The rest of the walk through the castle was done in almost awkward silence. It was enough to drive Arie crazy, but she couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't make things worse. It wasn't until they reached the kitchens; which were mostly empty, that Lerant cleared his throat.

"Avery was interesting." Even Jess could hear him struggle to find a polite term for the other boy while he attempted to keep the his voice neutral.

Arie growled, "He's a right pain in my ass, I might strangle that prick." She sighed and admitted, "But he's a loyal pain in the ass who saved my life." She saw the surprise on Lerant's and realized with a start she hadn't told him that part of her story. She winced when she looked to Jess who was also looking at her with a mixture of laughter and curiosity. The little girl was probably remembering the first few months that Arie had been in Sea King. Avery had stuck to her like honey sticks to fingers. Even now she cringed at to think of how over bearing he had been.

"Sounds like a story," Lerant said quietly without looking her in the eye.

Arie bit her lip and just barely resisted the urge to rip out her hair tie and run her fingers through it. She usually did her best to ignore the thoughts, but as she looked at Lerant trying hard not to look at her she felt she owed him more explanation. Arie turned and started to gather a plate and utensils.

"You heard about why I left this place." It wasn't a question, and Lerant nodded while Jess listened in rapt attention. Arie swallowed and wished she could stall this, but knew that wouldn't do anyone any good. "Well, when they drove me out," she licked her lips and started checking the bowls on the counter while ignoring her shaking hands. "My home was set on fire. I was still inside."

She heard Lerant's sharp intake of breath and Jess's shocked gasp. Jess asked, "But why? You-you're a doctor. Why would they do that?"

Arie sighed, "That's not really important right now. What is, is that I was burned when I escaped from the house. Little bit on my hands, but mostly on my feet. I was still upset about my mother's death so my magic wasn't working well. I couldn't really do much, but I managed to get away. Sorta."

"I collapsed a good ways away from my home. I was still in the woods and it was dark so the mob had trouble following me. They couldn't get any of their animals to hunt me so I was able to gain some distance. But that's where Avery found me. Earlier mother and I had healed his father, so I think he felt he owed me. And he had lost his own mother, and had been there with me when I found my own mother. So I think he felt he owed me. Anyway, uh, he carried me all the way to Sea King. He looked after me until I was back on my feet again."

"I'm grateful to him, but I think he felt not that he was owed my affection, but that because we shared the loss of our mothers that there was something between us. But I don't think there is anything between us, and I don't want there to be. Something I've made clear to him on many occasions." Arie looked at her hands shaking on the napkin that she had pulled off a basket of rolls.

Lerant took the basket gently from her hands and placed two rolls on her plate. "Why not?" He blushed, "I mean why don't you want there to be anything between you two?" Carefully, he took the napkin from her shaking hands a laid it back over the basket.

"Back then," she shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure. Other than I always had this vague feeling he was using me to replace his mother." Arie ripped a corner of a roll off and popped it into her mouth. It was a little stale, but still sweet with a honey glaze.

"Back then?" Lerant asked.

Arie nodded.

"And now?"

She looked at him. His eyes were cast downward, but they suddenly looked up at her. Arie's mouth went dry and she felt the strange urge to lean closer to him and see what happened. They held each other's gazes for a several moments.

"Well?" Jess asked making them both jump.

Arie looked down at her plate to hide her blush. She had actually forgotten Jess was there for a second. She forced herself to smile at Jess. "Now I have other reasons." It wasn't a good enough answer and she knew it, even without Jess scowling at her.

"What they are?"

It was on the tip of her tongue to say who not what. Instead Arie popped another bit of roll into her mouth and found Lerant folding a plate of meat up to her. His eyes were looking away from her own but there was a little color to his cheeks. So maybe he guessed.

"Either way, I think I'm going to speak with Avery again." She almost winced. It would be in no way a pleasant conversation. Avery might be a strange part of her family, but this behavior couldn't continue if he or she was to ever have their own lives free of the past. Frankly, Arie was tired of being treated like a broken girl. She shook her head to shake off those thoughts. "But enough of that." She selected some of the meat and added it to her plate. "We still need to speak with Raoul and the lord."

Lerant nodded. "They said they would wait up for us in Lord Imrah's study. They were sure you'd be working late."

Arie narrowed her eyes at him. "Why?"

He shrugged and set aside the plate of meat. "I told them one of the patients that came in was someone you knew. I figured you wanted to make sure she was safe before having the meeting."

There was an instant relief in her. If the lord knew; as Arie suspected he did, that she was his granddaughter and what had happened he might have punished Edith. Lerant seemed unaware of the relationship between her and the lord, but he must have realized she didn't wish to share some of the things that had come up while he had been there. "Thank you."

He grinned, "Don't mention it. Once your done, we can go."

Arie snorted, "I can bring my food with. If they have a problem with my manners they can suck it up for the sake of their people."

Lerant looked like he was going to say something to that, but decided against it last second. He shrugged, "Well then, this way." He lead the way out of the kitchen and pretended not to notice when Arie snatched an apple off the counter. They followed him through the castle until they were at the office that Arie had first met Imrah in. Both Imrah and Lerant were lounging in the decent arm chairs. They both looked up surprised.

"We hadn't expected you for a while. How is your friend?" Raoul asked.

Arie couldn't hid the grimness she felt. "She will live." Then she reached into her bag and pulled out the bottle that had been infected. She placed it on the desk in between Imrah and Raoul. "My friend is a good and morale woman. Feeds the poor, trades when people can't buy her poultices. Her one true vice is drinking. Not surprising when you consider she lost a child once. But even despite that, maybe because of it she has devoted her life to helping people, kids especially. I went to check on her and found her infected to the point of almost no return. This was the only thing that carried the taint in her home."

Imrah picked up the bottle and looked at the dust that clung to the bottle and his fingers. His expression darkened. "How long ago was she poisoned?"

Arie chewed her lip and finally shrugged.

"Guess," Imrah's voice was hard.

Arie sighed and thought back to what she had seen. "A few weeks to month, maybe more, based on her symptoms. But the dust makes me think no more than two weeks. It possible she was dosed other ways."

"That's at least a week before the ship attack," Raoul said, and ran his fingers through his hair in agitation.

Imrah sighed like a man who knew this would mean a lot lives were in danger. His people's lives, and he was frustrated. Then his gaze moved to her face and there was almost a resigned look to him when he asked, "There's more, isn't there?"

Arie hesitated. It was still just a theory, she thought. "I'm not sure actually, but I think so."

"Let's hear it." Imrah stared at her just waiting.

Arie fidgeted under his gaze. "When I talked to the woman who had been infected, she had vague memories of someone giving her the bottle. That person mentioned my mother." She shifted uncomfortably as she heard his sharp intact of Imrah's breath. "I think the person who gave her the bottle might have been trying to get revenge, for me."

"Why?" Arie glanced up into Imrah's narrowed eyes. She something dark shift in his eyes and she dropped her own quickly.

Arie licked her lips. "You've seen my magic." She held her breath and watched him from the corner of her eyes. Both Imrah and Raoul nodded in understanding, but they also seemed a little confused so Arie continued, "Well, my magic scared enough people here that they drove me away. The friend was someone who knew me, knew my mother. She is respected." Arie cleared her throat. "I think someone thinks that she could have stopped everyone. She couldn't," Arie hurriedly explained.

At Imrah's darkening look Arie rushed to explain, "She is an elderly woman who could barely make it to the gates, much less fast enough to stop anything. And she has children and grandchildren. It was hard enough after Anna died, people thought I might have had a hand in it or just allowed it. She was loved by everyone and I was her only student." She bit her tongue, she had almost said only child. But even as she thought that she saw what looked like Raoul connecting the dots.

Imrah thought about what she said and asked almost gently, "So why this woman? Why her and not say one of the mob?"

Arie stopped. She hadn't really thought of that. "It's possible someone-." She stopped. She wasn't sure anymore.

Raoul saw her confusion and asked, "What makes you so certain the two events are related? Couldn't it have been a random attack?"

Arie shook her head no. "When I showed her the bottle her eyes seemed stuck on it. I think someone used the bottle to ensnare her mind with magic. I know in theory mages can do it. And she also kept saying he asked about Anna and me. She kept going on about how guiltily she was. None of it felt right, even for her. It feels like she was magicked."

Raoul looked to Imrah. "I can send for Neal. He can check the bottle for traces of someone's Gift. He might even be able to check the memories of this woman."

Arie was already shaking her head. "The bottle yes, but even before she was poisoned her mind was not working well. Her memories are too confused and broken to trust. I have sense fixed what I could, but everything that happened was viewed by a mind that wasn't whole. It would be like looking through broken lenses."

Raoul swore and quickly apologized to Jess and Arie. "What about the others from the mob that attacked you? Might they be infected too?"

Arie nodded. "Or targets."

"I can send people right away." Imrah started gathering papers together.

"Wait!" Arie blurted out. All three men looked at her surprised. "If all of these people are rounded and forced to undergo what they view as harassment and possible pain because of me, you will have a riot on your hands.

There was an almost awkward pause before Imrah asked, "Shouldn't they be punished? But even besides that, we can't just leave so many possibly infected people untreated."

Arie's throat suddenly seemed to dry out and close painfully. She felt so parched she couldn't open her mouth at first. After several seconds of struggling she finally managed to croak, "What was done wasn't right." She cleared her throat. "Should they be punished for what they did, yes. Not like this. They will have to face Mithros' judgment, but I won't condemn the innocent people around them because I'm angry and was hurt. That would make me no different than them. Besides there is a chance they haven't been infected. I don't want the person behind this to know that we know what they are doing. I have my," she hesitated at what to call Twitchy, and then decided, "teacher who has a little site magic. I trust him to check things out without being found out. Anyone infected can be reported right away."

Imrah rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Arie could see there was still some anger lurking in the lord's eyes. "Are you sure this man can be trusted?"

If Arie had been a dog her hackles would have risen at that. She knew it was unreasonable, but she still snapped, "He is my family. There is no one I trust more. He has put his life on the line for me and my family more than once."

The anger in Imrah's eyes turned to something more calculating. "The freeman, goes by the name Twitchy?"

Arie nodded her head firmly and didn't drop her eyes this time. She would never be ashamed of Twitchy who had been the only father figure she had ever had.

Imrah nodded and gave Lerant the order to bring Twitchy there. He was also given strict instructions that none of this conversation was to leave this room. Lerant bowed and left. Arie was struck by the sudden realization that Imrah was unhappy. She wasn't entirely certain how she knew because the lord hid his displeasure behind a calm mask. It took her a moment to put her finger on why this felt familiar. Then it clicked and she realized her mother was the same way when she got upset with a patient. Anna never showed her anger, kept everything hidden behind a calm almost bland mask. The man had the same air to him, an intensity the belied his calm expression.

"Does this change anything else?" Raoul asked and crossed his ankles as he leaned back and thought. "Clearly we are going to look at those involved, but does this change anything else?"

Imrah looked thoughtful. "More patrols will probably be needed." His eyes moved over Arie's face and he said, "I think I'll have a few trust worthy guards placed around my wife. They can be discreet so as not to upset her, but they will still be able to search anything or one who enters her rooms."

Arie nodded. Inwardly she sighed. She had not wanted to say anything, but she also knew that it was possible the person behind this could have known her relationship between the lord and lady. They could very well be targets too. "I think I will try to keep to the castle and the clinic. It will be less troubling for everyone if I am seen less. Most of the students are ready to do patrols and those few who aren't can stay at the clinic and help. Then there will be doctors to keep an eye them.

Imrah nodded. "Very well,-" He was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in."

Lerant opened the door and was followed by Twitchy. Arie's mentor took one look at the two lords seated around Arie and he paled. His gray grey eyes went to Arie's own. "You okay, kiddo?"

Arie bobbed her head once, but she felt weary. "You mean aside from the craziness going on because of a loony mage is out to prove he's more special than the last loony mage? I'll live."

Twitchy grunted. Arie knew if it had been just the two of them he would have laughed and made a joke about that. But with the two noblemen watching he was focused on protecting her and himself as well as trying to figure out what they wanted.

"Thank you for coming, sir." Imrah gestured to the chair beside Raoul. "Please have a seat." He glanced over towards Arie and Jess. "Lerant, please escort these ladies back to their chamber. The little one looks like she is going to fall asleep standing."

Arie looked at Jess. The little girl was leaning against her. Jess's head slightly bent forward and her eyelids struggling to remain open. This silenced any protests Arie had been about to make. Instead she scooped up Jess and allowed the girl to curl up against her shoulder. In one breath Jess went from murmuring sorry to fast asleep. Arie did an almost curtsey.

"Thank you, and good night your graces." Then she turned and left without a backward look at them. Lerant walked beside her the whole way back to her room.