Wild Child

Chapter Thirty-Two

In the aftermath of the attack, they kept her busy working the infirmary or keeping a close eye on the Crown Prince's delicate health. Idana didn't mind. She had the necessary training and the skills. Better yet, it kept her hands busy and her thoughts focused on the immediate care of others instead of the tiny little voice that constantly conjured up one terrifying scenario after another. On rare occasions, Lacet would drop by and assist. But, more often than not, she would wake each morning to several bottles of carefully brewed potions sitting on the dresser. All of them marked in his familiar script.

What dismay she felt might have felt, however, was immediately quashed by the weight of her duties of looking after the wounded. In return, she was treated with respect among many of the guards and members of the court, many of whom had been corralled into the Great Hall. Dendron, too, had proved much more helpful and affable than he had in the past.

Rather than fight her on aspects of his health, he listened, deferring to her superior knowledge in such things. This had carried on into their ad-hoc and makeshift lessons. In fact, he had proved to be an apt student. Perhaps it was because he tired much more easily than he had in the past. Or maybe the subject matter was something she knew as intimately as herself. Instead of revising stuffy old scholars and their theories of magic, she had decided to keep it more practical.

Some among the knights found it amusing that they were being attended by the Crown Prince. Many more, though, were appreciative of his presence and took heart in seeing the heir to the throne in their midst.

Whatever the reason behind Dendron's change, Idana was glad for it. Having a second pair of hands certainly helped. Even if he sometimes lacked control. Idana could not say what it was about the Crown Prince's magic that always set her on edge. Still, it was better than nothing.

Besides, most of the other physicians in the King's employ kept out of her way, checking in only once or twice a day. Many were busy looking after their own assignation of soldiers. Some, though, had stayed and watched. Those that had seen her attend to the knights under her care had been impressed by her work ethic. No doubt they had told their fellows and Idana had been left to her own devices. It was just as well. She found their hovering insufferable and had not tempered her responses when she was asked the same question four times in a row.

As the days bled into weeks, Idana kept herself busy, running herself ragged. It was easier, she told herself, to fall asleep when she was utterly spent and exhausted. The dreams fewer and far between.

Sometimes she would wake an hour before breakfast, a scream on her lips, believing she was still in the grasp of the golem. The worst ones, however, revolved around her fears for Lacet. They were usually the most lucid and felt the most real.

There were also many nights when sleep proved elusive. For hours, Idana would toss and turn until it was nearly dawn, her thoughts focused on Emeret's looming trial. Though neither Lacet or Anais or Qina spoke of it, she had heard the rumours. A part of her pitied the insurgents. It seemed wrong that they would be punished for seeking a better world where all were treated equally, no matter their station in life. On the other hand, they had unleashed a golem upon the very walls of the palace.

Whether noble or servant, all anyone discussed in the hallways were the motives behind the attack. Some also debated the possible fates for every man and woman that was found guilty for treason. Idana had seen and heard many that relished the thought of a public execution.

It was why she kept herself closed off, working away in the infirmary or cloistered in her private chambers. She hadn't needed the additional stress. Not when none of it would matter.

At the end of the month, once summer was well and truly over, both she and Lacet would be returning to Lastrune. There was something bittersweet about it all. Saying goodbye to the capital and all the people she had befriended. Idana supposed she would miss Qina and Anais the most.