“Hey.” But his protest lacked heat as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

I reached up and closed his eyes and stroked his rough cheek. “Sleep.” And for once, he listened without arguing. Progress.

* * *

“With the Skeleton King creeping in from the south, should we relocate the infirmary?” I asked Ryne between big bites of stew.

We sat around Kerrick’s fire a full day after I’d woken from the poison. Kerrick and I had slept almost twenty hours straight. After bathing and changing clothes, we both had been starved. Ryne, the monkeys, and Flea had brought out supper, joining us.

“Not at this time,” Ryne said.

“Why not?” Kerrick frowned at him. His wet hair glistened in the firelight and he’d shaved. But it would take more than one day of sleep to erase the dark smudges under his eyes.

“If we have to engage the Skeleton King’s forces, the infirmary should be close to the action.”

A cold knot settled in my chest. I hadn’t thought about that.

“And then there’s the concern about the plague,” Ryne added.

“Concern? That should scare the crap out of us,” Loren said. “If Cellina can start spreading the plague again, we’re screwed.”

“I don’t believe it’s the same plague,” I said.

All five men stared at me in horror.

“Actually, that might be some good news.”

No response.

“And the rest of his squad mates didn’t sicken even though they carried him for a few miles. Is that also good news?” Loren asked.

Good question. I dug into my memories. My mentor, Tara, had taught me the various pathways that a sickness could enter a body—through the nose, the skin, blood, saliva, and during intercourse. In Yuri’s case, blood was the most likely pathway. He had that gash on his upper right arm.

“Ryne, when that spy grabbed you, did he cut your skin?” I asked.

His fingers stroked his neck as he mulled over my question. “His fingernail scratched my throat, but I can’t remember if he drew blood or not.”

“It might have been a dart or tiny needle. Did you find anything like that?”

“No, but it’s not like we searched. It happened so quickly and, once he was dead, we thought the danger was gone.”

“How much of this is pure speculation?” Loren asked.

“Most of it,” I admitted. “Yuri and Ryne could have avoided being exposed to the original plague. Except...” I met Ryne’s gaze.

“My sister was one of the first to sicken and I stayed with her until the bitter end.” Ryne frowned, remembering.

“And don’t forget Avry’s speculations have saved our asses a few times,” Quain said.