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She nodded and quieted.
With a grunt, Merlon reformed his spells and set to work again. To distract her from what he was doing, I dried the tears from her cheeks and smoothed her hair back from her forehead. Silence fell over us while I caressed her fingers and held her. It was some time before I dared to speak again.
“What kind of recovery should we expect?” I kept my voice low so as not to agitate Kate.
“For you? A week of fatigue and decreased endurance at the least.” Merlon glanced at me. “Oh, you mean your wife.”
“I do.”
“A month of rest and good food should do it. Possibly a regimen of strengthening exercises and a strict avoidance of all duties could accelerate her recovery, but that depends.”
“On what?” I asked.
He cut off the restraining spells with a sharp motion and began dismantling all the protective spells he set when he did any extensive healing. Kate coughed and winced but remained otherwise silent.
“Whether or not you two get yourselves into more trouble during that time. There is a limit to how many times I can repair her body.” He leaned back on his heels. “You should summon help to get back to your chamber. Bed rest for both of you for the next week, at the least.”
Illeron approached and offered me a hand up. Accepting it, I let him pull me to my feet. Thankfully, he didn’t release me at once because I wobbled like a newborn calf.
Merlon paused and studied me. “And no trying to carry your wife anywhere.”
I laughed. “I can barely carry myself.”
“Favian.” Illeron summoned Kate’s bodyguard, who stepped from the shadows of the hedge.
He silently bowed to me before lifting Kate off the ground. She had lost consciousness again, judging by the way her head rolled loosely against her bodyguard’s supporting arm. “Where to?”
“Bedroom,” I responded. “I will follow shortly.”
He nodded and disappeared. Despite my complete trust in his capability, I was reluctant to see Kate go. While I struggled with an unexpected wave of longing and protectiveness, Merlon approached.
“Hand,” he demanded.
I extended the one not grasping Illeron’s arm.
“Take this tomorrow morning.” He dropped a large vial of liquid into my palm. “The antidote should’ve made its way through your system by then and removed most, if not all, of the poison. But you were exposed far longer than most of my patients have been. I want to ensure we get all of it and eliminate lingering effects.”
“Blight is a sneaky poison,” Illeron commented in apparent agreement.
I attempted to open my storage spell. My connection with the spell faltered slightly, but it responded. Once I tucked the vial inside, it eagerly closed with a snap.
“Second, I insist you wait until tomorrow after you eat before you sneak off to reestablish the land connection. You will do the magic no good if you are keeling over as you perform the ritual.”
I nodded, doubting I could even get to my bed without collapsing.
“Lastly, see your queen drinks this on the morrow.” He pressed a smaller vial of elixir into my hand.
I eyed the familiar liquid with dismay. “You suspect she is going to have a flare because of the attack?”
He met my concern with a grim stare. “Traumatic circumstances.”
My gut tensed. Almost dying by poisoned fruit and needing extensive healing definitely counted as traumatic. “And if the symptoms are severe?”
“Send word to me.” Merlon turned away to gather his field kit and pack it away.
“And you will come.”
“If necessity requires it.” Turning back to me, he grimaced. Encountering my glare, he rolled his eyes. “Fine. I will come. Now let me leave. I have other patients to attend to.” He strode away, waving off the elves who attempted to intercept him.
