My belly continued to rock.
Farris whimpered from beside me, nudging my arm in sympathy.
Finally, when even my toes felt empty, I rose and staggered to the sink. I cleansed my mouth and returned to the bed, flopping down onto it and curling into a ball. Farris hopped up beside me and nudged my arms until I opened them for him to step in and settle beside me.
“My lady,” Lord Briscalar called out from the sitting area in a cheery voice. “My lady? Are you awake?”
“Go away,” I moaned. Make it all go away.
The ship hitched, swaying this way and that, and I roared up from the bed, barely making it to the toilet again before I flung more of my guts into the basin.
“Oh, my. My lady.” Lord Briscalar rushed into the room and stood beside me.
I settled back onto my heels and groaned, still clutching the edge of the toilet.
His feet fidgeted on the floor, and his hands twitched at his sides. “Sea sick, are you?”
How could he tell? I shoved my hair off my face and grimaced at the sour taste flooding my mouth. “Make it end.”
“I . . . I don’t know that I can, my lady, and I do apologize for that. Unfortunately, healing spells escape me. I understand seasickness passes quickly, however.”
“How quickly?”
“A few days, they say. I personally have not experienced it myself. I’m a true sailor, I suppose, managing the swells and rocks of this glorious ship without even a twinge in my belly.”
Bile rushed up my throat, and I aimed it at the basin.
“Oh, my.” Lord Briscalar flung himself backward before the splatters could find his clothing. “I’ll . . . King Merrick will be here today. Perhaps he can help.”
Lovely. Just lovely. At this rate, I was going to hurl my guts onto my new husband’s shoes the moment I met him. Lore’s shoes would be better. Sadly, I couldn’t even crack a smile at the thought.
“I’ll . . . see what Lord Lorant has to say about this,” he said.
“No Lorant,” I growled. “Do not tell him I’m sick.” That damn man would crow about it, mock me for what he’d no doubt see as one of my many “fluffy” weaknesses. That would only make me feel worse.
“Are you sure, my lady? I assure you, he’ll be quite sympathetic.”
No chance of that. “Don’t tell him.”
“As you wish.” He left the room.
I cleansed my mouth again and returned to my bed, curling around Farris who licked my arm and gave me a look full of dismay. I slept for the rest of the day—other than the times I rushed to the toilet to continue emptying my belly.
Lord Briscalar checked on me periodically, bringing me cool water and telling me that the king had arrived and that he wanted to see me to offer his sympathy.
Good that he was feeling sympathetic.
Bad that he wanted to see me.
“Please no. Not right now.” What a way to greet my new husband, but at this point, I didn’t care. Just toss me into the sea and be done with it.
Seasickness haunted me through the night, though it felt as if the vomiting had slowed. Maybe I’d live after all.
Drifting to sleep sometime after midnight, I woke to movement beside my bed and slitted my eyes open to find Lore standing there, scowling down at me.
Farris’s tail pinwheeled, thumping on the bed and he whimpered, crawling toward the man.
“Go away,” I growled at Lore. “Or I’ll vomit on you.”
