Pasco awoke in a strange bed, bruised and bandaged, with only two others in
the room. He recognized one as his mother and groaned, "I s'pose I shoulda
paid more attention t'all that harrier stuff you were tryin' to nail into
my head," as he tried to sit up.
Sandry put down her stitch work and gently forced him back down onto his pillow. Bags were heavy under her concerned eyes showing that she had not slept much and she moved about tiredly. "What happened?" she asked, her dry throat almost impairing the words.
Pasco told her the events of that evening, realizing that he had no idea of how long he had slept. Where the knife had gone in still stung considerably, and the pain in his left side from where he was kicked was nearly gone. He was slightly surprised to have found that he had gotten off so lightly.
"You've been asleep two days," Sandry informed him. He thought that she looked as though she hadn't slept any of that, but decided not to say anything. "The knife was poisoned, but the healers have cornered it so you will have to rest until it passes through your system. Durshan Rokat saw a floating knife trying to kill him and one of his sons. The killer appeared just before he jumped out the window. There's a search out for him now."
Pasco's mother, Zahra, got up from her seat with a parchment in hand. "This is the man who showed up at the Rokat house," she said wearily, the pain in her voice telling him that she did not want to put her son through this. Placing the parchment in his hand, she asked, "Is this who did this to you?"
He took one look at the man, already knowing that it was him. Nodding, he replied, "Yeah, him and that other woman, I think was his wife."
"I'm going to go and get Dami's cat," Sandry announced, walking wearily to the door. "I'm sure she would be upset if she returned to find that Mika wasn't well."
It was obvious that she might pass out soon if she didn't get some sleep, and yet she didn't seem to care. How she could be more concerned about the well being of a cat of a little girl who was currently being held captive over her own was beyond either Pasco's or his mother's comprehension.
"I should probably get back to my post," Zahra said, moving to join Sandry.
"I'm sure the duke can spare your services for just a little longer," Sandry assured her. "You should stay here. You two haven't even seen each other for months."
Zahra sat back down and smiled. Sandry set off, leaving mother and son to talk. She traveled in silence, though Oama and Kwaben were loud in their protests to her taking this little venture in her state. They watched over her carefully as she ventured up Quilter's street and to the girl's house.
Sandry was the first into the small house and she immediately began searching for the cat. Oama and Kwaben sat at the table, making themselves comfortable while allowing Sandry to search in peace. As the minutes dragged on, Oama grew restless and got up to help Sandry search, nearly stepping on Mika in the process. As she went to pick up the cat, Sandry's scream could be heard from the upper floor.
The pair of guards forgot about the cat and took up arms as they raced upstairs to see what was happening to their mistress, cursing themselves for leaving her on her own. They burst into the room in which had emitted the scream to find Sandry and a strange woman caught in a staring contest, the woman's back facing the door. Sandry clutched a bleeding right arm and was now far too tired to perform any spells to protect herself.
The woman went to a dagger at her waist and drew it, charging to Sandry. Oama and Kwaben charged at her, and she leapt aside gracefully, looking at them menacingly. A hand shot behind her back and, with one swift movement, she took out two confusion balls meant to knock out horses and threw one at each of their torsos.
Sandry watched helplessly as the cloud engulfed them. She found herself unable to do anything to stop the woman or to help the guard who had become her friends. Wracking her sleep deprived mind, she tried to find something, anything, that she could possibly do as the woman now advanced upon her with an odd piece of cloth in her gloved hand.
She summoned the cloth in the woman's hand to herself, having a feeling that it would somehow be used against her. The instant it was in her hand, she knew her theory to be true and that she had been duped. Laced with a mixture of snake venom and bits of unmagic which she thought she would never again see, she immediately felt herself falling deep into blackness. Trying to fight it, she found herself fighting a losing battle, her body all too willing to give in to the sleep. Her eyes fell on her guards and the last thing she said before all went black was to them. "Sorry."
Sandry put down her stitch work and gently forced him back down onto his pillow. Bags were heavy under her concerned eyes showing that she had not slept much and she moved about tiredly. "What happened?" she asked, her dry throat almost impairing the words.
Pasco told her the events of that evening, realizing that he had no idea of how long he had slept. Where the knife had gone in still stung considerably, and the pain in his left side from where he was kicked was nearly gone. He was slightly surprised to have found that he had gotten off so lightly.
"You've been asleep two days," Sandry informed him. He thought that she looked as though she hadn't slept any of that, but decided not to say anything. "The knife was poisoned, but the healers have cornered it so you will have to rest until it passes through your system. Durshan Rokat saw a floating knife trying to kill him and one of his sons. The killer appeared just before he jumped out the window. There's a search out for him now."
Pasco's mother, Zahra, got up from her seat with a parchment in hand. "This is the man who showed up at the Rokat house," she said wearily, the pain in her voice telling him that she did not want to put her son through this. Placing the parchment in his hand, she asked, "Is this who did this to you?"
He took one look at the man, already knowing that it was him. Nodding, he replied, "Yeah, him and that other woman, I think was his wife."
"I'm going to go and get Dami's cat," Sandry announced, walking wearily to the door. "I'm sure she would be upset if she returned to find that Mika wasn't well."
It was obvious that she might pass out soon if she didn't get some sleep, and yet she didn't seem to care. How she could be more concerned about the well being of a cat of a little girl who was currently being held captive over her own was beyond either Pasco's or his mother's comprehension.
"I should probably get back to my post," Zahra said, moving to join Sandry.
"I'm sure the duke can spare your services for just a little longer," Sandry assured her. "You should stay here. You two haven't even seen each other for months."
Zahra sat back down and smiled. Sandry set off, leaving mother and son to talk. She traveled in silence, though Oama and Kwaben were loud in their protests to her taking this little venture in her state. They watched over her carefully as she ventured up Quilter's street and to the girl's house.
Sandry was the first into the small house and she immediately began searching for the cat. Oama and Kwaben sat at the table, making themselves comfortable while allowing Sandry to search in peace. As the minutes dragged on, Oama grew restless and got up to help Sandry search, nearly stepping on Mika in the process. As she went to pick up the cat, Sandry's scream could be heard from the upper floor.
The pair of guards forgot about the cat and took up arms as they raced upstairs to see what was happening to their mistress, cursing themselves for leaving her on her own. They burst into the room in which had emitted the scream to find Sandry and a strange woman caught in a staring contest, the woman's back facing the door. Sandry clutched a bleeding right arm and was now far too tired to perform any spells to protect herself.
The woman went to a dagger at her waist and drew it, charging to Sandry. Oama and Kwaben charged at her, and she leapt aside gracefully, looking at them menacingly. A hand shot behind her back and, with one swift movement, she took out two confusion balls meant to knock out horses and threw one at each of their torsos.
Sandry watched helplessly as the cloud engulfed them. She found herself unable to do anything to stop the woman or to help the guard who had become her friends. Wracking her sleep deprived mind, she tried to find something, anything, that she could possibly do as the woman now advanced upon her with an odd piece of cloth in her gloved hand.
She summoned the cloth in the woman's hand to herself, having a feeling that it would somehow be used against her. The instant it was in her hand, she knew her theory to be true and that she had been duped. Laced with a mixture of snake venom and bits of unmagic which she thought she would never again see, she immediately felt herself falling deep into blackness. Trying to fight it, she found herself fighting a losing battle, her body all too willing to give in to the sleep. Her eyes fell on her guards and the last thing she said before all went black was to them. "Sorry."
