“He got what?!” Niam blurted out as Maerillus rewrapped the bandage around his ankle and foot.
Maerillus’s answer was succinct. “Arrow. Thigh. Poison.”
Davin shook his head. “This isn’t good.”
“Like we haven’t had to stand up for ourselves before,” Niam said angrily, and Davin understood why. Of the three of them Niam had been the one most personally affected, first by Seth’s and Sarah’s murders, and then by what happened with Bug and Corey.
“Not when a sorcerer was involved,” Maerillus said with a grimace of pain as he tried flexing his ankle.
“You need to leave that alone and let the thing heal,” Davin said sounding more than a bit paternalistic as Niam began to count off all of the run-ins they had survived involving sorcery in some way over the past several months.
“The Vandin Camp, the trall, the wolfstrosities, that damned door I had to get us through, Kreeth’s angry furniture—in fact, his whole stupid estate,” Niam said.
Maerillus added humorlessly, “Let’s not forget the squirrelstrosities.”
“No,” Niam sulked. “Let’s not.”
“Niam,” Davin said as consolingly as possible, “you have to admit that with Kine out of business for a while, it does complicate things for us.” Then, to Maerillus, he said crossly, “You really aren’t doing your foot any favors. Knock it off.”
“Yes Dad,” Maerillus said gloomily. “Every time one of us hears the Voice, I get more certain our lives are supposed to be complicated.”
Davin sighed. His brain had been spinning furiously since Maerillus had given them the news about the ambush and Kine’s injuries. Lord Joachim had personally threatened to make them spend the rest of their lives cleaning out stables if they didn’t remain indoors until Kine was better. Davin figured there was fat little chance of that actually happening, but Maerillus hadn’t been in a position to protest too much.
“I just wish I knew if Niam’s plan to make it look like only one person was escaping Kreeth’s estate actually worked,” he said.
Maerillus shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry. I did my best. I don’t know how pain affects my ability.”
Davin nodded his head. “I know you did, Maer. For all we know, your ability may actually work better in times of danger.”
Maerillus laughed. “Wouldn’t that be something if all anyone saw was a driverless cart racing away from the estate.”
Niam rolled his eyes and said theatrically, “But you all have to know what’s going to happen if we just sit still and hide. The Voice is going to be back with its usual commands—‘look,’ ‘listen,’ ‘remember,’ ‘eat your spinach,’ and mess like that.”
“Well I for one plan on eating my spinach if it tells me to.”
Niam crossed his arms and said, “Spinach just gives me gas.”
“But if the Voice is involved it’ll be super-gas,” Maerillus smiled.
“Well if that happens I’ll just fart and save the day.”
‘Try not to be so cross, Niam. We’re all in this together,” Davin said. Then he threw a pillow at Maerillus for trying to bend his ankle again.
At that moment a knock at the door interrupted them. A petite maid stuck her head in and asked what they would like for lunch. She looked sleepy. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot. Davin could tell she was nearly dead on her feet. Before she left, the maid gave Maerillus a tired but appraising look and said enviously, “Oh, such pretty locks of hair. Wish mine did that, young man.”
Maerillus smiled widely and thanked her.
Niam threw another pillow at him. “Always the pretty one,” he complained. Then his eyes opened suddenly as an idea struck him. “Hey, wait a minute!” he called out to the maid and jumped up to catch her. “When was the last time you cut your hair?” he asked.
The maid came back in. “A week ago yesterday,” she told him. “My sister does it for me.”
Niam gave her his most charming smile, the one that made ladies constantly want to squeeze his cheeks. After the maid had gone, Niam said quickly, “Davin, I need your help with something.”
“Oh great,” Maerillus interjected. “You two are going to do something and I’m stuck here!”
“Just something small,” Niam said as he virtually pulled Davin out of the room.
Before the door completely closed shut, Maerillus called out, “Hey, aren’t you going to tell me what you’re doing?” and then followed it up with, “Don’t hate me because I’m handsome!”