"It's a sedative," Zasen explained. "Keeps the patient from fighting against healing. And would keep a Mole from hurting someone, so makes sense."
"Well, that means we can't ask him what he knows right now," she said. "In truth, he might not even realize what's important. I didn't!"
"True," I agreed, "but I have a thought. Where's Drozel?"
"Why?" Rymar asked.
"Because all of this adds up one way," I explained. "This Mole - Sylis?" When Ayla nodded, confirming his name, I continued, "He might be either gay or polysexual. He's been repressed down there, and likely ashamed of his desires. He knows Meri, even if barely. She can speak to him and understands the world he's coming from, so she can translate the implications the way Ayla does for us."
"And?" Rymar asked, proving he hadn't put it together yet.
"And Meri's living with Drozel and Omden," I said. "Which means, you have everything you need in one place. Make the guy a refugee as a reward for being an informant. If he fucks up, Drozel will kill him. Hell, Omden is just as likely, but the man'swounded, lost, confused, and being offered everything he didn't realize was possible, plus a potential friend in Meri?"
"Flip him," Zasen said.
Ayla huffed. "He's already on our side."
"No," I told her. "Right now, he's onhisside. He doesn't know us, and he has no reason to trust us. You didn't either, at first. You ran, Ayla. That's the same place Sylis is at right now. Everything will be new, confusing, and a bit too much. The sky will burn and blind him. The culture will be crazy. What he'll need is someone to help him realize those things aren't inherently bad. Different, yes, but they could be good."
"And seeing Drozel and Omden in a relationship they don't have to hide?" Rymar added. "Yeah, that might be enough to make him fight for us instead of against us."
"Which means," Ayla said, "we need to make sure Drozel and Omden know all of this."
"And Drozel's not going to like it," Zasen said. "He'd rather be on the front line than guarding the back."
Rymar huffed. "Too bad. But I'll send Irrik back with him to help out."
"What? Why?" I asked.
"Because," Zasen said, speaking as if I was an idiot, "he's just become a father. He might want to meet his son."
"Too bad he doesn't have a dog," Ayla mumbled.
"Why?" Zasen asked.
"Because Tobias has a whistle," she pointed out. "If he did, then he'd know if they were close, right?"
"Dammit," Zasen grumbled. "That would be useful, and Xav's dog isn't from here."
"Which means," Rymar said, "we're going to need a few other ideas. I'd like to have Drozel's input on that before he leaves. Considering Sylis is probably loopy still, I think we have time."
"Then let's do this," I agreed.
Thirty-Eight
Callah
The hunters returned faster than I'd expected. Tobias had told me they weren't going as far, but having Mrs. Worthington pound on my door to let me know I was needed? It startled me. I'd expected it to take them at least another day, not be back this evening!
It was late, but that didn't bother me. I hurried to the infirmary and got to work. This time, there were so many animal bites. Some were just punctures. Many were savage wounds that had taken flesh and muscle with it. The cloth wound around those was still fresh enough to not stick when it was removed.
And I healed. I cleaned, sewed, and removed arrows, but mostly I bandaged. The whole time, I kept looking for one man: my husband. But Tobias wasn't here. My pulse was pounding just a little too quickly. I felt like there was a constant ringing in my ears, but I did my best to tell myself this was fine. He was likely in our suite already, waiting for me.
Between patients, I moved to wash and gather more supplies. Each time, I asked the others doing the same if they'd seen him. Usually, the answer was no, but one? A young girl, no more than sixteen, nodded.
"The big hunter? I saw him in the hall outside. He didn't stay."
"Are you sure?" I demanded.
