Page 109 of A Baron of Bonds
“I see you trying to warn me, old friend, and I will not listen.”
He gave what I assumed to be a chuckle.
I brought another spoonful of Lia’s broth to his lips, and he sipped it slowly.
I spoke to him of all that had happened in the two weeks outside of Felgren that was only a few days within. His smile was brightest hearing about how we had completed our companion ceremony without outside help.
“It brings…me joy, Baron.”
“When you are well, we will celebrate.” I wiped his mouth again. “So, you’d better recover soon because the servants and channelers are itching for a party.”
His grin was pained but there nonetheless.
“Rest. I’ll be back in a few hours to check on you again and let you know what we find.”
He nodded weakly, and I helped him settle back against his pillow. “Soporen,”I murmured softly, his eyes closing and the tension in his body releasing.
I rose from his bedside, collecting the ruined pillowcase I’d found him under and the rag I’d used to collect the sludge coming from his mouth. I threw them into the fireplace, forcing the smoke up the flue.
This was bad.
No, this was terrifying.
Not only was I concerned for my friend’s life, I worried for the rest of the staff. For my channelers. For Karus.
I had to trust my instincts. Karus and I shared a connection to the Blight through the Blightress. I didn’t have time to panic that she would succumb to this next.
But Ilyenna? Talon? I’d sent both of them to take care of Pompeii in their punishment, and I might have doomed them as well.
It was time to order a lockdown of the Fortress.
I stood outside of Pompeii’s room, my mind struggling to remember the spell I needed. It wasn’t as if I amplified my voice often. I closed my eyes, leaning back against his door, cycling through the enhancements I knew.
I’d been blessed in my thirty years with the gift of memory, able to recall pieces of my life in flashes of pictures, and my thoughts sorted through a book I had once read about conduits who had taken more leadership roles on the isle.
I could see the pages I had flipped through in Viridis, when it had been so much more than the husk it currently was.
There was the spell.Amploren: to project your voice.
Behind my eyes, I saw the word written in the book just as if I held it again in my hands under the Viridis light.
I cleared my throat and spoke, “This is Baron Revich,” I began, blue wisps of my power flowing from my words, windingtheir way down the long hall and through the door to the kitchens.
“Please do not be alarmed. I am speaking to you after leaving Pompeii’s bedside. He is very ill, and because I cannot be sure this illness will not spread, I am ordering a lockdown of the Fortress. Each of you are to stay in your rooms with the exception of Lia, who will continue to bring food to your doors.”
She’d do it, too. I knew if I asked her to stop feeding the people in the Fortress, she’d ignore me anyway.
I gathered my thoughts and continued, my magic still flowing from my voice and booming through the hall. “I’ve spoken to each of you personally about the Blight that lives in the depths of Felgren. It is my fear that a form of this Blight has infected Pompeii. His lungs are bruised at his chest, and a black liquid seeps from his mouth when he coughs. Lia or myself will be at each of your doors at least twice a day, where you will confirm to us that you do not show signs of this illness.
“You are to stay in your rooms. I cannot stress this enough. Karus and I are seeking answers. We will keep you informed. I wish each of you well. Now, please, head to your rooms, and await answers from me.”
I left the corridor for the kitchens, passing several servants heeding my orders. I nodded to each one as they scrambled through their doors.
Lia stood in the kitchen, barking orders to the few people there as they washed up and left. She nodded to me and turned, getting straight back to the dough she kneaded on her work table.
“For you and Karus,” she informed, pointing to a tray of cinnamon buns and pastry-wrapped eggs and bacon—both of our favorites.
“Thank you.”
