Florencia kept me in that damned bed for the better part of the day and time seemed to crawl forward. I slept deeply and it was a restful and peaceful one. The worries and troubles that my mind came up with faded into dreams, and the tinctures Flo, Jace, and Rosalda made me drink, rejuvenated me. My body felt stiff no longer, and the pain in my shoulder, chest, and neck lessened, though it lingered.
The following day Jaxine and Iskander came to visit, and their faces seemed glad.
“While I still think you’re dull and very boring, Jonas, I’m still happy that you’re alive. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look that close to death, while not actually being dead. That’s quite a feat. Anyway, I’m happy you’re alive and if that makes Florencia stop crying, that’s an added bonus. Look, don’t take this as anything too serious, but I picked this from the riverbanks after the battle. It just reminded me of you.” She pinned a little red flower with streaks of black to the collar of my patient’s tunic.
“You look different, Jonas. Better.” Then she gave a quick smile, looked at Iskander and left.
It was now only the two of us—me and Iskander—and the air was filled with strong herbal and alcohol smells. He winced at the stink of it, but his eyes seemed to be more relaxed and his black hair was combed and even oiled with a glossy sheen. And gone was also his greatsword that he used to carry along everywhere. I almost couldn’t recognize him. “Jaxine is right, you look different. Like there’s more of you present. And don’t let her words fool you, she’s actually happy that you’re fine.”
I thanked Iskander for his words but didn’t mention my returned memory yet.
“I did what you asked of me,” he continued. “Florencia was inconsolable after you came back. I did what I could to comfort her, and I think she appreciated it, but it didn’t do much. She was very worried about you. Jace handled it all better, I think. I tried talking with him, but after he discovered the books in the library, he found solace there.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I’m relieved I could lean on your support. But I must tell you about Vranik—”
“Don’t!” he interrupted harshly, his back stiffening. “I don’t want to hear it. Vranik is dead to me, and he is dead to Jaxine. Don’t mention his name or how you killed him. Jonas.. after you left, I had a moment to reflect on what happened. I felt I’d been given a new chance at life. I don’t have to carry the deaths of my family along to my own grave. It wouldn’t do them justice.”
He kneeled beside me, but looked upward, at the spiraling ceiling and the colorful paintings covering every corner of the magnificent temple walls.
“You must never tell this to anyone, Jonas, but during the battle, right in the middle of the chaos and the stink of sweat and blood and piss, and the cries and shouts of everyone around me, I discovered something new about myself—I liked it. I never felt more alive. I’ve always loved fighting, that I knew, but it was never this… overwhelming and visceral. There was a purpose to my being, and, you know I have no love for my country, nor for the petty lords who govern it, but your King and your commanders take the upcoming war seriously. If you allow me, I’d like to keep fighting by your side. Maybe you can teach me that lightning spell you do. And maybe in exchange, I can help shoulder some of your burdens, God’s knows you’re about to have more of them thrown at you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Oh, she hasn’t told you? Damned it. Just act like you don’t know.”
“Don’t know what?”
But Florencia was already approaching, and Iskander made for a quick escape. He nodded politely to her before closing the curtains behind him.
“Flo, you said that—”
“Shush! Time to rest, Jonas. I brought some sedatives to help you sleep.” She forced another vial of bitter-tasting liquid down my throat, and soon I fell into another deep slumber and I dreamt about captain Orsin, along with his cavalry of golden heroes, charging bravely headlong through gates of white into a dark abyss.
*
The following day, after waking from a restful slumber, Master Rosalda came to check up on me. She wore loose robes of white, with blue circular patterns embroidered on her sleeves and collar, and her light hair was braided and pinned high. She almost seemed to have an aura of light around her as she spoke, but her eyes bore the weight of profound sorrow.
Our talk was brief. She felt glad I was healing well and quickly, and I in return, offered my heartfelt condolences for the tragic loss of eight valiant knights of Hanuk. And three more knights had been so gravely wounded in the battle, that they would never again wield a sword or fight in any battles.
Stolen novel; please report.
Later that somber day, Viola Grimaldi also came for a visit and to extend her well-wishes and her dark purple eyes were alight with relief when she saw my improved condition. When Jace came and checked up on me, Viola’s face brightened and they left together.
The day after that, I felt I could finally stand with my own strength, and Florencia took me outside for a walk. She covered my thick white tunic in a heavy woolen cloak and some felted slippers, and I went out into the sunlight after lying in that bed for five weeks.
Winter had utterly overtaken autumn and there was a constant dull wind coming from the north. The air was crisp and fresh, and the ground was hard and firm. There were no leaves on the branches of trees, yet the sky was clear above and the sun was a bright orange through the thin clouds and the ocean was deeply rumbling and foaming in the distance.
I wanted to go and see the rolling waves, but Florencia forbade me, saying I was too weak. I relented.
It seemed that life went on unceasingly in Lottie. The gulls were crying and the shoregliders flew in packs here and there and the horses were galloping and trotting along the cobblestones and merchants and craftsmen and important men and women walked along the streets much as they had ever done. I felt a quiet was upon their minds and hearts.
We hardly saw any refugees nearby, and Florencia said that after most of the Lottie Guards had been mobilized for the battle, the majority of the refugees escaped into the southern cities and villages. Pianneturre, the town we’d passed while traveling to the city, was apparently overrun by hundreds of them.
“The rumors that will spread about the Enemy are going to be bad. They’ll spread everywhere now,” said Florencia. “The truth couldn’t be contained after Poscale.”
“When has the truth ever been contained…” I mumbled.
There were noticeably fewer guards patrolling the streets. Now, in their stead, proud soldiers marched with backs held straight, and their gleaming spears and halberds catching the bright sunlight. These men of war wore a myriad of different uniforms of magnificent colors, and many among them displayed medals on their breasts or hanging from their necks and wielded weapons of fine and skilled making.
An entire squad had been sitting in front of the doors of the Temple of Hanuk, chanting a quiet hymn of worship, and many more soldiers were sitting by themselves or in private company. Among some who passed, I noticed a black rose with gilded trim that was pinned to their breast, signifying they were in the fields of Poscale.
Florencia led me to a varr—a small, secluded square with some greenery—that was close to the temple. She said she’d sit there when the city was quiet, and she needed some time alone to think. It was also the place where she and Pitties went to talk.
There were several men-at-arms sitting there, on the long wooden bench, also wearing the Black Rose. As we approached, they hastily rose and bowed before me.
“Hadrus bless you, Mr. Espian!” they said and scurried away. I hoped this would not become something common.
“You never know, Jonas. People will talk.”
The varr lay hidden from the main street of the temple district, yet it was close enough that I could smell the herbals and alcohol from its apothecaries. On the other side of the square was a cozy cafeteria, where a small but animated company was enjoying fresh loaves of bread and warm drinks that pleasantly steamed into the crispy air. Florencia ordered some coffee and sweet cakes, and we sat down where the men-at-arms had been sitting.
Overhead, the wide canopy of the trees hung low and the naked branches seemed like benevolent arms protecting us from the chill of winter. Florencia sat close beside me, almost glued to my side, and she wore the same sweet, flowery perfume again and life seemed good.
Before she said anything, I remembered the days long passed, when I walked the streets of Bessou alone, worried about a future that would never come to pass. Those little hidden-away squares were also a mainstay of that city as well, and I felt almost at home in Lottie.
Yet now, so much time had passed since those worryless days, and the world had changed forever.
“Jonas… Much has happened during those five weeks,” said Florencia, looking away. “After the battle, news traveled quickly. I think the marshall used mages to let the King know of what happened—not a cheap thing, and I’m sure cost him a small fortune. Within a week, all kinds of troops began arriving in the city. I’ve seen some regiments before, but most were foreign to me. Then, a week later, the King himself arrived, along with his family. I think the people of Lottie were encouraged by him and his family arriving. Everyone calmed down after that and tried getting their lives back to normal. Right now, the King is staying at his summer estate in Loran. I know his brother also came, the Grand Marshall of the Armies, and took command of the war effort. And Pitties is also here.”
“He’s here?” I asked. For some reason, knowing that Pitties was here gave me comfort. The last time we had talked, was back in Caffria, through the Mirror of Coeccedus.
“He is. He’s staying at the King’s estate, but I know he often comes to Lottie. We talked a few days before you woke up. He looks tired as always, but more hopeful. I think our victory came as a pleasant surprise to him. We had a conversation about what will happen now, but I’ll let him explain that. He has many ideas and only shared a few with me.”
Florencia took another bite from her cake, exhaled, and looked up at the sky. “It’s infuriating! I can’t believe how many things he and I agree on. If we’d met a decade ago, we could’ve been so much more prepared against the Enemy! We lost so much time. Damn Ardovar and damn Philemon!”
She sighed and tried to calm herself down. I put my arm around her shoulder and decided to change the topic.