“You ripped the gearbox off and threw it in the canal like a savage,” Tibby told him.
“The woman holds a grudge,” Fel said to Vorik.
“In my case, I don’t blame her,” Vorik said.
Tibby lifted her chin in satisfaction.
Fel squinted at her. “Iblame her.”
“Your Majesty?” Ignoring the side conversation, Vonla was watching Syla intently. “Let me take a team to the capital while you and your aunt work on the shielder. I’ll gather information and bring it back. I could even… Oh! What if I wore a cloak, aregalcloak, and took a couple of Royal Protectors with me? If there are spies in the countryside, they might mistake me for you. I could try to makesurethey did so that they wouldfocus on my party and you could move about more freely. Being watched might make it harder for me to gather information, but I could send one of my lieutenants ahead. Or there could be two parties…”
Syla appreciated the woman’s initiative and was more inclined to trust Vonla than the crewmen and soldiers she barely knew, but… “It might not be conducive to your health to pose as me. People have rudely been trying to kill me lately.Often.”
Syla considered Vorik, though Captain Lesva was the person who popped into her mind. She also recalled the black-masked soldiers who’d tried to assassinate her a few weeks earlier.
“Don’t look at me,” Vorik said. “I’ve been trying to keep you alive.”
“I do appreciate that.”
“I’m well-trained, Your Majesty,” Vonla said. “I’m not afraid of soldiers coming after me, and I wouldn’t be foolish enough to walk out in the open when snipers might be about. Also, if we were surrounded by soldiers, I could push back my hood to show them who I really am. Underneath the cloak, I’d be wearing the same uniform as those looking for you.” Vonla shrugged. “We’re allsupposedto be on the same side.”
“We will be again,” Syla said. “I do have a few people in the capital who are supposed to be keeping an eye and ear out on my behalf. Contacting them might prove fruitful.”
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to send someone else in to do that first,” Fel said.
“Someone you can trust,” Vorik said quietly, arching an eyebrow and glancing at Vonla. Since he hadn’t interacted with the woman, he probably didn’t have any idea if she was trustworthy.
Of course, Syla couldn’t truly know either. She hadn’t been through battle after battle with the woman the way she had with Fel and Vorik and even Aunt Tibby. Vonla might want to be putashore so she could immediately report to a superior officer loyal to Lord Fograth about Syla’s plans, and Syla had been speaking openly enough about them that Vonla would have something to report. She didn’t mistrust the woman, but…
“I think Captain Vonla is the right person for the job, but will you let me heal your wounds first, Captain?” Syla pointed at the bandage visible under the woman’s sleeve. “You’ll want to be fully fit if you do run into trouble.”
“Magically?” Vonla asked.
“Yes.” Syla watched the captain’s eyes. If the woman held any secrets or had any thoughts about working against her, a magical healing might leave her feeling more loyal afterward. Even if it didn’t alwayswork like that, people being aware that itcouldhave that effect sometimes changed how they acted—what they revealed.
“I’d like that, Your Majesty.” Vonla held up her arm. “Corporal Dedric put this bandage on. He’s had some medic’s training, but his last patient died of gangrene, and he was spitting chaw while binding this up.”
“Notonthe wound, hopefully.” Syla waved for Vonla to step aside with her, and they found a spot to sit down while theFanged Whaleheaded around the north side of the island.
“No, but it didn’t seem sanitary. In the temples, they’re always scrubbing floors and telling people to scour everything.”
“It is true that studies have proven that wounds are less likely to be infected if they’re kept clean.”
“I knew it.”
Vonla didn’t hesitate to stick out her arm when Syla waved for it, and her belief that the captain didn’t have anything to hide grew stronger.
“This won’t take long,” she said, almost relieved to send her magic into the woman’s body to heal. As she’d just beenthinking, so often of late, she’d used her power for self-defense—tohurtothers. Healing was what she preferred.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I knew… I mean, I figured you’d be, you know.” Vonla shrugged, her cheeks growing pink. “I always respected your mother. Your father too, but I like women who aren’t afraid to wield a sword.”
“That’s something I’ve not tried yet.” Syla almost mentioned that she might attempt juggling first, but Vonla wouldn’t understand the reference.
“No, but you wielded that weapons platform in the middle of all the chaos of battle. And you stayed there even when it was dangerous.Reallydangerous. You’re a lot like your mother.”
The words made Syla tear up, and she stared at Vonla’s arm as she worked, trying not to let emotion overcome her. The chaos of all the stormer attacks and her own quests had kept her so busy since she’d lost her mother and siblings that she had often been too distracted to think about them. Sometimes, she even forgot they were gone and imagined them back at the castle, waiting for her to finish up her quests and return. But their deaths were all recent. Raw. When all this was over, Syla would take a suitable time to grieve and recover.
“I never got to speak with Queen Lia,” Vonla added after a time. “I always wanted to. She was one of the reasons I became a fleet soldier. Women have always been allowed to join, but it’s not that encouraged.”
