The next time I awoke, things were beginning to make more sense. The curtains in the room were shut, but narrow slits of light peeked through them. I groaned as I tried to roll over, and the next face I saw was Imogen’s. She radiated with a glimmer of light on her skin, which made me wonder whether the devils were playing a joke on me, and if she wasn’t really here.
“Drink this.” She helped me sit up enough to swallow a honey tea that both warmed and soothed my dry throat. Until then, I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was.
“Where did you come from?” I asked.
“Harlowe’s messenger caught up to Mott and me as we were leaving Dichell. We were on our way to the pirates, to come after you.”
“I told you not to go back to the pirates.”
“Yes, but you didn’t tell Mott, and unfortunately he was my ride.”
I smiled until it took too much effort. “You’re starting to sound like me. That’s not good.”
Rather than answer, Imogen offered me more to drink. I took it, then asked, “Are we at Harlowe’s?”
“Yes. He asked to see you as soon as you were coherent again.”
“I remember being confused,” I said. “But only because nobody could understand me.”
“Your body was in shock. The surgeon was surprised you survived the trip here.”
“Me too. Roden’s a terrible driver.”
“He had to travel fast. He knew the danger you were in.”
A door behind me opened and Imogen looked up and then motioned at whoever was there to enter. When Harlowe came around my bed, he bowed low. Imogen invited him to take her chair and said she’d return in a few minutes.
Harlowe sat, smiled grimly at me, then leaned forward with his arms resting on his legs.
“The thieves were going to rob someone.” It was important to make him understand that before anything else was spoken. “If I didn’t bring them here —”
“Then they’d have gone somewhere else and caused actual damage. I know. Mott explained after you left.”
“Mott didn’t know. I never told him.”
“But he knows you, and so he explained.”
“I’m sorry, Harlowe. I frightened Nila.”
“Nila was afraid for you, not of you.”
“How is she?”
“She’s adjusting, but she misses her parents.”
“I’m sorry for that too. I didn’t know the raids were happening.”
After clearing his throat, Harlowe said, “I tried to talk to the king — your father — not long ago. He referred me to his prime regent, Master Veldergrath.”
My stomach tightened. My contempt for Veldergrath was lower than my opinion of rats, if the one could be distinguished from the other. “He was dismissed as a regent last month,” I said. “But someone should’ve listened when you came.” It was hard to ask the next question, but I needed to know the answer. “Did my father know what was happening here?”
He frowned at me. “I don’t know. We tried to get messages to him, but I don’t know if he ever received them.”
It probably didn’t matter. I doubted my father would’ve had the will to stop Avenia if he did know. I laid my head back on the pillow and rested. After a moment I said, “That day I brought Nila here, you asked me to stay the night. Was that a sincere offer?”
“Of course it was.”
“Because of what I’d done for her?”