“That will be all, Lila,” Gerard said, gesturing toward the door.
Lila looked from the king to Ash, her lips tightening. Ash could tell she was hot to stay. But she curtsied a farewell just the same.
“When you’re free, Lieutenant, come see me in the quartermaster’s office. I should be there most of the day, arranging for the wagons.”
Karn nodded. “Let’s talk tonight. I need to get a few things done here before we leave.”
Leave for where? Ash wondered. Did this have to do with whatever scheme she was working on?
As Lila departed, Ash knelt, and then rose to his feet. “You wished to see me, Your Majesty?”
“This is the healer I told you about, Karn,” Montaigne said, nodding toward Ash. “Have him take a look at the girl if you really think we need a second opinion, but I think you’re worrying unnecessarily. Merrill said that she would mend, given rest and a little time. He offered to bleed her if need be.”
“I would be pleased to examine your patient,” Ash blurted. “If you wish, sire.” Ash had a low opinion of Merrill’s opinion, and it might be another opportunity to win the trust of the king.
Karn unfolded to his feet and walked toward Ash, moving gracefully, like a cat. “Where are you from?” he said to Ash, his eyes fastening on his collar.
Maybe I should get a decorative scarf to cover it. “Tamron,” Ash said.
“From your speech, I would have guessed you were from farther north.”
Ash stiffened. He should have expected the spymaster would be familiar with the accent. Karn had probably tortured his share of military prisoners. But Ash hadn’t realized he still had one. “My mother was from the Fells, but I’ve never wanted to go. They say there are monsters there.”
“There are monsters here, healer,” Karn said.
You’re right about that, Ash said to himself. “About the patient. Is it plague, Your Majesty?”
“Plague!” King Gerard raised an eyebrow. “Why would you think of plague?”
“They say there’s plague in Delphi,” Ash said, acutely aware of the weight of the bottle in his sleeve. “I—if it’s a concern, I have a tisane that might protect you if taken early. I could make up some now, and—”
“Who told you I came from Delphi?” Karn interrupted, eyes narrowed.
“No one, sir,” Ash said, not wanting to involve Marc. Get hold of yourself, sul’Han, he thought. I think this collar is cutting off the blood to your brain. “I heard that travelers had arrived from the north, and I assumed—”
“It’s not plague,” Karn snapped. “It’s a sixteen-year-old girl with a stab wound.” He rolled up the map and slid it into its case.
“We need someone who can keep whatever he sees to himself,” the king said. “Can you do that, Freeman?”
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Ash said. “Thank you for your confidence in me.”
“We would be . . . most distressed,” Karn said, “if word were to leak out about this, do you understand?” The lieutenant’s hand crept to the knife at his belt, making the implied threat explicit.
“I understand, Lieutenant Karn.” Ash’s curiosity burned hotter. Who was this patient? Why was it such a secret? Had he been chosen for this task because he was considered expendable?
That’s when he put the pieces together. This patient—a sixteen-year-old girl—had come from the north in a closed carriage. It was a big secret he needed to keep to himself.
Lyss.
His heart stuttered, and then began to pound. It was like he couldn’t get his breath.
Maybe she’d been wounded, taken prisoner, and brought here.
Ash breathed in, breathed out, struggling to still himself. After the attack at Oden’s Ford, he knew Montaigne was targeting his family. He knew, and yet he’d whiled away his time in a stable. He should have acted sooner. He should have found a way to stop the king before this happened.
If it is Lyss, he thought, I will find a way to save her. Unbidden, Taliesin’s words came back to him. The time will come when you will wish that you were a better healer.
“Healer?” Karn tilted his head, frowning. “Is there a problem?”
“No, lieutenant,” Ash said, his gut churning. “No problem at all.”
25
IN THE KING’S DUNGEONS
They left the king’s apartments with two blackbirds in tow, using the first available staircase to descend to the cellar level. Karn led the way, with Ash in the middle, and the guards behind. They wound their way into the heart of the castle until they came to a stout wooden door sunken into the wall, blackbirds to either side. Behind the door, another staircase descended to a level beneath the cellar.
Ash couldn’t help recalling his last visit to the cellars with the bloodsucking Darian priest. “You keep your patients in the cellar?” he said, unable to keep the edge from his voice.