Book Excerpt: Secrets Clad In Light

Excerpt from Secrets Clad in Light by Kyra Gregory

A petite shadow cast over them shortly. When he glanced up he saw the earlier person standing there in the water, shoulders low as it struggled in holding a medium sized trunk. “It sounds like you’ve made a decision.”

“How much good does it do? It only hurts more.” With this decision his heart felt heavier, sickness settling into his stomach. He glanced back up and then dropped his gaze to the trunk, “What is that?”

“Reinforcement.” A boot peaked out from beneath the long coat as it stepped up, approaching slowly before chucking the trunk on the bed. The weight of the trunk caused it to bounce on the poor mattress. “Do you need more of my help or do you think you can do it?”

“Who are you?” He couldn’t help asking. The figure reached up and grabbed at the hood, lowering it so that finally Henry could see the gentle face of a young woman.

Her face was what was tender but otherwise her gaze was rather hard and cold. Her voice hadn’t given in to her femininity as she was so cold, or perhaps he had been so distracted by Seth that he hadn’t noticed.

The woman knelt down onto the bed, reaching out to touch the man’s cheek with her gloved fingers before she snatched the scarf from around his neck and took a look at the wound. From then on her movements were rather prompt as she opened up the small trunk and placed a hand over his chest, feeling for his heart. “The choice is really yours. He can’t decide anything at this point.”

Henry shifted uncomfortably and glanced at the man’s constant fighting. He lowered his head, shoulders beginning to shake with emotion. “Please save him.”

The damage was as extensive as he had dreaded. It was a difficult procedure with what the woman murmured to be sub-humane medical conditions. Henry only watched and assisted where he could, attempting as much as possible to make the area sterile by making use of some alcohol on each instrument that the woman intended to use.

He watched her actions very carefully, not knowing what type of person she truly was but not so wary that he was inclined to stop her from trying to save Seth. Other than watch her he could only follow her sporadic and rather unfeeling orders, hold the man’s hand and comb back his soaking hair.

Occasionally he could feel the woman’s eyes wandering up to examine him as scrupulously as she did the gaping wound. He wasn’t too surprised by the reaction. The sight was certainly one to see and he would have been staring too had he been in her position.

She exhaled heavily, wiping her damp cheek and forehead in her shoulder, “He’s probably not going to be thanking you for any of this if he lives.”

“How high are the chances that he’ll live?” Henry’s response came quickly with no real response in mind to her statement.

“They’re not too bad.” She seated herself rather unlady-like on the dusty mattress, holding up a needle and thread to the dim lighting of the roaring fire.

Henry winced sharply at the sight of the pointed object; the thought alone of the woman stitching the man’s tender skin made him sick with unease. “I’m sure he’ll be angry at me at first. Maybe for a little while.” Her earlier statement finally sunk in and a response left his lips before he could really give it much thought. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“How well do you know him?” She enquired, eyes shooting to glance at Henry. She didn’t hold that gaze for very long, quickly beginning to stitch up the wound.

Henry clenched Seth’s hand tightly in his as though he were trying to comfort him, unsure about whether he was in a lot of pain or not.

“There’s a lot of damage here.” She pointed out. “If he ever wakes up I don’t think he’s going to be very pleased with the state he’ll be in.”

“I’ll tend to him for however long necessary.” Henry whispered, lifting the man’s hand in his own clasped ones. “I’m sure he’ll get better. He…he’s still breathing. He’s…survived a lot already.”

“Only so much.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

The young woman appeared to smirk meekly, no doubt satisfied that she had jerked a response out of him. “It means, my dear friend, that he’s most likely not going to be thanking you when he wakes up. He won’t berate you either. Or say much of anything else.”

Henry wasn’t sure what had happened but he suddenly couldn’t tell the difference between his own body and Seth’s. Both were ice cold. “I don’t understand… Are you…” 

Come back on October 10th for an interview with Henry. For more on Kyra Gregory, scroll down for an interview with the author.