Between the Veil and Crown

Arvek 46

Arvek whirled around to storm out of the room. "Rasinod!"

"My first and foremost duty is to my king," Rasinod told him. "It is ultimately not your decision what happens to Selim- it is the king's, and we both know what he would want."

Arvek crossed the gap between them in a single step, grasping the collar of Rasinod's shirt. "You were supposed to wait!" he snapped. "What we know of my father be danged- you were supposed to wait!"

Rasinod was unfazed by the predicament he was in. He blinked calmly at Arvek. "Facing your father's wrath may be something you enjoy, but I have to intention of incurring it. The treatment has been started, and it would not be wise to stop it now."

"And why is that?" Arvek demanded to know.

"Once the process to break the seal is in place, it can do damage if stopped," Rasinod said.

"You said it might even work!" Arvek roared. "You said it might not work, and now you're saying it can't even be stopped?!"

"Not every cure is a guarantee," Rasinod said. "Every treatment requires a certain level of luck."

Every fiber of Arvek's being screamed to punch Rasinod across the face, to give him just an ounce of what Arvek was feeling. However, something miraculously stayed his hand. Perhaps because it was drilled into him to keep his composure as a king would. "How bad is this damage?" Arvek hissed.

"Once the treatment has worn off, he will be lost in his own mind," Rasinod said. "The treatment is meant to draw him into himself to find and fight the seal."

Arvek released Rasinod, shoving him back as he did so. "You absolute- you horrid- you-" He stopped himself, stepping back and breathing hard. There was a line of insults that came to his mind, jostling to be the first one out of his mouth. But he could not say anything he would regret. He had to control himself. "The least- the least you could have done was waited," Arvek hissed, his voice shaking. "You have forced us to leave."

At least Rasinod had the decency to try to pretend that he was a little remorseful.

He whirled around to the guards in the sitting area. "Get ready to leave in the morning." Glaring at Rasinod, he spat, "You never should have come with us."

"If I had not come, would you even be here in the Veil?" Rasinod challenged. "Or would you still be on the other side of River Jeopardy, getting over your stress induced fever?"

"It would have been better," Arvek snapped back, storming back to the bunkroom.

"Perhaps you will think differently when Selim is back in his right mind," Rasinod called after him.

There had been no change in Selim during the course of the conversation. Arvek sunk on the bed, brushing Selim's hair out of his face. He was so pale. He did not look well at all. Arvek clenched his jaw and swallowed hard. As angry as he was with Rasinod, he had to hope that this treatment would end well.

Selim was still through the whole night. Even so, Arvek kept waking to check on him, the sleep he did get being very unrestful. Cor sat in his bed the whole time, not even pretending to sleep. He had not spoken to Arvek since telling him that Rasinod had started the treatment, and Arvek was in no mood to start a conversation. In the times that he was not concerned about Selim's condition, which were few, he thought that Cor was even avoiding looking him in the eye.