Page 55 of Vow of the Shadow King

He holds his tongue a moment. I’m caught in terrible suspense. Then, finally: “Very well. I shall meet you atlusterlingand take you for a short excursion into the city. Ashortexcursion, mind. Then you shall be returned to Hael’s keeping, there to remain until the time of your departure is at hand. Understood?”

My heart soars, but I take care to keep my tone level when I respond. “Completely.”

He nods. His lips part, and I think he’ll say something more. In the end, however, he simply inclines his head and touches one hand to his bare chest. “I bid yougrakol-mir, Princess.”

I swallow. My fingers tighten around my upper arms. “Good night, great King.”

Without another word, he turns and hastens away, vanishing around the bend. And I stand where he leaves me until I hear the door to the stairwell shut.

22

VOR

“There you are, brother mine! I’d started to think you’d forgotten all about me.”

I grab a nearby stool and drag it to the bedside. Sul lies there, looking nearly as white as the bedclothes, his face illuminated only by the hanginglorstin the center of the domed ceiling. The crystal’s radiance has been dimmed, and the healing ward of Ar’s infirmary is suffused in restful lowlight.

Most of the beds are empty I note, turning slightly to look around the room. There’s only one other bed, closer to the door, that currently holds an occupant. I choose not to look too closely at him just now, however.

Instead, I turn my attention to Madame Ar. She stands on the other side of Sul’s bed, having just dosed him with a tincture to make him sleep. Currently, she stands with a brass horn pressed to his chest, listening closely. Her face contorts with concentration.

“How is he, Madame?” I ask.

“He’s fine, thanks for asking,” Sul answers irritably. “He’s also right here. And he doesn’t like being talked over. He has a tongue of his own, you know, and can answer queries after his own health.”

Ar steps back and uses her horn to bop Sul lightly on the top of his head. “Enough fussing. You’ll make yourself sick,” she tuts before turning to me. “Well, it’s as I thought. Only weak traces of detectibleraogin his system. Couldn’t help breathing in a little, I’d guess, but not enough to do any lasting damage. I suspect he’ll be a bit limp these next threelusterlingsor so.”

“Limp?” Sul pricks an eyebrow. “You don’t mean—?”

“I mean you’d best not get out of bed for fear of taking a tumble, that’s what I mean. As to the other?” She casts a significant glance down his body. “Let me assure you, you won’t be getting a chance to find out anytime soon.”

“Just my luck,” Sul mutters. He closes his eyes and nestles a little deeper into his pillow. “I swear, sometimes I think the gods must hate me. It’s my pretty face, you know. They resent it.”

“Indeed?” I give my brother a once-over. He’s bruised, battered, and his arm is broken in three places and resting in a sling. Compared to the citizens of Hoknath, however, he’s gotten off easy. “I should say at least one god holds you quite dear to his heart.”

“Orherheart,” Sul agrees, smiling serenely. “Much more likely, I should think.”

I shake my head and turn to Ar again. “How soon until he’s on his feet?”

“No more than a few days. Trolde bones mend faster than trolde minds, I always say. His mind I cannot vouch for, but then, no one ever could.”

“Truer words were never spoken,” Sul acknowledges with a yawn. Then he shifts on his pillow, casting his sleepy gaze over me. “You’re looking a bit worse for wear yourself, Vor. Have you rested since our return? I’m sure Madame here could whip up a nasty concoction that will quite do away with your fatigue.”

Half-smiling, I dismiss Ar with a nod. She shuffles away, always happy to leave her patients to fend for themselves in favor of other, more interesting experiments in her workshop. I settle more comfortably in my stool, tip it on two legs and lean my back against the wall. “I’ve had no rest,” I admit. My voice sounds heavy in my own ears. “I am king, remember? I haven’t a spare moment to my name.”

“And yet here you are!” Sul smirks. “Perhaps I am favored by the gods after all.” Then, despite the sedative, his gaze sharpens. “Tell me, have you truly been too busy even to visit the bathhouse and wash some of the travel grime away?”

The thought of the bathhouse casts a shadow across my heart. I shake away a shudder. I won’t dwell on the possibility of my brother’s treachery. Not now. Not when I’ve only just got him back. “You saw the carnage in Karthur Channel,” I say instead. “We need to discover where the rest of the devils crawled off to before they attack some defenseless river town.”

Sul nods slowly, his eyelids heavy with coming sleep. “Yes, that does sound important. You must certainly attend to it. At once. Right after you’ve finishedgrundlingthe human princess, of course.”

Ice shoots through my veins. A low growl rumbles in my throat. “You’re a bastard, Sul.”

He smiles silkily back. “Am I? That’ll be news to Mother, I’m sure.” Rolling onto his side, he props up on his good elbow. Strands of pale hair fall across his face. He shakes them out of his eyes. “Come, Vor. You know what a gossip Lur is. She and Wrag had quite a nice little chat while we were waiting for the rest of you to return from your adventure in the temple. They each had an interesting perspective to share on your farewell with your little wife. They’re taking bets on whether or not you’ll keep her. Lur is for it—she was always a romantic underneath that gruff exterior. Wrag thinks the human’s too small for you, says you’ll want a bigger wench to satisfy your mighty—”

I let the legs of my stool drop to the floor. Rising, I stand over Sul in his bed. “You should have put a stop to such talk.”

“How could I? I was much too fevered and frail.” Sul leans back on his pillow and pulls a suffering-invalid expression. “Otherwise, you can bet I would have reminded them both that our king would never forget himself so foolishly. He would never commit to an alliance that would risk the lives of his own warriors without certainty of aid in return. He is far too noble, too good, too wise.”

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