“The sister is recovering as well as can be expected given her age. The paralytic that was used is a particularly virulent one. An elf in their prime would simply tumble to the ground, muscles clenched, unable to move. An elderly elf might have more serious complications. Her heartbeat was unstable for the first few hours, but Healer P’tash began applying this pink unguent to her flesh, and it seems to be helping. The sister is no longer having difficulty with her breathing, and her heart seems to be responding to the Sandrayan potions and oils.”
“Good, good. And the pixie?” Teryn enquired softly, his voice moving closer as he stepped up to stand beside me.
“That is a more difficult situation,” the healer whispered as he moved closer, his robes swishing as the scent of lilac calendula and bog sage smoke entered my nose. “We are sadly lacking in knowledge of how to treat pixies. We have sent a raven to their court to ask for a healer or someone knowledgeable to come to Avolire to tend to the princess. Given that the dosage was intended for a mature elf, we are assuming, obviously, the children would be affected strongly butshould come out of their immobilized state within a day or two. Princess Tezen is a thousand or so sizes smaller than an adult elf, so her systems are doubly stricken.”
I stared down at the formidable little woman lying like a small statue on a goose-down pillow. “You say the Sandrayan lotion seems to be helping?” I asked, gently patting her small but deadly hand. I had seen this tiny woman drop elves and creatures two thousand times her size with those war picks of hers. Bards like to tell of my encounter with the lust-raged yeti, but Tezen was there as well. She had blackened the eye of one of the monstrous brutes and driven her boot so far into the stones of another that I feared the thick-furred beast might never reproduce.
Why her story was not sung in the alehouses, I suspected, was due to her not being an elf. She was a fierce protector and a dear friend. We had shared many adventures, from helping to fetch our queen to driving out bandits to facing down inflamed yetis. We shared bunks, sleeping rolls, stale tack, and ribald stories around a campfire. We had been sick together, drunk together, and eaten more meals than I could recall together. If she did not recover from this tainting of a nursery drink, there would be no stopping me from striking down those who had done this. Be they mainland or Sandrayan, they would fall to my blade and let the kings and envoys sort out the mess left behind.
“Aye, yes, Captain, the rictus around their eyes and mouths has improved. The flesh is softening, and we were able to dribble water infused with pressed lemon tea into her, but she is unable to swallow, although we think some may have gotten into her stomach. We know that the pixies are fond of pressed lemon tea with a dabble of lichen sprinkled on top.”
I had never seen Tezen drink such a thing, but who was I to question a trained healer? “I am glad to hear that the aid given to her by Healer P’tash is helping.”
The old elf nodded, his lips pressed tightly for a moment before he worked them into a forced smile.
“The king has sent word to us that we are to step aside and learn as we watch the ambassador’s son tend to the princess. I am sure we will acquire many skills from the Sandrayans as they do from us.”
“Yes, I am sure that you will,” I replied, patting the small, chilly hand resting on my finger before gently placing it back to her side. “Rest and recuperate, my friend. May Ihdos bless these learned men and women who tend to you. May his light lead you from the darkness that you now linger in back to us.”
“We should go and let the healers return to their patients,” Teryn said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I nodded, rose, and glanced around the infirmary looking for Teryn’s son.
“Where is Healer P’tash?” I enquired. The healer pointed at a closed door to the right of the hall.
“He is in the apothecary right now. Creating more unguents and infusions for the stricken,” the older elf explained.
“I shall go speak with my son. Pasil, feel free to return to the barracks to rest,” Teryn said, but I shook my head. There would be time for resting and packing once the ambassador was safely back in his chambers.
“My duty is to protect you. I shall linger here until you are ready to go back to your quarters, Mahouk.”
Teryn appeared to want to say more, but he merely smiled softly and entered the apothecary with me on his heels. The small room was packed with shelves, which were overflowing with bits of plants, bottles, vials, mortars, pestles, and devices for distilling liquids. Working with P’tash was his sister, I’llra. They stood at one of four long tables, baskets of shimmering flowers, rare herbs, and tiny glowing seeds from the apothecary’s garden on the eastern side of the castle. Small windows high on the walls allowed the sea winds to blowin, rustling the dried stems tied with rough twine that hung from hooks in the ceiling. The smells in the room vied for my attention, from the woody smells of balsam to the spicy aroma of peppercorn to the floral beauty of rosewood and lavender.
“Father!” both cried out as Teryn moved to embrace them. Once I was sure there was only the lone way into the room, I stepped outside, closing the door to give the family privacy. Their conversation was not mine to overhear. Planting my feet and folding my arms, I rested my back to the doorjamb to wait.
The Hall of the Sanguine was peaceful, the low chants of healers praying over patients the only sounds to be heard other than the cry of gulls. I let my mind wander as I stood guard, my thoughts scrambled like eggs. Many of the old elves said that Ihdos moved us through our lives in ways that only he could understand. I was not an overly religious man. I was paid to cut down enemies of the crown. So citing scriptures that called for the intelligent to lead the way with peaceful hearts, for only beasts killed when diplomacy and rational discourse could prevail, seemed insincere. Still, I did feel that there was a supreme being—a guiding hand if one wished—that helped us along a life path. I thought to question Ihdos about why he had propelled me into Teryn’s arms last night. Surely that had been a rash decision. Not only had I complicated things by bedding a dignitary—not a crime but ill-advised—but I had then been caught with my cock out in his chambers. Now the king and Le’ral, as well as a dozen guards, including my cousin, knew of my indiscretions. Then the man that I would lay down my life for sends me to a land I have never been before to find his children before the twin moons align. Fourteen passes of the sun. That was the time we had to execute this bait-and-switch or…
I refused to dwell on what might happen should we fail. The door to the apothecary opened. Teryn stepped out, gazedup at me with watery eyes, and strode off. I fell in behind and to the side of him, wishing I had my sword, as the looks we garnered from the castle workers were far from gracious. They’d been politely cool before, but now that the news of the twins’ kidnapping had spread like wildfire through Avolire, the staff seemed more hostile. Without proper reasoning, in my eyes. The only culprit that we were assured had taken part—Jaska—was not even Sandrayan. Yes, the paralytic seemed to be, but people smuggled things in and out of ports all the time. Even the most protected plants could be slipped into the pocket of a pair of trousers and then sold for an astronomical price. Which was why there needed to be a port system to cut down on the illegal trade taking place along all our shores. A noble idea that had been progressing before the children of the king had been taken.
“You’re very quiet,” Teryn commented as we passed by a small solarium filled with plants and flowering vines creeping along ornate trellises. I opened my mouth to reply when Umeris Stillcloud appeared at the doorway, long hair wild, eyes wide, his robe covered with peach jam by the looks. He rolled up to us in his wheeled chair. We both stepped back to let him pass, but he grasped my wrist in a death grip and pulled me downward. For a fragile old elf, he possessed incredible strength.
“It was the only way to save face, Aelir. I’m sorry. She left me no choice. She left me no choice!”
His shouts rolled down the hall as his long nails dug into my flesh. A harried-looking healer appeared behind him, his robing coated in the same stains that Umeris wore on his robes.
“Forgive him,” the healer said, peeling the old man’s fingers from my wrist. “He is having a bad day today. The restive tea is not working well this morning. Forgive us.”
Umeris spat on the floor as the healer took control of the poor old man. Teryn and I stood quietly as the wheeled chair creaked down the hall, the grand advisor shouting about sailingships before falling into a wet coughing spell. Sadness upon sadness. This morn was a shroud of melancholy even though the sun shone brightly.
We walked in stiff silence. I entered the ambassador’s room. The cleaning staff had come through to tidy things. The bed was neat, the pillows back where they belonged, and any clothes strewn about were folded or had been taken to the laundry. A cold plate of boiled eggs, cheese, rough dark bread, and butter sat on the table by the newly fed fire, a pot of simmering red tea awaiting the envoy from the Black Sands. Pehdra had returned sometime and had been let in, the cat leaping from the bed to greet her master with purrs and leg rubs. Teryn picked her up, rubbed his face into her fur, and then moved toward the teapot.
I barred him with an arm. “Let me taste of them first,” I said flatly. Teryn sighed and waved at the food and tea. I tasted them all. When I remained standing with no frothing of the mouth, I assumed the repast to be safe. “It seems to be clear of poisons.”
“Will you join me? I know you have not eaten yet.” I stiffened slightly. “Or not if you would rather eat at the barracks.”
“It is not that I wish to eat the barracks food. I simply feel…” The correct words were tangled like yarn on my tongue. “Perhaps we should not be seen in such an intimate setting.”
That brought a weary smile to his handsome face. “Pasil, I rather think that the guards finding us naked in bed and coated with seed was far more intimate than us breaking bread.” I felt the heat rising to my face. “Still, I understand that you feel uncomfortable.”
“Not uncomfortable, Teryn, not wholly. I am worried for you. For the king. For the children. For Tezen. This kidnappingcould press our people into a darker place if it is discovered that any Sandrayans were responsible.”
