Being too tired to stay awake and aching too much to sleep was nothing new to Myronel. The early days of his march away from Hyarch a few years back, his body had not been prepared for it. That first month on the road had been miserable, although he could never admit it to the men following him. At least, that was what his father had told him, and Myronel had believed it.

  He certainly didn't believe it now, laying in bed with wrapping around his shoulder. Hamond had done the best he could, and Nela had followed it up with a spell of her own, but even so, there was damage that would take time to mend. Nela had mentioned at least a hexday of rest for him. Myronel couldn't tell if that was genuine advice or a sign of her worry over him. Probably a mix of both, now that he thought about it.

  He'd spent some hours fading in and out, brief naps between surges of pain as he turned over in the bed. If he could manage to find a way to be still, Myronel would've done it. He hoped he would feel more comfortable tomorrow, but for today, it was putting up with the pain. At least he was alive.

  At least he wasn't in as bad a state as Captain Takhat.

  Ther truth was Nela hadn't been able to give him her full attention, and with good reason. Thinking back to what he'd seen of the wounds Takhat had suffered at the hands of the royal knights, Myronel found himself feeling more than a little ill. He had once been proud to consider himself one of those knights, something that he now was regretting. Among many other things, he bitterly noted.

  Groaning to himself, Myronel closed his eyes, trying yet again to sleep. Maybe with luck he could be able enough to help in a couple of days, even if getting into a fight wasn't possible. It wasn't clear what he could even do, but Myronel knew there had to be some way he could be of use.

  It didn't last long, as Myronel felt the slight touch of a hand on his forehead. Rousing himself, he looked over to see Jylania standing there with her arm outstretched. "What are you doing?"

  "Checking if you had a fever," Jylania answered, "She said you might."

  Myronel didn't think had a fever...did he? He probably wasn't in a good position to tell, but he didn't feel sick. He didn't want to doubt Nela, even if that explained his inability to sleep. Maybe Jylania had misunderstood what Nela had said.

  More important though was the question of why Jylania was here. "What's Nela doing right now?"

  "Arguing with that Jisry man." Jylania actually rolled her eyes, a strange bit of emotion for the girl to show. "Again."

  Then again, this was the girl who kicked her mother's dead body. It was easy to forget, but inside that quietly eager child was more than a little bitterness. From all Myronel has seen of and heard about Jisry, it was easy to understand how repeatedly facing someone like that might bring that bitterness back out.

  "Not the friendliest person, is he?" Myronel asked.

  "He's a fool." Jylania glanced over towards somewhere outside the room, presumably in the direction of Nela.

  "There's always going to be people like that." He regretted the words immediately. He'd meant to try and reassure Jylania, not add to her burden. Aether, maybe he shut just shut up and focus on resting. Nela would approve of that much, at the least.

  Jylania didn't answer, just standing there in grim silence.

  The silence was broken by Nela stomping into the room. "Thank Aether that shit's done with," she grumbled.

  "Did you put him to sleep again?" Jylania asked.

  "Even better," Nela said, "I had one of the guards toss him out. Really should've done it before, but Takhat apparently had insisted. Besides, I didn't think he'd go in there to cast spells on her."

  Knowing that only made Myronel feel even worse about his earlier words. There were not many people that vile, even if their small group kept encountering them. Kalvarel, Jylania's father, Lord Kelshir, and now Jisry...all turned out to be terrible people in the end.

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  "He was casting spells on her?" Apparently Jylania hadn't been aware of this either.

  "Trying to, but I stopped that." Nela sat herself on the foot of the bed, shoulders slumped. "And this was after he kept griping when I moved him to a different room. That stupid arse just doesn't know when to back down."

  "Almost makes those knights look reasonable, I guess," Myronel joked.

  "He sure does. So how are you feeling?" Nela leaned over Myronel, expression shifting from frustration to concern.

  "Tired and sore," Myronel admitted, "Been trying to sleep, but...it isn't working."

  "Don't want to have to use the sleep spell on you," Nela grumbled, hopping back off the bed. Myronel was somewhat grateful for that, as Nela had been sitting on his foot. "Let me take a look as something quick here. Maybe I can figure out something that'll help." She circled around Jylania to his side, and reached down to touch his shoulder.

  The Witch of Wrath chose that moment to burst through the wall into the room.

  Even as worn down as he was, Myronel felt his heart pound a bit at the sight. Though not looking, he could feel as well as hear Nela leap back in response.

  "What...why you? What now?" Nela sputtered.

  "The sphinxes are coming," the older woman hissed, looking around, "So unless you want to die, you'll want to get out of here." Her words and her focus were aimed entirely at Nela, Myronel realized.

  "He's too hurt to go anywhere now," Nela stated, indicating Myronel with a gesture. "I'm not about to leave him, or Captain Takhat."

  "You'd better if you want to live," Floire said in turn, "Furthermore, as I said earlier, you really don't know as much about your friends as you think."

  "Do I?" Nela asked, a hint of mockery in her tone. What could this...oh, right, the Witch of Wrath had encountered the knights separately. She probably found out about him and Edeline.

  Floire reached across and down into a pouch. She struggled with it for a moment, then managed to pull something out and hand it to Nela. It was a piece of paper, perhaps a letter of some sort, which Nela began to read.

  "You see now what they hid from you?" The Witch of Wrath was smiling triumphantly.

  Nela lowered the paper. "Before you told me I was much smarter than the others. Then tell me this. Why do you suddenly think of me as a fool?"

  "What?" Floire drew back in stunned disbelief.

  "Did you really think that I would travel for months across the kingdom with them without knowing who they are or where they came from? You saw me risk everything to save them from you. If anything, you're the fool here. You don't even know half of what they had been through, or what I have."

  "Stupid girl." The Witch of Wrath drew herself up to her full height. "I have lived years beyond you. I have seen the depths to which certain people fall. Your companions will fall as well, and you will go down with them."

  "Maybe." Nela didn't flinch. "I do know one thing though. I know what I'm most afraid of. It isn't the gigants, it isn't the sphinxes, and it definitely isn't you."

  The Witch of Wrath stood there, silently fuming at Nela. "Very well. If you are so determined to be a fool, I won't stop you. Die with regret then. It's all you'll have left."

  She turned to leave, only to stop as she saw Jylania had been standing right behind her. "Get out of my way," she snarled, pushing roughly past the girl.

  Nela watched as the Witch of Wrath departed, then turned to Jylania. "You were about to get her with that spell, weren't you?"

  "No," Jylania shrugged, the lie obvious.

  Nela shook her head, a brief smile appearing on her face. It faded as she looked back down at the paper she held. "Here, take a look," she said, passing it over to Myronel.

  He held it up, reading it out loud. "By order of His Royal Majesty, you are to intercept the traitor Edeline Hallowscroft in the regions surrounding Lasfont. If she is present in this region, apprehend her or kill her at your discretion. Do not allow her to cross the border into Remuat, and do not allow her to travel west to Melyn or beyond."

  He had been half right then. The knights' orders had clearly been written with the idea that he, as Myron Hallowscroft, was dead. Myronel still didn't know who had spread that word, or why. Perhaps he would never know, and perhaps he was better off not knowing.

  He continued to read. "If she is not present in the region, and does not arrive in a month, then proceed with all haste to Melyn to join the other knights. You will receive additional orders once you arrive there." While the paper was unsigned by any lord, below the final words was the king's seal in slightly faded ink.

  "I don't think I've heard of Melyn. Not anything I can remember, that is." Nela stepped over so she could look at the paper again. "What is going on in Melyn anyway?"

  "Whatever it is, you know Edeline will want to travel there to find out." He wouldn't fault her, as there was a part of him that was curious himself. Still, with even more knights being sent there, it was best they avoid the place.

  "I'll talk it over with them later." Nela took the note back, tucking it away. "Now, you don't need to worry about anything but getting back to your usual health. So let me take a look at that now."

  No disagreement on his part. Myronel slumped back, closing his eyes as Nela began to pull the cloth away from his shoulder. Trusting her to take care of him, like countless times before.

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