The smirk on his face sent a chill down her spine, but he’d dangled a tempting carrot before her. There were few natural chances to talk with Heinrich’s allies, so the duke had just offered her an opportunity she couldn’t refuse.
“Then I’d be delighted to attend,” she said, plastering on a fake smile.
4
Liane woke up screaming. In her dream, hands dipped into her flesh as if she were made of soft clay, tearing pieces off her, bit by bit, until there was nothing left of her but a golden sword lying on the cobble. Her scar throbbed as she sat up straight in bed, eyes wild, taking in her unfamiliar surroundings—The stark white walls, a single wooden stool, and Luzie sitting up in her cot, hair mussed as she reached for a candlestick. Luzie leapt to her feet, brandishing the makeshift weapon at unseen assailants.
It would have been funny if the pain was not still shooting up Liane’s spine and the specters of her dream weren’t lingering at the edges of her memory.
“No one’s here.” Liane bit down on a gasp. “Just a nightmare and a back spasm. Can you get me willow bark or anything for the pain?”
Luzie dropped the candlestick with a clatter and ran out the door. Liane slumped over onto her side, trying and failing to find a position in which she might lie that’d cause her the least amount of agony.
Luzie returned with willow bark tea and a warm stone wrapped in a cloth, which Liane applied to her back. Heat seeped into her aching muscles, and they relaxed a tiny bit. When she could sit up, half hunched, she sipped the tea, waiting for the worst of the pain to ease. Aside from the nightmares, her first two days at the temple had been uneventful. She’d spent most of her time in her chambers under the Avatheos’ orders that she rest. But the problem was, she wasn’t getting much. Nightmares of the dock attack had been impacting her sleep. For the past couple of nights, her dreams had been haunted by disembodied grasping hands tearing her apart. If she weren’t trapped in her room, she could have distracted herself. The blank walls and hard bedding reminded her of her miserable bedbound childhood. But the Avatheos was being cautious to not let her overexert herself. Even so, things were progressing too slowly. She’d come to Basilia in hopes of a cure, but she feared she was regressing instead. She needed to get out of this room.
“Luzie, I need to leave this room, or I will go mad.”
Luzie shook her head sadly. Liane was hardly able to move as it was. The warm stone was helping, as was the willow bark. In a few minutes, she might be able to muster enough energy to shamble about.
“You need rest.”
Dark circles marred Luzie’s eyes. Liane wasn’t the only one suffering from the nightmares. Luzie had spent the entire boat ride here sick, and now she was being kept up by Liane’s nightmares. If Liane left her alone for a bit, at least Luzie would be able to relax. And maybe Liane would pay the price for overexertion tomorrow, but it would be worth it.
“I’m rested enough,” Liane said and attempted to sit up to prove it. A jolt of pain ran through her back, and she winced. But once she was up, the throbbing was tolerable, at least.
Luzie clicked her tongue. “Keep this up and you won’t be able to sit up for days.”
Liane frowned at her, ignoring her good sense. Luzie was the one who would tend to her when Liane inevitably overexerted herself. But the Avatheos had told Liane that pain was a symptom of her unused power. Convalescing wouldn’t make it better, action would. If she started her lessons, then surely all her problems would be solved.
“Perhaps I could go to the temple to pray. Surely the Avatheos won’t argue against that,” Liane said.
“Knowing you, you’d be searching out hidden passages and getting into mischief,” Luzie said, crossing her arms and studying Liane with narrowed eyes.
“Why would you assume such a thing of me?” Liane pressed a hand to her chest in a show of false shock and horror.
Luzie narrowed her eyes further, making Liane squirm.
“I promise to not crawl into any strange holes—not that I think I’m capable of much mischief in this condition. I’ll lean on Ludwig… Wait, where is Ludwig?” Normally, he’d rush in, sword drawn, at the slightest commotion.
“Now that you mention it, he wasn’t outside when I left.” Luzie frowned.
It wasn’t like him to abandon his post. Especially after what’d happened the other day. A sinking feeling came over her. He couldn’t be… could he? Liane got up and flung the door open, certain he would be there with a surprised look on his face, but he was gone. Liane stared dumbly at the empty doorway.
Ludwig was gone…
“I have to go find him,” Liane said.
Luzie was faster than Liane in her current condition and placed herself between Liane and the hall, arms crossed.
“I’ll go find him. Rest.” She gently shoved Liane toward the bed.
But knowing Ludwig was missing felt like an itch inside her skull. Even if pain slowed her down, she had to know what he was up to.
Liane changed tactics and grabbed Luzie by both her hands as she jutted out her lip and fluttered her eyelashes at her. “Please, Luzie. I will go mad if I spend another minute in here. Don’t you want some sleep? You haven’t rested since we left Artria.”
Luzie looked around the room as if the walls would guide her. Then she sighed heavily. “As if I could stop you.”
Liane hugged her tightly before turning to leave. She hadn’t taken more than a few steps when Luzie grasped her by the wrist.
