I rolled off her, falling, limp, the fight going out of me. Ahmaia caught me in tendrils of cloth before I hit the floor and lowered me to the stones.
I could hear the distant groans and whimpers of the others in the hall.
“Get Ant,” I whispered to Ahmaia. Then I passed out.
Chapter 28
Of the Noblesthat went to fight Merlin in Ursa’s group, only Skyfire survived. And stubborn as she was, she wouldn’t let Ant heal her damaged vocal cords. She kept the scar around her neck and the raspy, damaged voice as another reminder of her failure… or so she saw it.
Silence and Sparrow both survived, despite grievous wounds. Alvere was freed from Merlin’s curse once she was dead, thankfully. Midnight did live, but was laid up for some time, and though her body healed, something about her was… missing. Though she still beat me regularly at sparring I could tell she wasn’t as deathly quick as she’d once been.
I didn’t know any of this, of course, until I woke up, which was days later. It was then I also learned that Ant had nearly killed himself trying to heal us all. He’d brought Silence and Sparrow back from the brink of death but… he’d burned out his spirit-gift. He couldn’t heal any more. I hadn’t even known that was possible until now. And though some of our more serious wounds were mended, it still took all of us a long time after that to recover without his aid.
So, for a time, that is what we did: rest and mend.
It was about two weeks later when I woke to a room full of sunlight. The curtains had all been thrown open, revealing the windows along the one wall. I blinked, pulling myself up to a sitting position in bed. I was feeling well enough now, myHerogift having healed me far faster than most of the others.
It was then I noticed Lady Crane sitting quietly on a chair pulled up next to the bed.
“Good morning, Lady Legs,” Crane said with a respectful tilt of her head. “I thought you’d want to know, your sister is awake. We got the news by pigeon late yesterday.”
I smiled, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. I hadn’t known how much that had been weighing on me until now. “Is she well?”
Crane nodded. “From the report, she is doing quite well, and will soon be on her way here to see you and Lady Silvermane.”
“That is good news, thank you.” I smiled and suddenly felt refreshed by this new and glorious day. I wanted to get up and walk around, even if I was still aching all over. But as I went to slip out of the large bed Crane spoke again. “There is more news… of a mixed nature.” Her tone was odd, and when I turned to her, I couldn’t read her expression.
“Oh?”
“Lord Hale was sentenced two days ago.”
I nodded. Despite not having left my room, I’d been getting some reports over the past few days. This one had been of particular interest to me. “Yes, I’d heard, hard labor in the quarries of the South.”
Crane nodded. “What you may not have heard yet, is that yesterday, while being transported, there was an attempt to free him. Lady Swan, had hired a group of mercenaries to attack the caravan holding him.” Crane tilted her head to one side. “I suppose I shouldn’t call her Lady Swan anymore. Her title has been stripped from her, so I suppose she’s just Swan now.”
“An attempt?” I didn’t like where this was going.
“Yes, the fighting was fierce and the mercenaries killed, but Hale was freed. He fled, but was pursued… by one of the Nobles escorting him… Lord Horn.”
“They let his father escort him?” I blurted. I was certain he’d escaped now.
“Indeed, and…” Crane sighed heavily. “Lord Horn was forced to kill his son to keep him from escaping.”
I stared at Crane, wide-eyed. “Truly?”
“Yes. Hale is dead, and Lord Horn has gone into seclusion.” She grimaced. “Swan escaped, however, and others are searching for her.”
Oh… wow. That was… mixed news indeed. I didn’t fear Swan. She would be a pest at most, and probably soon captured as well. But the loss of Lord Horn… “That must have affected Lady Silvermane deeply.”
“Indeed, it did. She has stepped down as head of her House. As to who will replace her, that is still in question. Some in the House would like Lady Dove to take the leadership. But that will be decided internally.”
That was news to me.
I finally slipped from the bed and went to my wardrobe. Not caring if Crane saw me, I removed my night-dress and began dressing.
“Going somewhere?” she asked. Her tone suggested I should still be resting.
“I’ve been in that bed for almost two weeks. I’m fully healed. I need to get out and see the world, see people.”
