“No. I’m fairly certain the thief died.” Wulfram said softly. “This woman saved my life.”
Dani’s eyes widened, and she slumped against the edge of the boat. He wasn’t going to turn her in? She had been so sure he’d turn her in as soon as they were free of the tunnels, but instead...
Instead he was lying to his own people about her. Claiming she had saved him rather than led him into danger! What was his game? Or was he really just being merciful? But why would he be merciful to her?
“Our kingdom owes you a great debt madam.” Ben turned to her, bowing awkwardly as the boat started to move back towards the docks. They had wound up a short ways down the shore from them, further than she had thought. She must have gotten turned around somewhere in the tunnels, maybe when they fell in that river?
“Don’t mention it...” She said weakly. She could milk this situation, a great debt could bring her wealth and comfort. But for some reason that just felt wrong. She was quite frankly grateful to have her life. Wulfram smiled at her, giving a small nod of approval.
“We need the healers as soon as we get to the city. I don’t think anything’s broken but I don’t want to risk infection. And word needs to be sent to my family as soon as possible to reassure them that I’m fine.” Wulfram shifted his position, sitting with a calm, relaxed confidence. It was as if he didn’t even feel his wounds! But he had to, didn’t he? She sure as hell felt hers, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep up her own facade of being okay.
It was easy in the tunnels, they had been trying not to die, confronted with one problem after another. But now that they were mostly safe, the pain was starting to scream at her.
“We have healers on standby, and a messenger sprite has already been sent to alert the king and queen that you’ve been found.” Ben grabbed an oar himself, settling into a rhythm with the others on the boat as they rowed towards the old docks. “How did you even get way out here though? If we hadn’t been watching for your magic, we might never have found you!”
“It’s a long story. Better told over drinks, but we did find a fantastic discovery, the historians are going to be excited.” Wulfram watched Dani with eyes that felt like they saw into her soul. She shivered, looking away from him. No one had commented on their wounds, or the matching bracelets. She quite frankly didn’t want them to notice much about her. After all, the sooner she could disappear into the Rats Nest, the better.
“What discovery?” Ben asked. The boat approached one of the low fishermans docks, guards and healers already waiting for them on the shore.
“Hard to say, but I think it’s an old tomb. Older than our people for certain, perhaps even as far back as the Seagraes people.” Wulfram grinned, and Ben stared at him in disbelief.
“There’s no way a Seagraes tomb would lay undiscovered for this long, not so close to the city.” He protested.
“I didn’t think so either, but that was what it looked like. There’s more though, I’ll have to talk to my father about it. But the people might be in danger from things down there. We saw some of the old caved-in homes, and some restless dead.”
“Restless dead? Beneath the city? His majesty won’t be pleased to hear about that. For that matter, neither am I. I prefer the dead to rest in peace.” Ben stood up as they rowed up to the docks, catching a rope tossed from the dock. He pulled them close to it, muscles straining.
“There’s plenty of ‘em down there.” Dani said, finally finding her voice again. She cringed a bit under the attention of Ben and the others. Any one of these men could easily break her in half, and if they knew she was a thief, they’d surely throw her in the dungeon no matter what Wulfram said.
“Dani here has some familiarity with the tunnels beneath our city. We may be wise to enlist her help mapping them and making them safe.” Wulfram stood up, hold a hand out to her. “After we get patched up and rested of course.”
Dani hesitated, but took his hand. As she stood, the boat lurched with the movement, and Wulfram held her steady. “Sorry, sorry.” She mumbled, blushing as she fell against his firm chest. Gods the man was handsome, even if he did look a mess. Wulfram chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest.
“You’ve nothing to be sorry about milady.” He lifted her up, passing her easily to the guards on the dock. “This woman saved my life, make sure the healers attend to her first.”
“That’s really not necessary.” Dani looked to the guards, feeling a spike of panic. “I’ll just... be going now.” There were too many guards and they all had their attention either on her or on Wulfram. She cringed a little, feeling so much like a mouse surrounded by predatory cats.
No.
She was not a mouse damnit! And she could beat any cat! Just not... all the cats. Guards. Whatever! She straightened, tugging at the bottom of the sodden vest.
The weight and saltwater felt like hell on her shoulder, and her leg was starting to throb.
“At least let the healers look at your shoulder.” Wulfram said with a faint smile. He hauled himself up onto the dock with barely a wince of pain. “You’re in no danger Dani, but I can see the attention is making you nervous. Guards, we don’t need so many of you here now, please return to your usual duties. And someone fetch me a carriage.”
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
No wonder he was so bossy, the guards scattered at his command, leaving only Ben and two others, one for her and one for Wulfram. The guard that apparently assigned himself to her bowed slightly and gestured to the shore. “This way milady.”
“I’m not really a lady.” Dani said. She glanced back at Wulfram, but he was talking to his friend Ben already. She couldn’t help the faintest surge of jealousy that someone else had his attention. But she pushed that feeling down firmly, there was no reason for it. What, was she his jealous girlfriend or something? No! She was nothing to him but a thief, someone that might be useful to him mapping out the tunnels.
“If the prince says you are, then you are.” The guard said with a gentle smile. “Royalty is like that. The only person who could say differently and have it stick is his majesty the king. But given that you saved the princes life, I doubt he will.”
Well didn’t that just figure. Dani sighed and headed down the dock in shoes that squished with water with every step. They were probably ruined. This whole plan had gone wrong in all sorts of ways, but they had survived. And if she was lucky, she could find her way back to that crypt to steal some of that gold. She would just have to learn how to swim.
Yeah, right.
The guard led the way to a healer that had set up in a small stall near the docks. This was no Rats Nest healer either. He might have been wearing the same plain blue color as the healers in the Rats Nest, but his robes were clean, and of a much finer material than what could be found in the Rats Nest. The tight braids of his hair were neat against his dark scalp, each braid ending in a plain golden bead. No, this healer wasn’t from the Rats Nest, this was a palace healer. Or one from up the Trade Road. He nodded to her politely, closing the curtain over the stall. A single glowstone illuminated the stall, banishing all shadows. It was solid crystal, another sign that he wasn’t a normal Rats Nest healer.
“I apologize, but I need you to undress so that I can see your wounds clearly.” Cool professionalism, not a hint of lecherous intent in those kind brown eyes. She had heard that many healers took a vow of chastity. Maybe he was one of them. “It’s fine.” Dani mumbled. It wasn’t like she had anything he hadn’t seen before. And she could always scream if he tried to get fresh with her. She was certain Wulfram at least would come running.
Although she wasn’t sure why she was so confident that he would.
She peeled off her clothes and shoes, bearing the healers attention in uncomfortable silence. He poked and prodded at her wounds, tutted at her skinniness and the ugly bruise on her leg. The wound on her shoulder made him fall silent, gently touching the flesh around it.
“I would have to say you are a lucky young lady.” He finally said. “But this is going to hurt for some time. The wound on your back will need stitches, and you’ll be more bruises than not for the next week or so. You’re lucky that your leg isn’t broken, but I suspect it was a very near thing.”
“Stitches? You ain’t gunna sew me up like some doll! I can get it cauterized easy enough.” Stitches! Maybe Reshi could do it, but here, surrounded by strangers, guards no less! She didn’t want to go through that.
“I am indeed going to sew you up. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain of having that wound cauterized.” The healers voice was firm and unyielding. He touched her head lightly, and she flinched. She didn’t pull away fast enough though, a faint green glow surrounded the healers hand, and then clouded her vision.
Suddenly she felt drunk, swaying on her feet for only a moment before dropping onto the stool the healer offered her. His voice sounded distant as he spoke. “I apologize, but this will only take a moment. That wound is too deep and large for cauterizing, the pain would likely kill you.”
“What... what did you do to me?” Her own voice sounded like it was coming from far away, and her head felt light. She didn’t think she could stand if she wanted to. Fear clawed in her heart, but even that she didn’t feel connected to.
“It’s a small spell I use for my more fearful or stubborn patients. It will stop the pain for now, and let your body relax as it begins to heal. I don’t believe you realize how lucky you are to even be alive right now.”
Alive. She lucky to be alive, and not thrown in a dungeon. She felt as if she were tilting slowly to the side, and tried to straighten herself out. The healer steadied her with a gentle hand, the other working with needle and thread quickly. But she still felt like she was tilting. Or maybe the room was tilting. But they weren’t on a boat! It felt like they were on a boat.
She didn’t much care for boats. Boats and deep water that she couldn’t see the bottom of. Anything could be down there, anything.
“We’re almost done, you’ll need to sleep for a while after this. Do you have a safe place to sleep? Someone that can take you home?”
“Safe place? Safe ‘nough. I can ‘andle myself.” Dani gripped the edge of the counter in front of her, hoping it would help steady her. Shit, the healer could make tons of money just making people drunk! She wondered if it would come with a hangover the next day.
“Forgive me if I am not reassured.” The healer said dryly. He started to bandage her, pulling the clean linen bandages tight over the wound. But she didn’t even feel it! Damn that magic was good stuff.
“Guess I can do that.” Dani smirked at her own joke, letting out a snort of laughter. She was alive, what did the rest matter? She could crash at the inn, or maybe lay out under the stars. It was such a nice night to be alive.
“How gracious of you.” The healer let out a sigh, his voice resigned. He picked up a shirt from a small stack of clothes nearby, obviously not meant for her. But he pulled it on over her head anyways. “This is the princes, but I doubt he’ll mind you wearing it. It’s at least dry, and will help maintain your modesty until we find something more suitable.”
“I’m sure this is fine.” She waved a hand, letting out another laugh as the sleeve flopped over her hand. She turned to face the healer, putting her hands on his face. “You should market this magic stuff! I’m tellin’ ya, folks’ll pay ye good ta feel this good.”
“Perhaps it was too much with the trauma you’ve gone through.” The healer said uncertainly, and pulled her hands away from his face. He gently eased her back onto the stool. “Stay here, don’t move.”
“A’ight.” She sat back down, trying not to sway. She didn’t even feel the wounds right now. Although it was a little cold. She eyed the princes vest, filthy and bloody as she undoubtedly was. Not to mention it was soaked, but it did have silver in it.. she could clean it! It just wasn’t going to be any use right now.
The healer ducked out of the stall, letting the curtain fall back into place behind him. Dani stared off into space, letting her mind blissfully wander. This had been one hell of a day, she was ready to go to bed, but where should she go? Maybe climbing a roof wasn’t the best idea right now. And she was forgetting something, wasn’t she?
In the back of the stall, where the light barely reached, a door creaked open. Dani shifted in her chair, staring into the shadows of the narrow alley that snaked behind the stalls. “Hello?”