hoalnia had decided to stay for a little while.
“Since you’re here, I need your hands,” Catli said, eyes never leaving the man on his table. He was too big for Catli to wrestle him out of the clothes.
A creak of the chair was followed with Hoalnia’s barefooted steps on the floor. He walked the way Catli imagined dragons walked—loudly. “You still have that rule?”
Catli chuckled. “Of course I do. Otherwise, parents would fret themselves into hysterics when the children are in here. Best to keep them h
