He looked down at hers; one of them was in a rather odd boot. A very thick boot. “I note that you manage, having not quite a whole leg. Unless a phalanx of slave boys you have, to carry you a litter upon.”

She smiled faintly. “Yes, I broke my ankle. No, I’m not letting it stop me, though let me tell you, it still hurts like seven hells, and it’s only because the Healers are very good that I’m not screaming now. Between their off-and-on magics and some truly vile concoctions, even if it hurts, I tend not to care, if that makes sense. And this plaster boot they’ve granted me lets me get around.” She looked wistful for a moment. “Though, come to think of it, I wouldn’t mind a squad of litter-carrying slave boys… ah, never mind. I’m supposed to tell you that Selenay sent me for you.”

“Me?” He stared at her; he wasn’t certain he’d heard her correctly. One of his last thoughts before he passed out, after all, was how long she would hate him—

“Of course, you. You saved her life, she knows that. Everyone knows that. You did it twice over, in fact, once by keeping her from following Sendar, and again, when that lot of infiltrators popped up.” She spoke matter-of-factly, in such a way that he could not doubt her. “And you did more than that, although there aren’t too many who know it was you that caused Sendar to send the reinforcements out to save the countryside. Ah—” She hesitated. “Just so you know, Selenay wants to keep it that way, except for those of us who were there.”

He didn’t feel up to stumbling his way through Valdemaran anymore, and reverted to Karsite. “Myste, I have no objection to that. He might just as well have had the visions as I; what did or could I do about them? I just blurted them out to you, and not even in a tongue he could understand. He understood what they meant, and in his greatheartedness, elected to save his land rather than his own life. He charged the front line, knowing what he was doing, and knowing full well that he had less chance of surviving that charge than a rabbit charging a pack of foxes. Let his people think whatever they want; he deserves all of it.”

“I told her you’d feel that way.” She nodded. “Anyway, Selenay did indeed send me this morning to stay here with you until you woke, and tell you to come to her when you did. A bit melodramatic, that, passing out at her feet, wasn’t it?”

He winced. “I hope I was discreet about it.”