We’d been doing what?
I looked up at Maverick in shock, but it was clear he knew nothing of this. He seemed to be struggling with this news as well. Finally, he nodded to himself. “Your Highness, I knew nothing of such attacks. It would seem someone in Elista is doing this without the consent of the Council of Nobles.”
The prince nodded. “We wondered about that. It did seem… odd.” He sighed. “But with the attack on my parents, it certainly seems like Elista wishes to declare war on Vauphan. Or…” He grunted as he sat up. It seemed my poison wore off in stages and he was still weak, having trouble controlling his movements. “…someone in Elista is, if not the entire country. He looked directly at me, then Maverick. “What are your intentions, Lord Maverick?” So… the prince knew his Elistan Nobles. Interesting.
“I wish only peace between our countries, Your Highness.”
The prince nodded. “Then I’m going to stay here,” the prince said firmly. I’ll need to coordinate a few things with whomever remains at the palace, and find some way to communicate with them, but… if there is indeed someone in your country trying to kill me, this is the last place they’d expect to find me, isn’t it?”
Maverick nodded. “We’ll have a room made up for you, Your Highness.”
“And while I’m here, please don’t call me ‘your highness.’ You can call me by my name: Alvere.”
Maverick nodded. “Yes, Alvere.” He turned to Sparrow behind him. “Have a room made up, please?”
She nodded and hurried off.
Maverick turned to Fennec and Jack, saying: “Please make sure nothing happens to the pri— to Alvere. I need to speak with Legs.”
I stood.
“Legs? That’s your name? I thought you said it was Leana,” the prince said with a grin. His eyes did dip down to my — now mostly exposed — legs and he smiled. “Never mind, Legs suits you.”
I’m fairly certain I blushed at that, then pulled the blood-soaked cloak about me and followed Maverick out of the room. He led me to a room stocked with supplies and grabbed several rolls of linen bandages. Then he went to my room, which I hadn’t been expecting. Stopping at the door he nodded his head inside, holding out the bandages. “There should be some water in there, clean yourself up and get… dressed. I’ll wait.”
I took the bandages and went in.
It took me a while to do as instructed. I removed the ruins of my dress and looked at myself in the long looking glass. I was a right mess.
Gently peeling away the web-bandages I found the larger cuts mostly healed: Ant’s work. There would be scars, but I didn’t mind that. I was alive, that’s what counted. Then I carefully used a rag to wash and clean the other small wounds… which were everywhere, it looked like a thousand small pins had stabbed me. Some were healed, and those that hadn’t were not deep. Still, the cuts stung when cleaned, and some re-opened and bled a bit more. Then began the full-body bandaging with the linen Maverick had provided. I did one leg, then the other, a bunch around my midsection and chest, then — the hardest parts — my arms. There weren’t any cuts on my face that weren’t already closed or healed by Ant.
This made me a bit stiff, but I found a loose dress, put it on, and went back out to Maverick.
He looked at me, shook his head, then motioned for us to go back in.
He sat heavily in a chair and I did the same, though a bit more gingerly.
“Amber tells me you killed the mistweaver?”
“Yes, was anyone hurt here when she escaped?”
He tilted his head with a curious expression. “That’s what you have to say? You kill a mistweaver and you’re worried about us?” He grinned. “I knew I liked you. I made a good call selecting you. Yeah, we’re good here. She didn’t escape. Turns out we didn’t have her at all, but a duplicate of some sort, a façade over someone else. That someone else is still in the dungeons, but they stopped looking like the mistweaver earlier today.”
That was interesting.
“Back to you. How are you doing?”
I was exhausted, achy, itchy, bleeding, and a soul-weary, emotional mess. “Well enough. I’ll survive these cuts and… well… mostly I’m worried for Ant and Silence.”
“Yup, you’re a keeper. Clearly in pain but worried about others.” He nodded. “The mistweaver may be gone, but someone out there still wants you dead. We’ll need to be careful.” He grimaced. “Though I think that goes without saying now that we have the prince visiting.” He rolled his eyes at that. “You have a way of bringing trouble to my House, little one. First a mistweaver, now the prince of an enemy nation. What next, the Emperor of Thraan?” He grimaced. “Don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.” He leaned forward, running both hands through his thick, messy hair while blowing out a long breath. “I honestly don’t know what’s going on. Someone… someone high up in the Noble Houses, is killing Lumani and invading Vauphan and somehow managing to keep it all quiet. There has to be some plan behind all of this, but damned if I know what it is.” He looked up at me then with a wry grin. “But I know one thing. Whatever their plans are, you’re going to ruin them.” He laughed. “All I have to do — and you’re not making it easy — is keep you alive long enough to do so.”
He rose and made his way out, stopping at the door, half turning back. “I’ll let you know if Ant or Silence returns. For now, get some rest.” He paused then shrugged. “Your standing orders are… stay alive at all costs. Got that?”
“Yes, Lord Maverick.”
“Good.”
He left, and I stumbled over to my bed, but as exhausted as I was, I couldn’t sleep. This bed only reminded me of Silence and… how he wasn’t in it with me now.
