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"I hope you are pleased with yourself," Lady Sexton snapped. She was currently the only one speaking to Alik and only to scold him. "Your parents and your cousin were always going on and on about your intelligence, your sharp wit and we let you out of our sight for but a few moments-"
"Eamon was there," Alik pointed out and felt his eyes water as the healer began to sew his cheek back together. It wasn't a deep cut, but deep enough to require stitching.
"Oh, get away!" Lady Sexton snapped at the man and pushed him out of the way. She took the needle from his hands and sat down in the stool that he vacated. "For all their training, not a single one of them can mend decently," she muttered and quickly went to work.
Alik closed his eyes. As soon as they had returned, Eamon went directly to the barracks and Aveling and Margrave left for the war room with everyone else trailing behind them. Alik was ushered off to his own room where a healer and a very upset Lady Sexton met him.
"As far as first meetings go, this could have been far worse," Alik said.
"How could this possibly have gone any worse?" Lady Sexton asked.
"Eamon could have killed him," he said.
"I fail to see how that could have been a bad thing," she said and Alik felt queasy as the thread tugged at his cheek. The cut, once cleaned, started at the edge of the left side of his jaw, deepened as it swept upward across his cheek, and trailed off as it disappeared at the tip of his eyebrow.
"Any ruler with any kind of intelligence or people who know of these things would have a plan in place if they are taken or killed. And I believe that the people of the Isles would have suffered for it in ways that we don't know of yet," Alik said.
Lady Sexton remained silent until she was done and sat back. "I suppose you were right," she sighed and sat back. She put one hand to her eyebrow, as though she were in pain. "But it doesn't make anything easier, does it?"
"This is my first war, so I'm not the expert to ask," Alik muttered and folded his hands over his chest.
"And the expert to ask is busy preparing the men," Lady Sexton said. She sighed and stood, straightened her skirts, and turned. "I will convene your council, Your Highness. We have much to discuss."
Alik didn't reply and Lady Sexton left.
“Will there be anything else, Your Highness?” The healer asked.
“No, you may go.”
Alik lay on his back and stared up at the canopy of his bed for a long moment. He couldn’t help but replay the visit with Raulyn over and over in his head. It seemed a strange request, for a stay of arms, right after the king died. To Alik, it seemed like quite possibly the best time to mount an assault, to show the nobility that doubted the young prince, that he could in fact bring down both Alik and Eamon.
Alik sat up and stared at the fireplace across from him.
It didn’t make sense. If Raulyn knew anything about the politics of court, he would be eager to lead his army into battle. Instead he asked for time to mourn and pulled all his spies from their lands.
Alik went to his doors and jerked them open.
“Get me Issat,” he ordered and slammed the doors once again.
He heard the guards shuffling and then they were gone again.
When Issat came in, Alik was pacing in front of the fireplace.
“Alik?” She asked slowly.
“I need your thoughts,” he said.
“Your face?”
He waved the question away but when she caught sight of the stitches she winced.
“You have been told that all the spies were pulled back to the Storm Isles, is that correct?” He asked.
“Yes. None remain. Or none of the ones that we knew of, anyway.” Issat took a seat in a chair and leaned forward to brace her forearms on her knees. Her thick braid fell off her shoulder as she watched him.
“Do we know of all of them?” Alik asked.
“Impossible to say. If they were any good at their job, then no. I imagine not.”
“Would you be able to find out, if there were any?”
“It might be possible. How soon would you need this information?”
“Yesterday.”
Issat studied him. “Would you like to explain to me what is on your mind?”
“Could you keep it from Eamon if I told you? Could you lie to Avelina?” Alik asked.
Issat looked down at her hands.
“Then I will not tell you,” Alik said gently and stopped in front of her. He kissed her hands and looked up at her. “I do have one thing I need you to do for me and I need you to keep it to yourself for as long as possible.”
“What is it?” She asked but Alik saw that she already knew what he would ask her to do, what he would order her to do if she refused.
“I need you to ready my room,” Alik said and stood.
She looked up at him and opened her mouth to protest. Alik turned from her and went to the doors. He paused with his hands on the handle and looked to her.
“Once you have the person and they are secured in my room, please come get me. I am at your disposal,” he whispered and left her alone in the room.
Alone, Issat stared at the fire and she had to remind herself that she was honor bound to her kings and to her country and she had sworn an oath so many years ago to do as Alik asked.
Even if it was a stain on both of their souls.