‘Gods, give me strength; you will be the death of me, woman. Stop hurting yourself, or I swear I’ll tie you to the bed,’ he said, marching to the bedroom door before shouting to the guards. ‘Get me a healer!’
‘Rey, no; it’s a Brotherhood secret,’ I said when he grabbed my hand, leading me back to bed.
‘I don’t care whose secret it is, even if it’s the mystery of the world’s creation. I won’t stand by and watch you bleed.’ The stubborn set of his jaw was the end of the discussion. There was no point in arguing, anyway. I couldn’t retrieve it myself, and a healer would at least have the proper tools rather than the fireplace tongs I’d considered using.
Rey was fussing like a mother hen, insisting I lie in bed, covered in white linen. The fabric was soon stained with my blood, and the spot grew wider the longer we waited. He sat by my side, dressed in black leather that perfectly matched his thunderous expression.
‘How can I help, Your Maje– Oh, my lady, what did he do to you?’ the healer stuttered, taking in the bloodied scene. His eyes bored into Rey with such intensity that I flinched.
‘It’s not my doing, so stop throwing around accusations and focus on your job,’ Rey said, gesturing the healer closer.‘Retrieve the object Lady Roksana put in her flesh, and if I can help, tell me what to do.’
I waved at the healer, who stood stunned, and gestured for him to come closer. ‘It’s alright; I just need some forceps, if you have any. I can do the rest myself.’
Rey took my hands and locked them in his. ‘You’ve done enough, my love. Let the man work.’
‘Yes, Your Majesty, forceps. I have forceps,’ the poor man muttered, digging in his bag before rushing over with a pair of the meanest-looking pliers.
Reynard’s expression darkened, and a muscle twitched on his jaw before he inhaled, issuing another command. ‘The sigil your kind use to numb wounds – start with that.’
For the next half hour, I was torn between laughter and burying my face in a pillow to hide my embarrassment. The healer could have worked much faster if he hadn’t flinched each time the king growled, and Reynard growled a lot despite the healer working with a professional attitude and precision. The tension in the king’s body eased slightly once the object was retrieved, and my wound healed.
I groaned, pressing my face into a pillow as I listened to Rey lecture the man about confidentiality, unflinching, even as the mage bristled, stating he’d never disclose the secrets of his clients.
‘They are sworn to keep people’s ailments secret, you know,’ I said when the man rushed out much richer with a purse of gold, and so offended he omitted royal protocol.
‘Well, now his oath is reaffirmed at his king’s command.’ Reynard shrugged, but the hint of a smile played on his lips before he gathered me in his embrace. ‘Do you have any other secrets hidden in your body? I swear the scene from the bathroom will give me nightmares for years.’
‘Nothing else. I didn’t have a choice. Trust me, swallowing it would’ve been worse. I didn’t even know when, or if, I’d get free,’ I said, taking the cleaned wax pellet from his hands and breaking the protective layer to retrieve the folded paper from within.
The wax had soaked into the vellum, making it almost transparent, but the writing was still visible, depicting not just the schemata but also the calculations of the aether needed to activate the Wey Gates.
‘Can you read it?’ Rey asked, looking at the paper under the light.
‘Not really, but I hope Tova and the artificer mages can… or we can ask the fae for help,’ I said when he frowned. ‘This and the map Tymon gave me mean we have a chance. That Tangra won’t surprise you by bringing their entire bloody empire to your doorstep.’
Tenderness softened Rey’s face when he stroked my shoulder in a gesture that soothed both of us. ‘You’re impossible. If it were me or any soldier under my command, I’d say the risk was worth taking, but with you… It’s difficult.’ He sighed, taking my hand and kissing the knuckles. ‘Thank you, Roksana. For your courage, for taking on more than I could ever ask of you. There is no living being on these lands I hold in higher regard… and no one else I want to lock in a padded room to protect her from her sense of responsibility.’
‘Rey…’ I laughed, swatting his hand, but he didn’t let go.
Instead, he pulled me up from the bed and pointed towards the wardrobe. ‘Pick something that fits you. We have a royal council meeting to attend and a new war to plan. Besides, I don’t think my guards can hold off your dwarf any longer.’
He pointed towards the door, and I noticed the voices growing louder with each passing moment. Sooner rather than later, I’d have to face one very concerned tinkerer. One not known for holding back.
‘Gods have mercy on us both. Come on, help me dress. Quickly.’ I rushed to the wardrobe while Reynard followed me, shaking with laughter. I was barely decent when the door burst open. My friend had aged since I’d last seen him. His face was still youthful, his complexion pink and plump, but his eyes were branded by a sorrow that had hardened him.
‘Tova,’ I said, rushing to him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.
He didn’t like showing affection, yet this time, he crushed me in his embrace, then patted my back as if I were a child. ‘You brought her back,’ he said, then surprised me completely by kneeling and bowing his head. ‘I’ll take her home now.’
‘I am home, Tova,’ I said before Rey could. ‘I’m where I want to be. I brought you the schemata. We can finally destroy the Wey Gates before Tivala can activate them,’ I said, pointing at the paper on the desk.
Tova approached them before picking up the parchment and studying the writing with an unexpected lack of enthusiasm. Something else was bothering me too. Reynard had asked the guard to inform Irsha and Lily, and yet the assassin master and my fae friend were nowhere to be seen.
‘What’s wrong? Where’s Irsha?’ He could be busy with Lily or the Brotherhood. I could easily accept not being a priority anymore, but the absence of my Blade after he left me to do a nearly suicidal mission was telling. My throat tightened as I looked towards the doors, hoping to see the future Grand Master at any moment. When nothing happened, I released a shuddering breath. ‘Irsha returned, yes? With Inga Tivala? Please tell me he’s alive.’
My eyes darted towards Rey, but he had the same confused expression I did. Tova coughed, pulling at his beard, and dizziness washed over me, forcing me to sit down before I fainted. ‘Irsha is in the House of Lillies. The whole damnBrotherhood’s there, searching for clues,’ Tova said. I wanted to grab his shoulders and shake him for being so cryptic.
‘Tova, why are they looking for clues?’ My fists tightened, nails digging into soft palms, the pain grounding me when the dark spots started swirling in my gaze.
