Twenty-five

Undressing to get into the hot bath that had been drawn, Myrin felt far too awake. The thought of taking a few sleeping drops, however, was less than appealing.  A hot soak might take some of the edge off of his wakefulness and he hadn’t yet had the opportunity for a full bath since returning from the hunt, something he would have done on their arrival if matters hadn’t been so pressing.

A healer bustled in as he was sinking into the steaming water and waited with a frown to be acknowledged.

“What now?”

“His Majesty’s servants said-”

“That if Marravae or Gaeleath need anything in the night it’s my responsibility to handle.” He lifted out a wet hand and sighed, gesturing for the man to speak.

“We consulted with the Arek healer about the ymetel-”

Myrin gave the man a sour look. “It would have been better not to say-”

“Your Highness! He spoke immediately of the effects on Areks and those with Arek lineage! Paranoia, profound unrest, uncontrolled laughter, trembling and chills that can last a day or longer. We immediately went to be certain that the Cemiri were still faring well and found Prince Gaeleath struggling with bouts of laughter and chills. Princess Marravae had barricaded herself in her room and frightened the Ladies who stayed with her. Her brother had left a knife for her peace of mind. The Arek warned us to announce ourselves…” 

As the man paused to collect his thoughts Myrin breathed a laugh and sighed, “That would explain why Volas barricaded himself into his lodging and refused all invitations as if we were trying to entice him out and murder him.”

“We sent his healer back to him. The man said we could make the attempt but-”

“-But Volas might be dangerous if you tried to insist.” He rubbed his face hoping that the man hadn’t overheard anything important or at least wouldn’t know to relay it. Denying Volas his healer could make matters worse. “How is Marravae now?”

“Her brother is pacing in the hall with her. The Princess insisted there were faces in the window.”

Myrin gave the man a baffled look. 

“Reflections, your Highness. Her Ladies were certain but she couldn’t be calmed. The Cemiri Prince could barely disarm her. It was made clear to us that even a small dose of ymetel can have profound aftereffects.”

“Marravae had more than her brother and Volas both.” He winced. “My wife may never drink Zophin again. I’ll allow Father to make his apologies to them for it. After my bath I’ll join them. Let the guards know they may pace in the hall but to keep them in sight.

“Did the Arek say what to do for them?”

“To give them bitters in hot water and let them walk until they were ready to sleep. The Cemiri have their own bitters and water was sent for.”

“I’ll join them shortly to walk with them. If Gaeleath tires before Marravae I can walk with her.” If she could see he meant no harm perhaps it would help to put him in her good graces. He glanced at the healer as the man was turning to go, “You did say she’d been disarmed? I’ve seen her with a knife before, she was faster than Volas.”

The man blinked and then gave a curt nod. “I saw him take the knife from her. I’ll be certain that he doesn’t give it back.”