Still, I doubted any of the humans would enjoy it. I hadn’t mentioned the possibility of Noxlyn following the humans to Seth when he’d visited me, because he’d brought Prince Kalvoxrencol. The prince was highly protective of his mate, as he should be, and he would be upset at the thought of someone following Seth, though I doubted Noxlyn meant any harm. He was trying to learn. It was what we seekers did.
Most seekers hyper focused on a single subject, and we chased it with reckless abandon, dedicating our lives to learning about it. Not all of us did, but from what I’d learned about Noxlyn, he had a focus, humans, and he would chase them until he was satisfied. I highly doubted that time would ever come.
Perhaps I should introduce Noxlyn to Camden. Camden was the friendliest human, baring Caleb, I’d met. Noxlyn and Camden would probably be well suited to each other. Noxlyn could ask whatever he wanted without worrying about causing offense, and Camden would have another friend. The cheery human was always trying to fix things or surround himself with people, so another addition to his crowd of friends would probably make him happy.
My hand throbbed as I shifted, drawing my focus to the injury once more. My palm was wrapped in a plaster to keep the healing ointment against my delicate skin. The wound and surgical site had been closed with a laser, but Qinlin had been forced to remove the scales, which sometimes didn’t regrow depending on how damaged the beds were.
If my scales didn’t grow back, I’d have a difficult time in the future. Drakcon skin was exceedingly sensitive, as it was meant to be covered in scales. High temperatures or extreme weather could affect the skin, drying it out. I would spend a lot of time simply caring for my hand, and I’d have to wear gloves wheneverI was grabbing things. Too much pressure, and I could puncture the fragile skin.
My scales would most likely return, statistically speaking, and I was taking good care of the wound in the meantime while I waited for reassignment. I couldn’t work in the tunnels while injured, and Qinlin had given me the week off to rest.
Seth had immediately volunteered to spend the whole week with me or to have me come to his and Prince’s quarters. The instant proposal had warmed my soul—Seth was truly my best friend—but I’d refused. He was busy with keeping the humans calm and answering their questions as well as caring for Bobbinvoxlyn. He didn’t need more responsibility. He and Kalvoxrencol needed more time alone, and my presence in their quarters or stealing Seth’s limited free time wouldn’t help.
Urgg had to work at their bakery, but they’d also volunteered to spend time with me, or they said I could work for them in the interim, earning units for my house god fund. I’d told them I would think about it. I needed to see what Doctor Qinlin planned for me first. She was the head seeker on theAdmiral Venand doled out assignments, though they had to be approved by Commander Monqilcolnen.
I frowned as a fuzzy thought of him hovering over me while he demanded to know what was wrong floated through my thoughts. Had he come to the medbay? That seemed highly unlikely. While incidents were reported to the commander, it was unlikely he’d show up in the medbay for a simple injury on a random lieutenant, especially one he didn’t even like.
My false memory was probably on account of the medication Qinlin had administered.
“Lieutenant Wyn,” said the smooth voice I dreaded.
“No,” I groaned, covering my face.
Commander Monqilcolnen was pinging me. I couldn’t, in all honor or according to regulations, ignore his ping or I’d get introuble. I slid my touchstone out of my pocket. “Commander Monqilcolnen.”
His even voice sounded in my ear, so different from the rough growl I’d dreamed in the medbay. “Are you well?”
“Well enough. How can I assist you?”
“I would like to speak to you in my office.”
“I’m coming.”
“It’s no rush, if you are feeling ill, Lieutenant. I don’t want you to get more hurt. Your health is of the utmost importance.”
I blinked. Monqilcolnen almost never talked in front of me besides short sentences. Now that I thought about it, it seemed like he avoided me as much as I did him. That hurt, oddly. Why should it have, though? We were not friends.
“I’m fine.”
“Excellent.”
I said, “I will be there soon.”
“Understood.” He disconnected, and I stared at the touchstone.
Monqilcolnen was acting oddly, not that I possessed much frame of reference. While I lived in the palace and spent time with the royal family because of my connection to Seth, I hadn’t seen Monqilcolnen often.
I stood, tucking my touchstone back into my pocket, and smoothed my casual clothes. I was technically off duty until Qinlin cleared me for light duty. The white shirt looked nice against my lavender scales, the tall collar accentuating my long neck, and the lack of sleeves showed off my lithe, yet muscular arms. My black trousers clung to my thin legs. I wore little jewelry except the gold studs in my ears up to the tapered point and the stud in my lobe had blue stones to match my eyes. My braid was still neat, even after lying on it.
Normally, someone of my station would keep their hair short, but since I’d started working at the palace, I’d grown it out untilit was a thick braid hanging down my back. The sides of my head were shaved, not to the scales of my scalp, but until they were short enough I couldn’t run my fingers through it.
I glanced around the silent berth. All lower-ranked officers and civilians had the same quarters: a hallway consisting of four bunks set within the wall with a single compartment for storing our items at the end. There was no door, so anyone walking by could see into the berths, and all of the officer berths shared a communal bathroom. As a lieutenant, I could’ve applied for private quarters with only three other people and its own bathroom, but I liked my current lodgings well enough, even if it lacked privacy.
One of my three berthmates was asleep on his bunk, face turned toward the wall. I moved to my storage to grab my boots. All of my clothes were neatly folded or hung inside. My tools were evenly lined and etched with my name. An old habit, but one I’d never bothered to try and get over. I put my name on every piece of clothing, tool, screen, or even styluses I owned, making sure everyone knew they were mine.
With a steadying breath, I left my berth, walking past more, some empty and some not. I greeted the people who acknowledged my passing through the officers’ berths.
I took the lift to deck two. Monqilcolnen didn’t have an office on the same deck as command, like Captain Talvax did, which was unexpected, but for all I knew, he’d requested it. Maybe he wanted to be closer to his quarters, which were on deck two with the royals and other senior officers.
