Another two days of Erith's illness had passed with significant improvement. While she still slept most of the day and couldn't walk on her own, she could eat solid food and was lucid enough to hold a conversation. Thankfully, her fever must have made her forget how much she wanted to isolate herself from Maul, no matter the pain it caused.
Maul was leaned back in a chair, arms crossed, eyes closed. It was clear by his mild grimace that he wasn't comfortable nor was he asleep. In fact, he'd barely slept at all since being put in charge of Erith's care. She looked so near to death that he swore she could slip away at any moment.
A groan and the shifting of sheets gave Maul an excuse to open his eyes. Erith was on her stomach, wriggling uncomfortably.
"No. Please-"
Erith went on talking, but Maul couldn't make out her slurred speech.
"Erith," He hoped his voice alone would wake or calm her, but it did neither.
"Maul," She whimpered, reaching for him. He let her take his sleeve into her fingers, surprised at the vice grip she had on it. Days earlier she hadn't even been able to lift her arm for more than a few seconds.
"Where's Casta?" Erith's startled voice quivered with genuine fear. It raised alarm in Maul despite his knowing none of this was real.
Maul raked her hair away from her face, so that she would know he was there.
"Casta is home with your sister, little one," Maul had never outwardly used a term of endearment, at least, not that he could remember. In this state, however, Erith did look so very vulnerable. Her need for him made him feel bigger.
"No, no, no," Erith shook her head, tears leaking from her eyes. Maul scooped her up into his arms and took her place in bed, leaning back against the headboard with her lying against his chest. To his dismay, this didn't do anything to jar her from her dream.
"He's going to kill him." Her hand clutched at him in desperation.
"Who is going to kill him?" Maul asked, if only for his own amusement.
"Hegal," That one word, uttered with such fear, chilled Maul to the bone.
"What?" His arms had tightened around her involuntarily, and he was now searching her face as if she was capable of communicating something to her through her unconscious face.
"My fault. Said I wouldn't tell. So much...blood." Maul remained frozen for only a few more seconds as he accepted the information.
"Hush." He pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. "The child is at home, sleeping. You have done nothing," His murmurs of assurance had little effect on Erith.
Maul took her hand in his, brushing his thumb deliberately across her palm.
"You see? There is no blood." Erith couldn't see, of course. Her eyes hadn't opened even a bit since she begun speaking.
"No blood?" She seemed to take notice, wriggling her fingers as if feeling for the sticky wetness.
"No blood. No Hegal. Casta is safe," Erith took a few deep, calming breaths at being told this. Maul, however, was feeling more anxious by the second.
Was it only a dream? Was this just a product of a tortured mind, a new face glimpsed among fever dreams making itself the central figure? Or did she speak the truth in her sleep? One she was too afraid to utter in consciousness. Having already been suspicious of Hegal, Maul placed his bet on the latter of the options.
It was to Maul's luck that Sabra came to Erith's room alone when she arrived to relieve him. Their father had been intending to come along to check up on her himself, but Sabra had just managed to talk him out of it. She didn't doubt that Erith's health was improving, and it would be much easier to speak to Maul this way. Getting him alone was grueling task and raised too much suspicion.