“What is your name?”
“Opal.” Then she called out, “Follow your lady.”
Cora and Ester both appeared somewhat anxious, but we led the way to the common house.
Once inside, I oversaw the unpacking. “Beef over on that table and chicken over there. Tarts here, and bread last. We should have brought more bread.”
No one ran at us or grabbed at the food. They stepped forward when their turn came and took what was offered. The hunger I felt from these people went deep. Daveed was wrong. They were beyond desperation. They had given up hope. The despair passed through me, sinking deeper and deeper inside me, until I found it difficult not to begin weeping.
I couldn’t stop the flow of sensation or push it away.
Soon, I was struggling to breathe without effort. I’d never seen people in such a condition. I’d never felt such misery.
And still, I would not leave.
Opal helped to organize families, so that each family took a portion. Daveed appeared to forget about his sword, and he worked the bread table. I passed out portions of chicken. People shuffled through to accept what we’d brought. I saw a young mother of about eighteen with small boy. His arms were like twigs.
The despair inside me made it difficult to think.
All I could see was years ahead of suffering and hunger. The common room grew hazy, and my eyes were wet.
“My lady?” Miriam asked. “Are you well?”
I couldn’t answer.
When all the food had been dolled out, the villagers began to leave. I’d been here too long. I had absorbed too much.
The room began to spin, and the floor rushed up.
Miriam called out, “Daveed!”
That was the last thing I remembered.
When my eyes opened again, I had no idea where I was, but I seemed to be lying on a bed, and there were people rushing around me.
“Get that cold cloth!” Miriam called. “Where is Lord Kai?”
“Cora’s fetching him,” Ester answered.
I was in my room. Miriam and Ester were both with me.
Then I remembered where I’d just been, and all the despair of the village sank deeper inside me. I sobbed once.
“My lady,” Miriam cried.
The door slammed open. “Where is she?” It was Kai’s voice. A pause followed. “What happened to her?”
The next thing I knew, he was on the bed beside me, lifting me up against his chest.
“Megan.”
I couldn’t stop weeping and gripped his shirt. “They’re so hungry,” I whispered. “So sad. You have to help them.”
“Who?”
The voices around me grew muted. I heard Kai making demands of Miriam, and then I heard him say, “The village? She went down to the village? Who let her out the gate?”
No one answered, and then he said, “We need to bring her out of this. Ester, have a bathtub brought in here and order buckets of heated water.”
Again, the sounds grew hazy, but I heard activity and more people. Then I heard water splashing . . . and splashing.
“Get out,” Kai ordered.
“But my lord . . .” Miriam said.
“Now!”
The sound of feet followed and the door closed. Kai stripped off my dress and my shift. He lifted me as if I weighed nothing, and the next thing I knew, he lowered me into warm water, almost hot. He splashed handfuls on my face, and I choked once or twice.
“Megan, can you hear me?”
My head began to clear. “Kai?”
Using his hands, he rubbed my arms hard.
My head cleared even more. “Stop,” I whispered.
He stopped. His face was near to mine. I remembered everything from the moment I’d set off for the village until the floor had rushed up. Looking around, I saw that I was in my room.
“How did I get here?”
“I don’t know,” he answered tightly. “I don’t know what happened. You were in the village? Why would you go there?”
Tears ran from my eyes again. “To bring them food from last night’s dinner. They’re so starved, Kai, so hopeless. I could feel it.”
He grabbed a spare blanket off the bed and then lifted me out of the tub. “Try to stand.” After wrapping me in the blanket, he whisked me off my feet again and went to the bed. This time, he sat with his back against the headboard and held me.
“Who let you out the gate?”
Something in his voice gave me pause, and I didn’t answer the question. The overwhelming emotions of sorrow were fading, and exhaustion came in to take their place. I closed my eyes.
“I’m tired,” I whispered.
When I awoke again later, he was still sitting with his back against the headboard holding me. I sat up.
“Do you feel better?” he asked.
I didn’t exactly feel better, but I was myself again. How long had I been sleeping? “What time is it?”
“Around mid-afternoon.”
The ramifications of what I’d put him through began to sink in, and I expected him to start questioning me again. He didn’t.
“Will you be all right resting on your own for a while?” he asked. “I need to go downstairs and see about a few things.”
Embarrassed, I pulled away and lay down on the pillow. “Of course. I’m so sorry. I’ve never fainted in my life.”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he left the bed and walked to the door. “Rest.”
Then he was gone.
I was still naked, but I was dry now and allowed myself to curl inside the blankets for a while, trying to make sense of the order of events. I remembered nothing from the moment I’d fainted to when I’d re-awakened. What had happened in between?
I’d get no answers in here.
Still feeling drained, I forced myself out of bed and found a clean shift and a gown that laced up the front. Not bothering to brush my hair, I left my room and made my way down the stairs.
When I reached the main passage, I heard Kai shouting in the great hall.
“Who opened the gate?”
He sounded so angry. Quickly but quietly, I went to one side of the archway and peered in. I didn’t want him to see me. I wasn’t up to facing his anger.
Inside, the hall, I saw Kai, Sebastian, Captain Marcel, Daveed, and several other of the house guards. Jarrod and Rolf weren’t there. Captain Marcel looked uncomfortable, shifting weight between his feet as if this were the last place in the world he wanted to be.
“Who?” Kai repeated.
Daveed was pale. “I did, my lord, and I accompanied them down into the village.”
I drew in a sharp breath as Kai strode over. I thought he might be about to spit out harsh words—on my account—but I was stunned when he drew back his fist and punched Daveed in the face hard enough to knock him off his feet.
“Kai!” Sebastian yelled, running forward and grabbing his younger brother, pinning Kai’s arms to his sides. “Stop!”
Daveed was picking himself up off the floor, shaking his head to clear it.
“Stop this now,” Sebastian said, still holding Kai. “From what I understand, Megan fainted down there, and Daveed was the one who carried her back up.” He looked to Daveed. “Why did you open the gate?”