In the Shadows~zayn au~Completed ✅EDITING

~Chapter 28: How Far~

A/N: this might be choppy. It's difficult to show passing time, but here we are...

Any idea of investigating was put on hold in the face of illness. She was at the mercy of her body and it took over everything. Someone had filled her flask again, because she'd used it all rinsing her mouth of the foul taste of bile. She had hardly noticed except to feel the returned weight when she picked it up.

"Princess, have you had anything to drink today?" The Ambassador had come to visit again.

"I can't hold it down," she said, curled up in misery. "Why would I attempt it?"

"Just a moment," he said, walking away.

She groaned and rolled her eyes, already forgetting he'd ever been there. The extra sails were still providing her with an acceptably comfortable bed, but she was so miserable that she didn't really care anymore.

"Princess?"

She opened her eyes again and he stood there, holding a handkerchief full of something.

"I brought some pastry crackers," the Ambassador said, squatting down. "What you need to do is take a sip of water, then a bite of cracker. Chew slowly and thoroughly and don't overeat. This will help you keep down the water because you won't feel the lurching of the water as the ship moves. Also, your body is going to process the crackers quickly. Maybe you'll have them long enough before you throw up again."

She took the crackers and the smell of them made her hungry, somehow. Her stomach was sore, but still managed to rumble. She definitely didn't understand this sort of illness.

As he'd advised, she ate slowly, chewing a lot. Even still, she couldn't eat very much, because the nausea reared its head again. She halted, having eaten only two crackers.

"I take it that you won't be eating more?" he asked.

She just groaned and put her head in her hands.

"Rest some more if it passes," he sighed. "We'll stop in Velia for supplies in about two days."

"We won't go to King Thomas first?" she asked softly.

"King Harry's support will almost certainly be necessary before we can convince the others," he supplied. "And he'll be the most difficult to sway to our side."

"He's not on our side at all?"

"He's not on Murdoch's if that's what you're asking," he assured her. "He's simply ambivalent. There are more important things in his mind than the woes of other countries. The way he sees it, he has nothing to worry about, and he's mostly right."

"Then we need to persuade him otherwise," she said, taking a small sip of water. "He can't stand against us all if Murdoch conquers Velia and Wolvecaster as well as Elysium."

"He's willing to take that risk."

"I'll change that," Kalysta promised vehemently.

"I pray, for all our sakes, that you can," he commented.

A moment passed in silence.

"We'll go to Cheshire first, then," she said, "but where after? Wolvecaster? Velia?"

"Wolvecaster is the closest to supporting the resistance," he answered, "so we'll go there first, with all luck perhaps gain their support, and have them in our books before going to King Thomas."

"Why is Wolvecaster more sympathetic?" she asked lightly.

"I have informants and people in every country."