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Javed walked in attendance on her other side. “Your great works on behalf of humankind should have taken precedence on the itinerary, Annassa. The Week of Service should rightfully have begun here.”
“Your protests on my behalf are noted and appreciated. However, my correspondence with the Empress obliged us to delay. We shall make this tour the finale instead.”
The negotiations would begin tomorrow night. At last. Every time Lio thought about it, it felt like a kick in the gut.
They had done everything they could. Tomorrow night, they would know if these weeks of effort by all of Orthros had been enough to sway the mortals. And change history.
This was their last night to change hearts and minds. It was only right that Annassa Soteira make her people’s closing argument.
She paused at a pair of side doors and turned to the embassy. “This is the entrance to the wings where our Imperial patients stay when they need to accompany us north to complete their convalescence. When the time comes, they go south with us once more and return to their homes.”
“I can scarcely believe how many wings they have here,” Ariadne murmured to Pakhne.
“Would that we had one such wing in our temple,” Pakhne whispered in reply.
“How well I understand you.” Queen Soteira spoke directly to the deferent attendants. “If I were to give you an account of my mortal years, it would be a chronicle of those I could not save.”
Pakhne hesitated, but then looked to the Queen. “The weight of so many lives is heavy to carry, Annassa.”
Queen Soteira nodded gravely. “My life was a constant journey to those who needed me. There were always villages where I arrived too late, people I did not reach in time, or catastrophes on opposite ends of the land that forced the most painful of decisions upon me. However, becoming a Hesperine has ensured I have all the time necessary to use my magic for the benefit of others. My people have made it possible for me to establish my Healing Sanctuary here in Orthros and bring those in need to me. Best of all, I am no longer one pair of eyes and one pair of hands. Our healers who have completed their education here constantly scour the Empire for the sick and wounded, treating them where they are if possible and ensuring the most difficult cases reach me in time.”
Master Gorgos gesticulated around him. “I hear bold claims of great works, but I see no evidence.”
“Alas,” the Queen replied, “I cannot show you through the occupied wings. I have debated the matter at length with Her Imperial Majesty, our sister monarch, but she wishes for her people who are patients here to remain undisturbed. I delayed your visit for as long as I could in the hopes that she would soften her stance, but she is adamant.”
“How convenient,” said Chrysanthos.
Lio ignored the Dexion’s acrid comment and admired the lingering bruises on the mage’s face.
“Aye.” Lord Gaius looked askance at Chrysanthos. “We wouldn’t want the tour to go on too long, for the sake of the injured.”
“You know, Honored Master,” Lord Adrogan drawled, “why don’t you ask the Hesperine healers for some help while we’re here?”
There was a rare glint of sarcasm in Lord Severin’s eyes. “He’s too manly to accept healing, even from the Semna.”
Lio congratulated himself that Chrysanthos was unable to sneer at the men’s mockery. If the Dexion allowed any hint of expression on his face, it was certain to hurt. His pride must be even more damaged, if it would not allow him to submit to the Semna’s spells.
Tychon looked offended on his master’s behalf, but he had no other allies here tonight. The guest house fire had provided justification for excluding Skleros from this tour to keep him away from the alchemical supplies. Lio rather regretted Eudias’s absence, though. The apprentice’s informed, sensible comments were always an asset. Lio suspected the young mage had pleaded he was unwell just to avoid another long night of listening to his masters’ tirades.
Master Gorgos was peering at the closed doors to the next wing. “Sight unseen, one must wonder what goes on beyond this hall.”
“I share in your disappointment,” said Queen Soteira. “It was my hope that you would have the opportunity to meet our Imperial patients personally, so that they might share their experiences with you firsthand.”
“It’s your Healing Sanctuary,” Lord Adrogan said. “Surely you can show us anywhere you like.”
“They are the Empress’s people,” Queen Soteira replied. “We would never disregard her decrees regarding the safety of the guests she has entrusted to us.”
“Is their condition so fragile?” the Semna inquired.
“Some are in critical condition,” Queen Soteira answered, “but many are well enough for a visit. Alas, it is not to be. Come, you are welcome to join me in the wings where our Hesperine healers work. I will introduce you to a number of my initiates who are studying here and the masters who assist me in training them.”
Javed bowed. “It will be my pleasure to accompany the Annassa as we show you through the apothecary, where we prepare medicines.”
Queen Soteira turned to lead everyone onward, but Cassia hung back, one hand on Knight.
“Annassa,” she said innocently, “I am certain we would be willing to prepare ourselves in any way necessary for the honor of meeting your Imperial guests. Would it be possible for us to see them if we donned Sanctuary robes, or if I left my hound here?”
The Queen paused, a knowing light in her aura. “That won’t be necessary, Lady Cassia. I’m afraid this is a matter of diplomacy, not health.”
