Of Whispers and Daggers ✓ [TLRQ #2]

Chapter 12 - Leavi

My first morning free, Elénna, the physician, and I sit at the table downstairs, eating sweet porridge and bitter tea. Elénna's eyes are bright and alert despite the long night, but I imagine she'll be headed to bed after this.

"Pass the tea, would you, m'dear?" Illesiarr asks.

I look up from my food to find him staring at me, not Elénna. "Oh. Of course." I hand over the pot from its place in front of me, wondering that he could have already finished his first cup. I'm doing my best not to make a face when I swallow.

"Did you sleep well last night?" He smiles softly, his white, cloudy hair bobbing as he pours his tea.

"Well enough. Thank you."

He and Elénna were down here before I was, and I wonder if she told him about last night. If so, he doesn't mention it. "Good, good."

The two of them make small talk, keeping up with patients' statuses and how many supplies they have left. As the short meal wraps up, Elénna asks if he needs anything else, and he shakes his head. "Just for you to get some rest, m'dear."

Illesiarr pushes to his feet as she heads upstairs, and I help him clear. We place the dishes in a basin set into the counter, and Illesiarr pricks his finger on a small statue of a woman. A droplet of blood slides down her upreaching hand, and water rushes in from openings near the top of the basin. It stops when half-full, but no door covers the holes, no pump shuts off.

"Convenient thing, isn't it?" Illesiarr smiles at me. "They don't have water like this in most of N'veauvia. The poorer districts have to gather theirs from the city wells."

I avoid his gaze as I scrub our bowls, wondering what would make him tell me something like that.

His voice drops. "The prince told me about your situation, Maed Riveaux. Your secret is safe."

I relax, understanding. "Thank you."

He waves it away.

"Sir?"

Moving to his mortar and pestle, he leaves me to the dishes. "Illesiarr is just fine, m'dear. I'm not so formal as the rest of the castle."

"Illesiarr, then." I dry a dish with a nearby towel. "Is there anywhere here I could study?"

"A scholar, then, are you?"

"I used to be. But I meant more along the lines of magic and..." Morineaux, culture, history. I need grounded in this world, and I don't think just watching is going to give me the kind of crash course I'm looking for.

"There are plenty of books to study in the library."

My eyes light up. If their library is half as grand as their Auditorium Arbitrate, it's sure to be breathtaking. "Where is it?"