Flashback ( PDFDrive )

Without a word, he disappeared into his office and retrieved two
more trays of elixirs, waiting until they’d each downed the doses of
sour sludge before he retreated back to his office, returning with his
hands full yet again.
But this time he held a silver arm brace in one hand and two silver
crutches in the other.
“Okay,” he said with a huge grin. “Now who’s ready to get out of
those cots?”
• • •
Walking was always a bit of a challenge for Sophie. But walking after
weeks of bed rest brought new meaning to the word “clumsy.” Her
legs wobbled like a newborn fawn, and she managed to crash into two
cots, one wall, and the door all within the first ten seconds. But after a
couple of minutes, she found a shaky rhythm.
And she had it easy compared to Fitz. The sling made her right arm
basically useless and threw off her center of balance a little—but if
she’d been the one stuck on crutches, she probably would’ve broken a
few bones.
Because the thing about elves and crutches?
The elves didn’t just stick crutches under their arms and swing
their bodies forward step-by-step like humans did.
They added levitation to the mix.
The advantage, of course, was that Fitz could move farther with
every step, with way less strain on his arms and shoulders—and it
would make stairs much more manageable for him.
But levitation also didn’t allow nearly as much control as human
movies loved to imagine it did. There was no traction in the air. No