Blake swallowed. ‘Waiting to speak to me, I think.’
‘Oh.’ Lyndal placed a hand on her sister’s back. ‘Want me to come with you?’
Blake shook her head and went out front, closing the door behind her. ‘Defender.’
Astin gave a small bow of the head. ‘You’re looking better than the last time I saw you.’
The right side of Blake’s face had been twice its normal size and every colour of the rainbow. She had also had stitches along her hairline.
‘Don’t look so worried,’ Astin said, reading her face. ‘It’s good news. I have a message from Commander Wright.’
Her heart sped up. ‘Is he awake? Talking?’
‘Both, actually.’
Blake let out a breath and held her stomach. ‘Thank Belenus.’
Astin studied her for a moment. ‘I just came from his bedside, where he’s sitting up for the first time in weeks.’
Blake was hanging off his every word, not caring that the defender could see her heart beating through her dress. ‘So much time had passed, I thought…’ She could not finish that sentence. ‘You said you had a message for me.’
Astin nodded. ‘Yes. He said to tell you he survived. I suspect you have something to do with that.’ He glanced in the direction of the window where Lyndal stood with her arms crossed and a wary expression. ‘There was some pretty poetry he wanted me to recite on his behalf also, but I’m afraid I wouldn’t do it justice.’
Blake breathed out a laugh, releasing some of the tension she was holding.
Astin’s eyebrows rose. ‘Why are you laughing?’
‘Because Commander Wright is a man of action, not words. I’m pleased at least one of you has a sense of humour though.’
A smile flickered on Astin’s face. ‘I guess you do know him. I’m sure he’ll be by when he’s back on his feet.’
Blake bit her lip as she looked out to the road. ‘Are the defenders getting meat in the barracks at the moment?’
His brow creased. ‘Some. Why do you ask?’
Her eyes returned to him. ‘Because he’ll need good healing foods for a while.’
The door creaked behind Blake, and Garlic waddled out, stopping at her feet and eyeing the defender.
‘Our guard duck, Garlic,’ Blake said by way of explanation. She bent to pick him up, stroking the new feathers that had finally come through.
‘Should I avoid eye contact with it?’ Astin asked.
‘Probably best.’ Blake placed him on the ground and shooed him back inside.
‘Would you like me to pass a message along to the patient? Is there anything you need?’
She already had what she needed—he was awake. What to say to the man who had consumed her every thought since that day on the beach? ‘Tell him to focus on getting better.’ She hesitated. ‘Also, tell him I looked well, strong. Maybe tell him I got eggs from the market and whatever else he needs to hear.’
Astin stared at her for the longest time. ‘And are any of those things true?’
There had been eggs at the market, but none they could afford. The few vegetables they had, Blake was secretly putting in her sisters’ bowls before going out into the forest to eat insects. She glanced away. ‘Can you just tell him anyway?’
Astin nodded slowly. ‘Good day, merchant.’
‘Defender.’
Chapter 24
