"It's a deep healing sleep." Amelia guided him to the floor. It was hard to steady him when he was so much taller than she, but she kept her arm tight around him and her steps steady. "Just relax. If you had a physical illness you'd let the medicine do its work. Let me do my work. And then you can make your decision."
"Death is how it stops, little sister. You've given me some comfort, but nothing has truly changed. Darkness, emptiness, oblivion," AaQar murmured. He breathed out, the movement deeper and stronger than before. "But it is easier to breathe."
Amelia stroked his forehead. She wished she had a bed or something to warm him. The thought had barely passed through her mind when a bed appeared, forming beneath him. It was low standing with polished maple bedposts that curved at the top and base. The mattress was thick and fragrant, smelling like linen, wool, and fresh mountain air. The white sheets and blue blanket covered him, their texture soft and the fibers well-woven.
AaQar cracked his eyes open. Laughter wisped from his mouth. He crossed his arms over his chest, his one hand pressed to his heart. Relaxation spread over him, and he seemed to breathe with even greater ease now. "I should be angry with you," he said softly.
"I know." Amelia returned to the strands, gathered them up, and resumed drawing them into the crater. "I can be annoying and self-righteous and relentless. You can be as angry with me as you need to be. But for now, just rest."
The signs of improvement quickened as she continued tugging. The silver blue of the tapestry lining grew stronger as the fetid odor faded and AaQar's breaths became deeper and fuller. The lines of pain had vanished almost entirely.
Then, at last, the final strands of white film came together and disappeared into the small wound. The red veins collapsed into the floor of his mind, and the crater's final imprint vanished. It left behind a dark maroon mark highlighted in silver, but the floor was once more solid.
Amelia looked around. The tapestries had shifted twice more as she worked, but now the images were as clear as polished glass. In the nearest one, she saw AaQar entering a dark room. For a moment, she mistook him for someone else, not recognizing him with his straight black hair and more confident posture.
"Rasha?" the tapestry AaQar called out. He entered a bedroom, his pace cautious. The torches and candles within the bedroom were unlit, and a heaviness hung over the room. Oddly, the wardrobe doors hung ajar, and even from this angle, Amelia could see that many clothes had been removed.
"Rasha?" AaQar strode farther in. His brow knit with concern. "Are you here?"
Only silence met him. He paused at the vanity. A small letter, folded three times, sat on an onyx stand for brushes and combs. The brushes and combs had been removed along with the cosmetics. Small rings in the vanity revealed where they should have been.
AaQar picked up the letter. Nothing had been written on either side of the covering. He opened it to reveal deep green ink on a pale page.
Amelia wanted to look away, but her gaze remained fastened. Being a mindreader was intrusive yet she watched. Her heart clenched at the sight. There were no more words to be spoken. Slowly the tapestry AaQar's face fell as he read the letter. Tears filled his eyes, streaming down his cheeks. Then, all at once, he collapsed on the floor.
Amelia stepped back, averting her gaze. As she did, another tapestry's movement caught her eye. In this one, AaQar, Rasha, and Nydas were together. She recognized Nydas from WroOth's memories. It also struck her that they all wore the same clothing as in the memory before Rasha and Nydas's disappearance. Was this what had followed the visit? Her instincts said yes.
The tapestry AaQar and Rasha walked hand in hand as Nydas ran down the hall. "Nydas, darling." Rasha raised her voice, though it did not change its deep almost musical quality. "No more running. You will require all your strength for tomorrow."
Nydas spun on his heels. "I have almost mastered the centipede." He gave an exaggerated bow, likely imitating his uncle. "May I start another tomorrow?"
"You'll continue with your primary form." AaQar placed his hand on Nydas's shoulder. "You are skilled, but it is not time for you to take another yet."
"But I want to start on the crocodile. It was one of your firsts, wasn't it, Father?"
"It was." Rasha curled her hands along the side of AaQar's face. She smiled coyly. "And one of his best." She then cupped her hand around Nydas's face. Her fingers were long and slender. "Your father is right though. It is far easier if you master your primary forms first before moving on to the next."
Nydas looked a great deal like his father though something in the eyes and style of the hair reminded Amelia of Rasha. He shrugged, the disappointment evident in those deep dark eyes. "I guess."
"It's all right," AaQar said. "You'll be there soon enough. There's no reason to rush. Enjoy this time. You'll have mastered all your core forms within the decade if I were making prophecies."
Nydas nodded. They made their way to the family quarters of the temple, talking of different things. When they at last reached their home, AaQar and Rasha sent Nydas to bed. Once they were alone, AaQar took Rasha into his arms. She held him just as close.
"Are you happy, my lover?" she whispered.
"Entirely." AaQar kissed her nose and nuzzled her. "I always am with you."
"And I with you." Rasha closed her eyes, leaning closer to kiss him. "Still so pretty."
Amelia stepped back, startled. If this tapestry version of Rasha was right, then she did love AaQar. She loved him very much. Everything about her from the way she looked at AaQar to the way she touched him confirmed this. If it was a lie, it was a powerful one. Or was it possible that this was simply the way AaQar remembered her? Amelia frowned, making a note to learn how the tapestries worked in their representations.
As she turned, she realized that AaQar was watching her. "Vengeance won't bring peace," he said.
"No." Amelia crossed back to him and knelt at the side of the bed. "Forgiveness, perhaps. Though I think some part of it will always hurt. For what it's worth, it looks to me as if she loved you."
AaQar smiled as if that pleased him. He let his head sink back on the pillow. "She did. Perhaps she does. There is some part of me that still believes that. I may be a fool, but—I feel it so clearly. And when I see that," he nodded toward the last memory Amelia had peered into. "I know it is so. Even if there is another part that doubts."
"I hope that soon you'll have the answers and that they are good," Amelia said. "I'm afraid I can't really stay much longer. The book says you're going to sleep for quite a while longer. The rest will heal your mind. I'm going to feed you some more of the bone broth after I leave. Then I'll see if I can slip more food down to you."
As she started to draw back, AaQar caught her by the hand. "I told you your compassion was a weakness," he said softly. "I was wrong. This Joseph, whatever he did, he did well. There is so little of your mother and so much of…something else. I am sorry if I wounded you. You are a gentle soul. Far better than I or my brothers. I would kill the dog that bit me."
Smoothing his hair back, Amelia shook her head. "Maybe, but not always. You would save Rasha if you could. And as for me, you can't see what's inside me. What I'm really like. We always look better from the outside."
"Which is why I never wanted your kind in here." AaQar sighed. The breath rose within his chest and then released, far stronger than any Amelia had heard him yet take. "I was wrong on that too. You didn't take away the memories. You just…let it be what it was instead of what it became."
"I'm sorry for what happened," Amelia said.
AaQar smiled, the sadness still present. "As am I." He squeezed her hand. "Whatever you do though, be cautious. You are, as usual, in the wrong place and at the wrong time. I fear what these Libyshans might do to you."
"I'll be careful," Amelia promised. She then closed her eyes, severing the connection. Faint bird song reached her ears, and the fresh air flowing through the bound curtains refreshed her. As she opened her eyes, Amelia gla
nced about, relief spreading through her. No one had come. The door remained locked, the windows covered. She looked then to AaQar, and her heart warmed. He lay on the bed, his hands over his chest and a faint smile on his lips.
18
Defiance
Though AaQar continued to sleep, Amelia carefully fed him more broth. She massaged his throat and checked to ensure he swallowed. Drowning him would not be particularly helpful. After another hour or so of care, she determined it was enough. She wrapped him in the blanket and sent for Dian. When Dian came, she put food in a pack, hung it at his side, and then gave him his instructions: take AaQar to his cell, tell Naatos and WroOth that AaQar would be sleeping for another twelve to twenty-four hours unless interrupted, and that they were to not attack Dian because Dian had food. She also told Dian to carefully toss a third of the food into each of the cells and not risk crossing the white line, regardless of what the former Paras. Dian did all that she asked.
As soon as he returned to his post, Amelia removed all the evidence from her room and went to the palace infirmary. This infirmary had been prepared specifically for the Ayamin. As they were the royal guard, they were tended by the royal staff who provided all the comforts possible.
The large open chambers smelled like a pungent antiseptic and flower shop combined. Long rows of well-made beds with crisp white sheets and large broad wooden stands on the left and right lined the room. On each bed's footboard was a large colorful sash. There were three other rooms like this, though this was the largest. They surrounded a small but pleasant courtyard with fresh flowers blooming in ornate clay pots and hanging from the eaves. Each room was stocked at multiple points with benches and shelves of supplies. Most of the beds were filled with Ayamin in need of medical attention, many transferred from the temple.
Skelt, the primary physician, hesitated when she arrived and offered her assistance, but after having her demonstrate proper wound cleansing and a few other techniques, he at last consented and showed her a few of their procedures. "I suppose we could use the help," he said gruffly as he turned back to the prep table. He picked up a large vial of silver-grey liquid and poured it into a jar of leeches. "Follow me."
Amelia tied a full white apron over her dress and followed him to the nearest patient's bed. With the jar of leeches tucked under one arm, Skelt quickly explained to Amelia that the sashes indicated what needed to be done. Orange meant wounds that needed cleansing and stitching while blue indicated dressings needed changing. A yellow sash meant they needed food or drink, green that they were to be helped to the courtyard or some other place for diversions, and so on. "You may tend the orange and blue," he said, setting the jar down on the work table. "When you finish with a patient, remove the sash. One of the attendants will be by later to add other sashes as needed. If you need anything, let me know." He started to leave but paused, pushing his narrow spectacles back farther on his broad nose. "And thank you, your Highness."
"You're welcome." Amelia washed her hands in the basin, the sense of satisfaction and excitement now as strong as her earlier apprehension. It was much easier to feel optimistic now. AaQar was safe, and here in this place she knew what to do.
She went to the first bed with an orange sash and prepared to tend the soldier's wounds. He had a series of deep punctures. In Libysha, physicians placed large silver-ringed malpo leeches in the wounds to cleanse the area of its initial infection and decomposing flesh by secreting a fluid that dissolved the infected tissue and allowed the leech to devour it. These leeches were more analogous to the maggots on Earth which were used in a similar treatment. After twelve to thirty hours, the leeches were removed, more leeches applied if needed or the wound treated, and, if necessary, sewn up. It wasn't the worst thing Amelia had ever done in medicine, and she focused intently on the task though occasionally her stomach gave a slight twinge of discomfort.
The attendants and even the patients watched her suspiciously, but she pretended not to notice.
"What bit you?" Amelia slid one of the leeches from his arm and dropped it into the clean pail at the bedside. "Looks like a relatively light bite from a crudon."
The warrior, a grizzled man with one blue eye and one brown eye, nodded.
"There's not much tearing though. Pretty clean bite, all in all." Amelia could feel his uneasiness and distrust. It grated on her elmis through the wrappings like sandpaper, almost painful. She smiled a little. "You were with your troops, weren't you? So someone probably killed it just as it bit you?"
"If you're the princess, then you're a mindreader," the Ayamin said roughly. "That means you know."
"I don't read thoughts without people's permission or unless it's an emergency. That's not the case here. But I can guess." Amelia removed the last leech. "You know when I was on Earth, I got a lot of experience taking care of wounds. You don't have to be worried. I'm not incompetent."
"So you don't read minds without permission?" the Ayamin's expression darkened with suspicion.
Amelia smiled, hoping to put him at ease. "It really doesn't take being a Neyeb to know that you aren't comfortable with me treating you. After all, I'm relatively young. I'm an adopted royal. I'm married to one of Libysha's greatest enemies. And I was transformed from a little girl into a woman within a matter of days from your perspective. Hmmm. You're right. What's to be uneasy about?"
That at least earned a smile from the Ayamin. "Perhaps."
"All right. Well I need you to brace yourself now because I need to rinse out the wound, and this is going to sting," Amelia said.
As the late morning turned into afternoon, Amelia continued to tend the patients, most of whom were warriors but a few of whom were civilians. Gradually, they relaxed around her, and a few of the attendants even volunteered to help her by cleaning out the buckets, bringing her fresh supplies, and even offering her water and soup to refresh herself and encouraging her to take a short break. Soon she encountered a familiar face.
"Traol." Amelia stopped in front of the bed, her eyes widening.
"Princess." Traol pushed himself into an upright position, blinking sleepily. His dark grey eyes were far clearer than the last time she'd seen him. He reached for her arm, bowing his head. "I am grateful to see you are here and well."
Amelia grasped his arm in return, her hand cupping his elbow as he did the same to hers. He looked thinner than before, but his skin was a healthier color. The bandages around his torso and left shoulder remained, and his leg…she paused. It had been amputated, taking what remained of the knee and a little more. "Yes," she said softly. "I never got a chance to thank you for standing up for me in New Istador."
"You saved my life. And Bern's and Didrak's. And many others. Many, many others considering what you did in New Istador." Traol followed her gaze to his leg. He shifted, uncomfortable on the cushioned bed. "It's nothing really. Not much of a surprise anyway. Don't worry. I'll manage. It's what we Ayamin do."
"I am still sorry that it happened." Amelia steadied herself as she prepared to change the dressing. She unwound the bandages with care. The amputation had been done skillfully, the stitches small and practically invisible once healed. As Amelia began to clean it, pressing crushed herbs and oils into the bandages and wrapping them snug, she felt his need for her to know he wasn't weak or somehow less. Not just for her to know but everyone.
Amelia cleared her throat, glancing up. "I imagine you're right," she said. "Based on your forearms, I'm going to guess you primarily use the tomarangs and felska blades."
Traol nodded, a look of pride entering his eyes. "I got three on that dragon, whichever Para it was. The thin one with the black hair who likes mocking people. Put one of my felska blades between his eyes."
Amelia half listened as he recounted all his exploits in the arena. He winced from time to time but never lost his place. Her thoughts drifted to whether the worlds could share technology and medical supplies once the Tue-Rah was fully restored. Libyshan natural medicines were significantly different and,
in some respects, more advanced than some of the medicines that existed on Earth, and yet many of the modern medical innovations would have made a great difference here. Surely such sharing would be allowed. But she did not speak of this, instead asking Traol more about his fighting style and his time as an Ayamin.
As Amelia finished the treatment and prepared to move to the next bed, Traol grabbed her arm again. "I'll never be able to repay you for what you did for me. The Ayamin swear their loyalty to the entire royal family, but I swear mine to you. If you require my services, if you must go to the wild world of Ecekom or back to the strange place you and Joseph call Earth, I will go with you. If you will have me, I will go with you until my death."
Amelia paused. She swallowed hard, her initial instinct to say no, for his own safety, but something held her back. Perhaps it was his longing and desire pulsing against her wrist elmis, telling her so clearly his greatest fear and hope. Perhaps it was because he was no fitter than she was for the tasks they desired to complete. He understood the risks. He wanted to serve as did she. It was a complicated mess, but that did not change what was needed. She tightened her fingers around his arm and nodded. "I won't forget your vow," she said. "But you must heal swiftly if you are to fulfill it. Start by sleeping."
Relief spread through Traol's features. He agreed at once and even closed his eyes.
As Amelia moved on to the next bed, she realized she might actually have allies in Telhetum. Allies who understood she was married to Naatos and yet accepted both her and her purpose. That gave her even more hope. All was not as dim as it had seemed that morning.
The afternoon shadows soon stretched long on the polished stones of the courtyard. The attendants took some of the patients away to other chambers within the palace and others back to their homes to rest in greater comfort. A knot tightened in Amelia's stomach as she contemplated these people and what would happen if Naatos and his brothers escaped. These men and women would be helpless in another attack. Perhaps even worse than before. She had to find a way to talk to Naatos. Perhaps if she could convince him not to attack, AaQar and WroOth…she paused, remembering how unbalanced and terrifying WroOth had been that morning. Surely that's only because of AaQar, she thought. Now that AaQar is safe, perhaps he'll be calmer.
Princess Reviled Page 18
