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Queen Soteira shook her head. “Do not fear that the mages will suspect I have come to your aid. Alea and I have discovered many creative combinations of Sanctuary magic and theramancy over the years. With her collaboration, I am healing you without anyone the wiser, right under the noses of some very attentive mages.”
“Thank you, Annassa. You have come to rescue me, even though my life is not in danger.”
“I heard you cry out. I would never leave you to face this nightmare alone.”
Cassia looked around her again. On the bedside table sat her spade and her gardening satchel, much less stained and battered than they were now. They had been the only hope she’d had to cling to. “I don’t know why I’m here. I never think about that year.”
“What happened to you then?”
“I had a wretched fever that lasted a fortnight, and it looked bleak, but I recovered. My health was weakened for some time after that, though. I was sickly off and on all year.”
“The connections that form in our dreams sometimes seem strange to us, but after some thought, we often realize our minds know what they are doing. You will discover why tonight’s events reminded you of this time, I am sure.”
“I did mention that fever to Lio at Waystar. But he was more upset to learn of it than I was to remember.”
There came a sudden bang at the window, and Cassia jumped. The casement shuddered.
“Cassia!” Lio shouted.
“Lio!” she called out.
The casement crashed open, and light flooded the room. Lio stood outside the window, straining toward her. His father held him back.
Annassa Soteira smiled. “Lio is not content with his role as a diplomat presently.”
“I’m all right! The Annassa are with me.” Cassia started from the bed again, only for the straps to halt her.
Queen Soteira’s hands eased her back. “He knows. But he must let us finish our work here.”
“I want out of these straps, Annassa. They frighten me. They make me so angry.”
“Do not be afraid.” The Queen held fast to her hand. “Tell me how you came to be bound. That could help us discover how to free you.”
“I don’t know. This isn’t a memory, but a dream. No one bound me to the bed when I was ill. That doesn’t even make sense. But these straps feel so real. They won’t give.”
“Yes, they will. No matter what you have suffered, no matter what the people in your past have done to you, you are strong enough to break free.”
Cassia drew a deep breath, then tried again. The leather creaked. “Everything is always so hard. Why can’t it be easy for once? Why this, after everything else?”
“You have faced all those challenges and succeeded. After everything you have accomplished, you can do this, too.”
Cassia gritted her teeth and pushed against the bed. “Dealing with the king is easier than this.”
“How do you deal with him?”
Cassia lay back, catching her breath. “Brute force is no use against him. You have to outsmart him.”
“You have maneuvered brilliantly at every turn.”
“I couldn’t have done it alone. I have met with so much kindness to help me forward.”
“But it was your choice how to respond to that kindness.”
Cassia felt two shapes against her chest that hadn’t been there before. She glanced down. Solia’s pendant and the glyph shard hung together at her neck.
“Ebah,” Cassia breathed.
The leather shackle on one of her wrists fell away.
