Lada felt like a piece of shit. She quite liked Vitale, and she hadn't meant to ever imply that she wanted him to be killed by Kolya. If anything, she was trying to say the opposite – that neither he nor Biljana should've been killed by Kolya.
And on top of it, she had been scolded by Ratko.
'Now you've gone and done it,' he said to her, making everything worse.
But her and Vitale had a stable bond, formed during the frequent times in which either Kolya or Zlaho had to have this body part repaired or that one. The alchemist would always complain that he was not a physician, nor an apothecary, but would rummage through his shelves or drawers nonetheless for the exact ointment or elixir required.
And it certainly helped that the Casterian was quite young and rather handsome.
