So no wonder he felt shaky, and weak in the knees; Healing took of your own strength and resources, speeding up what normally took days and weeks into hours and days. He probably even weighed a great deal less than he had when they’d brought him here! Small wonder the Healer wanted him to start feeding himself; there was no way that he could get enough nourishment to sustain Healing on broth.

:You should go back to bed,: Kantor admonished.

:I believe that I will. And take that pain potion the Healer left for me while I’m at it.: He knew that part of the drill well enough; it wasn’t the first time he’d been hurt, though it was the first time it had been at the hands of his own people.

And that—

Well, just at the moment, he would rather go back to bed and to the oblivion promised by the pain potion than think about it.

* * *

Herald Talamir finished his informal report on the Karsite, and waited to see what his King would make of it.

“So. Our newest Trainee is not at all pleased about being Chosen, eh?” King Sendar asked—or rather, stated.

This was no formal audience, it wasn’t even witnessed by another Herald, unless one counted the presence of Sendar’s Heir, his daughter Selenay, who was halfway through her training as a Herald. They were all in Sendar’s study, in the Royal Suite in the Palace—the private study, not the one where those who were not intimate with the Royal Family would see the King privately. This room had been the Queen’s solar until Sendar appropriated it for himself; it faced south and looked out into the Queen’s Garden, a courtyard that had no other entrance than the one in this room.

Roses still bloomed out there, beyond the glass, late though it was in the season, and it was home to other flowers and plants that needed tender sheltering from the worst of winter’s wrath. It made a tranquil retreat for a harried monarch who wanted some peace—although there really was no way that Sendar could escape altogether from the troubles of the realm.

Talamir shook his head. “No, Sire, he’s not,” the King’s Own replied regretfully. “I must confess, I’m at a loss as to how to proceed with him. This was hardly the response I expected.”

He knew Sendar better than anyone else in Valdemar—probably better even than the late Queen had—but Sendar surprised him with his dry chuckle. “I’m not,” the King said. “Truth to tell, I’m glad to hear it. I’m not certain I’d trust someone who would abandon everything he’s believed in until now just because a talking horse tells him that he’s been chosen to join the enemy.”