“He’s dangerous, Your Highness. It’s better for him to remain weakened.”
“It’s our duty to heal the ill and injured.”
“Not him,” Jemla said. “He may very well be here to assassinate more of your kin.”
“He’s not. He’s joined a faction and has turned against his people.”
Jemla smiled sadly at her.Pityingly. “He is a handsome youngman. I can see why you might find his words and smile appealing, but?—”
“That’snotit. I’m not so young and naive that I would fall for something like that, but he’s saved me from the very assassins you’ve spoken of. More than once. With my own eyes, I’ve watched him fight the stormers—his own people—to protect me.”
This time, Jemla and Huzloron exchanged even longer looks.
Syla attempted to lower her hackles. She wouldn’t convince them. She would have to gain access to Vorik and heal him so that he could escape if he needed to—before the enforcers arrived. And she… she needed to avoid irritating the locals, lest they try to keep her from her path.
“Are Sergeant Fel and my Aunt Tibby—Tibaytha—all right? We’ve all had a rough couple of days.”
“I have no doubt.” This time, Jemla’s expression was more sympathetic than pitying. “I’m sorry for the great losses that you’ve suffered. The whole kingdom has suffered them, but, for you, they’re especially keen.”
Syla’s throat tightened, the emotions she’d been too busy to dwell upon threatening to arise at the sympathetic tone.
“Yes.” She didn’t trust her voice to say more.
“Do you want us to arrange a ship back to the capital, Your Highness?” Huzloron asked. “They must be missing you there. They’ll need guidance from the royal family, surely?”
“What they need is a working sky shielder.”
Huzloron and Jemla shared looks again.
“That’s why I brought my aunt with me,” Syla said, hurrying to explain before they assumed she wanted to take theirs. “She’s an engineer, and I think she can study the working shielder here and learn from it. There weren’t schematics with the one in the capital, you see. They’ve never failed before, so it wasn’t something we had to worry about.”
“You… believe the one on Castle Island can be repaired?” Huzloron asked. “We were led to believe it was destroyed.”
“I went to see it myself after the attack. There’s a faint hint of magic about it. We believe it might be repairable.” Syla made herself meet each of their eyes so they wouldn’t suspect her of lying. Technically, shewasn’tlying, though Tibby hadn’t held out much hope for repair. Still, itmightbe possible. “I believe my aunt, by studying a working shielder, may be able to figure out how to repair ours.”
Yes, shedidhope that. But she fully intended to take the Harvest Island one if needed. Castle Islandhadto be protected.
Syla swallowed around a lump, hating that she had to make decisions like this, decisions that would result in the deaths of some of her people.
“I didn’t realize there were engineers with knowledge of the ancient gods’ artifacts.” Jemla lifted her eyebrows, as if she didn’t know whether to be hopeful or suspicious.
“It’s not Tibby’s specialty, but she’s smart and versatile.” Syla tried not to recall Fel’s skepticism when he’d said,Doesn’t she fix tractors? Besides, Tibby did much more than that. “If anyone can repair a shielder, she can,” Syla added sturdily.
“I’m glad she’s well then,” Huzloron said, “and that our cooks insisted on giving heaping portions of our precious hazelnut butter to our guests.”
He smiled, looking a little encouraged by Syla’s words, and waved for her to sample the food. She did, but as delicious as it should have been, especially on her empty stomach, it went down like lead weights. She was being dishonest with kingdom subjects—her own people—and it disturbed her greatly.
“May I see Captain Vorik?” she asked when she’d eaten enough to satisfy her hunger.
The elders hesitated, and Syla braced herself for a rejection,but Jemla ultimately sighed. “As far as we know, you are now the heir to the kingdom. We haven’t the right to deny you.”
Syla didn’t feel deserving of the kingdom or anything else, but said, “Thank you. I appreciate your cooperation,” and was relieved when the guard in the hallway, per Jemla’s instructions, led her to the east tower.
Syla hoped she hadn’t waited too long, that Vorik wasn’t in great pain or in a worse condition than she’d last seen him. If he was still unconscious, the enforcers wouldn’t have any trouble taking him away for interrogation.
23
Along the wayto the east tower, Flaron stopped at the rooms that Fel and Tibby had been given. Fel had finally fallen asleep, so Syla left him snoring without trying to wake him. Aunt Tibby was being tended by a healer but waved for her to come in.
