“Here to heal Lady Abrya.” With her medical kit in hand, Syla walked to the bed.
“I do appreciate that. Gessa—the healer who usually handles injuries and ailments among the palace staff—was also injured. Even if she hadn’t been, she doesn’t have the gods-gift.” He waved at Syla’s hand.
“Few healers do. Since your wife isn’t fully conscious, I’ll ask your permission to use my magic to heal her.”
“You have it.”
“You’re aware that it may leave her feeling kindly inclined and possibly beholden to me for a time?”
“That’s fine. She’s rarely beholden to me so it’ll be good for her to be beholden to someone.” Oyenar smiled, though his brow creased with concern as he glanced at his wife.
“I’ll take care of her,” Syla promised.
He nodded and relinquished his seat, letting Syla sit down to clasp Abrya’s hand. She appeared unconscious but moaned softly at the touch. Oyenar winced and walked to a window, limping and rubbing his thigh. Two of his guards joined him, their view over the courtyard walls and toward the river. From the palace’s elevated position in the city, they could probably see to the docks and maybe out to sea.
More concerned about her patient than the view, Syla set down her medical kit and closed her eyes to use her magic to examine Lady Abrya.
I’ll be distracted while I heal this woman,she told Wreylith, sensing the dragon remained on the rooftop,but let me know if the stormers get into the palace, please. If you have to yell into my brain to get my attention, that’s fine.
A dragon has no trouble speaking in a firm tone.Yes, when Wreylith was this close, her telepathic voice had a tendency to boom.
I have noticed that.
One does not want a soft-spoken or meek ally.
Certainly not.
Abrya had the broken leg that had been reported, as well as a concussion and numerous other fractures and blunt traumas. Choosing the most dire injury to start on, Syla willed tendrils of magic into her patient to repair flesh and bone. She was glad to use her power on what it was meant for, healing not harming.
Though she sometimes fell into a trance to heal, the peril hanging in the air must have made her awareness want to remain present, for she found herself able to hear the men conversing at the window while she worked.
“I didn’t expect Syla to come herself,” Oyenar said softly.
“From what I’ve heard,” one of his men said, “she’s the one who retrieved that weapon from the desert and knows how to use it.”
“Yes,” another said. “She was always so quiet when she came with the family. I didn’t realize. Well, I’m glad she’s here.”
“I’mglad she brought ships and drove the stormers away,” Oyenar said. “They’re up to something. More than a few random attacks. They have to be after our shielder. They want Bogberry Island, the same as Harvest.”
“Oh, no doubt, my lord. Do you know where… Er, it’s safe, right? The shielder? The stormers couldn’t have learned…”
“Only my wife knows the location, yes. And I suppose Queen Syla must. The stormers shouldn’t have a clue.”
The men fell silent, and Syla focused on her task. She had no idea when the stormers would breach the palace and if Captain Lesva would be with them, but she expected to have to face that awful woman again, and she dreaded it.
Healing, fortunately, came easily to her, and she managed to work, despite the intrusion of distracting thoughts. She’d finished healing Abrya’s concussion and broken femur and was focusing on cracked ribs, the lady stirring a little and her sighs less pained now, when a new voice spoke from the door.
“Erm, Lord Oyenar? Did you know… Well, there’s a dragon on the roof.”
“That’s Queen Syla’s dragon,” Fel said, as if Syla could claim orcontrolWreylith.
She hoped Wreylith wasn’t threatening anyone. Of course, if the red dragon ate a few stormers trying to sneak in, that would be acceptable.
“I’d heard about that,” Oyenar said from the window, “when minor lord Axton sent a message from Castle Island full of gossip and asking if I planned to support her appointment as queen or if I was interested in backing someone moreexperienced.”
“Yes, my lord,” the man in the doorway said, “but he didn’t mention—er, I don’t think anyone mentioned—that this dragon of hers can pass through barriers.Ourbarrier.”
“We knew she was able to on Castle Island,” Oyenar said.
